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Homemade Skinny Chocolate Cake

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Be still my chocolate loving heart, a moist chocolate cake made from scratch with only three tablespoons of oil in the entire treat! Top this with some chocolate syrup and fresh raspberries and oh my, what a chocolate dessert!

Be still my chocolate loving heart, a moist chocolate cake made from scratch with only three tablespoons of oil in the entire treat! Top this with some chocolate syrup and fresh raspberries and oh my, what a chocolate dessert!Homemade Skinny Chocolate Cake

For the chocolate lovers, you might also like this Flourless Chocolate Cake or these PB2 Flourless Brownies.

Be still my chocolate loving heart, a moist chocolate cake made from scratch with only three tablespoons of oil in the entire treat! Top this with some chocolate syrup and fresh raspberries and oh my, what a chocolate dessert!

I’ve been experimenting making a cake from scratch with less fat for a few days now and after a few rounds I finally got it to where my taste testers (aka husband and friends) all thought it was great and couldn’t believe it was light.

My secret? There’s pudding, yogurt and applesauce in the mix!

This recipe was created for those of you who like to make their cakes from scratch, but if you prefer a quicker method by using a box cake mix as an ingredient, see my Super Moist Low Fat Chocolate Cupcake recipe.

This cake rises beautifully and the coffee brings out the flavor of the chocolate. Will it work without the pudding? Yes, however the texture will change and you’ll need to increase the sugar. Can you use less oil? Yes, but I’ve already cut out more than half, and using less will work, but the texture will be drier.

I made this in a 13 x 9-inch pan and used a heart cookie cutter to cut out hearts, but you can make this into 24 cupcakes, a bundt cake or 2 rounds. Hope you enjoy!

Be still my chocolate loving heart, a moist chocolate cake made from scratch with only three tablespoons of oil in the entire treat! Top this with some chocolate syrup and fresh raspberries and oh my, what a chocolate dessert!
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Homemade Skinny Chocolate Cake

5 from 5 votes
8
Cals:163
Protein:3
Carbs:33
Fat:3
Be still my chocolate loving heart, a moist chocolate cake made from scratch with only three tablespoons of oil in the entire treat! Top this with some chocolate syrup and fresh raspberries and oh my, what a chocolate dessert!
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Be still my chocolate loving heart, a moist chocolate cake made from scratch with only three tablespoons of oil in the entire treat! Top this with some chocolate syrup and fresh raspberries and oh my, what a chocolate dessert!
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 40 minutes
Total: 1 hour
Yield: 20 servings
Serving Size: 2 .5 x 2.25 inch slice

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 3 tbsp canola oil
  • 4 oz unsweetened apple sauce
  • 1 egg
  • 2 egg whites
  • 1 cup HOT coffee
  • 3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup fat free milk
  • 2 cups cake flour, not self rising
  • 1 package instant chocolate pudding, not sugar free
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 cup plain fat free Greek yogurt
  • spray oil

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 325°F.
  • Lightly spray and flour your cake pan.
  • In a large bowl combine flour, dry chocolate pudding mix, salt, baking powder and baking soda and set aside. (dry ingredients)
  • In a medium bowl, combine HOT coffee with the cocoa powder until it dissolves. Slowly add milk and vanilla extract. Set aside. (wet ingredients)
  • In a stand mixer on low speed combine the sugar and oil; mix to combine well.
  • Add the applesauce until mixed through. Then add eggs and egg whites until incorporated.
  • Starting with the dry ingredients, slowly add a little of the dry, then a little of the wet ingredients, alternating between wet and dry until all the ingredients are mixed in.
  • Last step is to add the Greek yogurt and just stir to combine.
  • Pour into the cake pan and transfer to oven.
  • Depending on the pan you use, (I used a 13 x 9-inch pan) bake for 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cupcakes will be closer to 25-30 minutes.

Last Step:

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Nutrition

Serving: 2 .5 x 2.25 inch slice, Calories: 163 kcal, Carbohydrates: 33 g, Protein: 3 g, Fat: 3 g, Saturated Fat: 0.5 g, Cholesterol: 9.5 mg, Sodium: 335 mg, Fiber: 1.5 g, Sugar: 19.5 g

Categories:

Be still my chocolate loving heart, a moist chocolate cake made from scratch with only three tablespoons of oil in the entire treat! Top this with some chocolate syrup and fresh raspberries and oh my, what a chocolate dessert!

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193 comments on “Homemade Skinny Chocolate Cake”

  1. Absolutely love this cake. Everytime I make it, everyone raves about it. It has become my chocolate cake recipe anytime I make a chocolate cake. So incredibly good. For frosting I’ve used the 1 minute chocolate frosting and it works perfectly.

  2. This cake is great for a healthier version of chocolate cake! We tried it with just melted sugar free chocolate chips on top, but we were really missing the frosting. So I made some of skinnytaste’s cream cheese frosting. I added some melted sugar free chocolate chips to the frosting to make chocolate cream cheese frosting! I love it with this cake! 

  3. This cakes is awesome!  It reminds me of the famous Costco chocolate cake!  I placed what we didn’t eat it in the refrigerator and it was even better the next day!  Thanks so much for the great recipes!  I also love the super moist carrot cake and zucchini bread recipes.  Make them all the time and now this will be a family staple as well!💕

  4. I accidentally bought sweetened applesauce. How much sugar should I add instead? I’m excited to try this recipe to make a birthday cake for the first time. 

  5. With the skinny chocolate cake, I wonder why you didn’t swap the sugar for at least some stevia/monk fruit perhaps and maybe used unsweetened cashew milk (1 Pt per cup on WW Blue) vs skimmed or are they about the same? I’m looking forward to making it anyhow but DO have to make it for lesser than 7pts per serving if I’m to stay on a decent weight loss. Thanks though, it looks terrific. 

  6. Since my husband is diabetic I made this sugar free using stevia and sugar free chocolate pudding mix it came out moist not too sweet! It worked well!!! Thank you for doing what you do!!! 

    1. Awesome. I just put a question in about that. I love chocolate cake etc but don’t need it too sweet. Thanks for that!!!!

  7. Well, don’t know where I’ve been or how I missed this chocolate cake recipe but found it just in time for Valentine’s Day 2019! The reviews make me want to bake this right now (however, only a few day until Heart
    Day). Gina, you are a gift to our kitchens, I’m a late comer to your site but now have three binders filled with
    recipes, and I’ve been married and cooking for 52 years! Thank You.

  8. Oh wow. I loved it! I only had 2 eggs but a lot of apple sauce, so I substituted the whole egg with a 1/4 cup of apple sauce, plus the additional apple sauce. Came out great!! I poured some heavy whipping cream over my piece and it was so good. I won’t do it every time, but as a teenager we made a German black forest cake in German class and I remember using heavy whipping cream. This cake is really good! My kids love it!

  9. This is so perfect with the chocolate syrup and raspberries as suggested! I made two rounds, and I sliced each round into 10 slices to keep the same serving size and nutritional info.

  10. I recognize this recipe; i got the same one out of my mom’s very old cookbook,so it must be a pretty old one.–not kidding, but its very good.–mine’s only a little different.

  11. Avatar photo
    Dawn Eggen-Mona

    This was wonderful cake! I followed the directions exactly and made it in four small heart pans. It took as long to bake as a regular pan, and was very moist and chocolatey. My husband, a health fanatic ate it but will probably not eat seconds because of the sugar. He read the recipe. I topped with berries for him, and made chocolate sauce for the rest of the group, and added berries for them too. Thank you

  12. Avatar photo
    Delisha Renee

    Does the type of coffee matter? I have the Giant Foods (or Stop & Sho in other areas) Colombian that is Arabica and Dunkin Donuts Hazelnut blend. Both are k cups. I have Cracker Barrel regular coffee. I also have Giant Foods instant coffee.

  13. I saw a few people have asked about the size of the pudding packet in grams, for those of us that live overseas – but I can't find a reply. Can anyone answer this for me?

  14. Hi, I live in Singapore and we only get sweetened apple sauce here (these are the brands https://www.coldstorage.com.sg/onlineshopping/browse-brand.aspx?Search=apple%20sauce ) , could you recommend how much sugar I should remove from the recipe?

  15. Coffee is against my religious preferences (as is tea) is there anything I can do in place of the coffee??

  16. Avatar photo
    Jansen de Roxas

    I made this cake as a birthday cake for my husband and he loved it! I did two 9" rounds and stacked them. For the cake I substituted part whole wheat and part all purpose flour with added cornstarch in place of the cake flour. I also substituted Truvia baking blend for half of the sugar. For frosting I used fat free cool whip and mixed in another box of jello pudding mix as well as some sugar free chocolate syrup and cocoa powder, it ended up making a super chocolatey partner for the cake.

    I also put a portion of the cake in the freezer to eat at a later date. That later date ended up being just four days after his birthday. It defrosted great in the microwave, he didn't want to wait for it to thaw!

    He is already looking forward to another occasion for me to make this cake. Thank you for the fantastic recipe Gina!

  17. Avatar photo
    Michele Kohler-Ho

    This cake has become a household favorite for birthdays and all other holidays. I've made extra and frozen (cupcakes) for a few days and they defrosted wonderfully. Would a cake freeze well for a couple of months?

  18. I made this tonight and it was so good. I used Dark chocolate powder instead of regular cocoa powder, and used King Arthur's gluten free flour mix and it came out great. Even when I had to take out out of the oven for a couple minutes when it overspilled and we had to clean the oven, after i put it back it still rose beautifully.

  19. Avatar photo
    The Remodeled Life

    Ok, I'm starting to become addicted to your blog. Seriously, I have made several things now and they have all been so good. I made this cake tonight and it.was.amazing. I even forgot the pudding part and it turned out awesome. I couldn't believe how moist it was. I actually cheated a little and used your icing recipe from the snowman cupcakes and drizzled it all over. Thanks so much for sharing your delicious recipes!!! I will be making this again and again!

  20. I made this chocolate cake for Valentine's day and it is THE BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE I'VE EVER HAD!! So moist and yummy! I'm making another 9×13 cake for my little guy's 4th birthday tomorrow AND a batch to make 24 cupcakes for the party the following day. Thank you for such an amazing recipe! I'm a HUUUUUGE FAN!

  21. haven't tried this yet, but for those who want to substitute for the coffee, a chai tea or some sort of cinnamon herbal tea might be really good with the chocolate

  22. I don't drink coffee, but I do have espresso powder from King Arthur Flour that I use in another chocolate cake recipe that makes the same size cake as this recipe. Would mixing 1 teaspoon of espresso powder with 1 cup of hot water have the same affect?

  23. Gina, it's recipes like this that keep me loyal to SkinnyTaste. I've followed several other "big blogs" and eventually unsubscribed. Your recipes are healthier, which I could certainly use more of, made from scratch, which is the only way I cook, and always beautiful. I don't necessarily get along well with cake, mostly because I never seem to made anything more than a brick.

    I am going to make both of these cakes soon. Mr.Sweet Butter is a big cake man, his preferred dessert and in this, I fail. Here's to another go at it, with confidence.

  24. Wonderful!!! very light, tasty a wonderful recipe. woo hoo… I can have my cake and eat it too 🙂

  25. I just made this and it tastes absolutely amazing! Definitely one of the easiest, healthiest and yummiest cakes I've ever made.

  26. Avatar photo
    ashley nguyen

    i wonder if this would work if it was cooked in a silicone muffin tin (heart shaped one) probably….. I will have to try it!

  27. I agree, one of the best chocolate cakes ever, as is very chocolatey and fudgy and so moist!! I made the recipe into 12 very large cupcakes (might do 16 smaller ones next time) and used greased paper liners (as very little oil in this recipe). I did not have instant pudding, so used what I had on hand regular pudding mix (Jello 113 gr. box). I also subbed butter milk for the milk, for extra tang and just used well drained plain yogurt (did not have Greek on hand). Even with these changes the cupcakes were perfect. My husband will be putty in my hands when he tries these!! Great recipe for Valentine's Day. Thank you. Love this website!!

  28. OH MY!! Best chocolate cake I've EVER MADE. I made it for my delayed birthday dinner this weekend, and it was SO worth the wait. I had made chocolate lava cake for my birthday and then had to forego it once I calculated fat and calories. This dessert was my triumphant reward. Topped it with fat-free caramel and fresh raspberries….I must confess that I licked the plate when no one was looking – it was that good!

    Definitely use the hot coffee- I hate coffee but it adds a certain something to the dish that you won't want to miss.

  29. Avatar photo
    Colleen Deatsman

    Sounds amazing!!!! Can this be made gluten free? If so, what type of gluten free flour would you recommend?

  30. Hi. I have been LOVING your recipes. I have spent the last several days looking at them and making menus. Thanks!
    I am curious, for this recipe, what size package of Instant Pudding should I use?
    Also, in regards to the coffee debate, I have used hot chocolate in place of coffee for baking recipes and had good success.

  31. To say I hate coffee would be a bit of an understatement, so I was very dubious about putting it in a cake. I decided to bite the bullet in the end – I figured I could just give the cupcakes away to friends, if it came to that – but to my surprise, I cannot taste even a hint of coffee in there. The cupcakes are awesome, some of the best I've ever had! Thanks Gina!!

  32. Gina I found your blog a while ago. Everything I've made so far has been great! Two questions: Can I use the non instant pudding mix? How many grams are there in the small packet?

  33. I made this last night for my mom's birthday cake! UN-BE-LIEVABLE!!!!! Seriously! I'm so impressed with this and my family was drooling for more! I had a container of betty crocker vanilla frosting laying around, so i iced the whole outside with that, but used two round cakes, and melted chocolate frosting in between the layers. It is to-die for. Honestly, THANK YOU! This one's definitely a keeper!

  34. I went ahead and tried this, this makes such a yummy filled cake and the amount was perfect. So good Gina, I love love love this site. I have made so many of these recipes.

  35. Does anyone know…would this make enough cake for 2 9 x 2.5 inch round pans? I'd like to make my first round frosted "pretty" cake and I am a bit clueless.

  36. Avatar photo
    windyhillknits

    Made this for my mother in law's birthday. She and her twin LOVED it! I made a fluffy cream cheese frosting to put on top. Soooo good! Thanks for the awesome recipes!

  37. I'm making these as cupcakes for my son's 3rd birthday party can I omit the Coffee? Or use hot water instead?

    1. Avatar photo
      Catherine Weil

      Yes but the coffee only intensifies the chocolate flavor.  No coffee flavor at all. Water adds no flavor.

  38. I made this for my dad for his birthday/ father's day. It was delicious and so moist! Skinny taste has yet to let me down when it comes to delicious recepies. -Sarah

  39. i am secretly making this for my husband for fathers day the secret is more that it is healthier :}. he likes german choclate frosting is there a healthier way less fat sugars etc to make that ?

  40. This is the lightest, fluffiest cake I've ever made – mine are usually really heavy and unrisen! Just eaten a piece drizzled with (skinny) dulche de leche – ok so I know that takes away from the skinny status somewhat but it was a good combination! Great recipe, thanks!

  41. This recipe looks so good. What kind of gluten free flour would you recommend to replace the cake flour?

  42. Hi Gina-Your recipes rock I've made so many for me and the family and they love everything. I've looked in three supermarkets and can not find cake flour, can i use all purpose??
    Please help it is my hubbys birthday and I want to make for him…

  43. Made this for a family party and EVERYONE (young and old) licked their plate clean and begged for more. They refused to believe it only had 2 grams of fat… It. Was. So. Good! We are not coffee drinkers so I used Pero (similar to Postum) and it was perfect. Drizzled raspberry and chocolate sauce over the plate, topped the cake with FF whipped cream and a fresh raspberry. Picture perfect! Thank you for your hard work to bring us such quality recipes! YUMMY!

  44. I came across your website while searching for a weight watchers friendly dessert to bring to a friend's home tonight (she started WW a few weeks ago). I just put it in the oven. If the finished product tastes as good as the raw batter did, it's going to be amazing!

  45. So excited for this. I'm making Irish Car Bomb cupcakes this weekend and I'm going to sub the coffee for Guinness. Can't wait!

  46. Made this yesterday for my mother-in-law's birthday. I made a half recipe and baked in an 8×8 inch pan. I ended up baking it for about 32 minutes. It was sooo moist and the chocolate flavor was spot on. Completely delicious. My MIL is on Weight Watchers and loved that it was only 4 points. Thanks for a great recipe! It is a keeper.

  47. I'm not quite sure what I did wrong or if it's my oven or what but mine would not bake threw. I seriously had it in the over for an hour and a half and when I inserted a toothpic (several actually, lol) they all still came out with batter on them. I'm dissapointed because my kitchens a mess and I still don't have a cake! :/

    1. you might want to check your oven in case its temp is off. also did you use all the ingredients in their correct measurements?

      What size pan did you use? A too large pan will need a nail in the middle to help it bake properly in the centre, but my main guess is going to be that your oven temp is off.

  48. This looks Amazing! A friend uses pudding mix into her cakes and they are always so moist and rich!

  49. Um this was THE BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE I HAVE EVER HAD!!!!!!!!!!!! I drizzled some chocolate syrup over it, PERFECTION. Icing would have ruined it! Totally indulged one night and had it with a scoop of Breyers fat free vanilla ice cream and some fresh strawberries. FANTASTIC. I'll never make another chocolate cake again.

  50. One package of instant chocolate pudding – how much is that exactly.. I live in Denmark and the packages here might not be the same as yours.. Could you tell me how many grams is in one package? Thank you 🙂

  51. Is there a reason why you don't use sugar free choc. pudding? Hubby is a diabetic & to me SF pudding is delicious & I was wondering about using Splenda instead of sugar. Those are the only 2 changes I would like to make….has anyone else tried it this way??

  52. OMG SO DELICIOUS! I made it in a large heart pan for Valentine's Day and we at the entire thing in 3 days. The moistest, tastiest chocolate cake I've ever had. And for those who are scared of the coffee, you cannot taste it – I swear! It's simply to make it moist and bring out the chocolate flavor.

  53. Avatar photo
    LemonDrop Creative | Ashley

    This looks delish, however, do you have any recommendations for coffe substitutes? My family and I do not drink coffee. Thank you!!

  54. Both my husband and I are on WW…am pleased about the low points but might be too much cake overall for two of us. Don't want to use up all my points on cake but also don't want it to go stale before we can eat it all. So…can this be cut in half?

  55. This is the best chocolate cake I have ever made – so moist and wonderful chocolate flavor. For those asking about cake flour – I was taught many years ago that you can substitute 1 cup minus 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour, sifted, for 1 cup of cake flour. This is what I did yesterday – the cake turned out perfectly.

  56. this was delicious!!!!!!! My grocery store was out of plain Chobani yogurt so I substituted for the black cherry flavor and it was great! Thanks Gina for all of your amazing recipes! I've lost 9lbs already and look foreward to losing more with your help.

  57. You have such an amazing blog! Love all ur clicks…superb!! Very inspiring for new bloggers like me 🙂

  58. I made this for Vday and my husband and I both thought it was some of the best chocolate cake we have ever had! Yum!

  59. I made this yesterday and it was very good! I didn't tell the husband about the coffee and he never tasted it.

    Kristina

  60. OMGOSH…. Gina I don't know how you do it but this was the most amazing cake. I made it yesterday and I think I'm going to have to throw it in the garbage or risk me eating all the leftovers today. The cake is so moist it doesn't even need frosting. I love it!

    I don't drink coffee and I couldn't taste the coffee in it. I do know from baking with other recipes that the coffee just enhances the chocolate to a deeper level.

    Great Cake!

  61. I have made this twice already. It is the BOMB!!!! As usual the recipe was easy to follow, delicious and turned out absolutely beautiful. I used heart cutters as well to make Valentine cakes. Poked a little ghiradelle chocolate chip inside of each raspberry and drizzled with a little bit of dark chocolate syrup. MMMMMMMMM. Thanks again

  62. Avatar photo
    Udengaard Family

    Ok, so I made this today for our V-Day dessert! It was yummy but really dense and "thick" I don't know if I did something wrong or if that is how it was supposed to look and/or feel. It wasn't like a normal cake to me. We still loved the flavor however I would love your feedback!

    1. you might have over mixed it 🙂 try only doing the minimum of mixing you can, as soon as it looks mixed, stop 🙂

  63. This was beyond delicious! The entire family raved about it. i used all purpose flour and it came out absolutely perfect! Thank you again for another home run recipe!

  64. Hmm. I forgot to use the Greek Yogurt (seems like I always screw up something!). I've already baked the cakes. They look and smell good. I'm curious what the effect of the yogurt is?

  65. I made this cake over the weekend and I had to add how delicious it is! Very fudgy, good chocolate flavor. Topped with a little whipped cream or nothing at all it's fabulous. I don't have a stand mixer and my hand mixer is currently not working; so I mixed by hand with a whisk – it came out great. I think this will be my go-to chocolate birthday cake recipe! Thanks so much for this site – I've lost 100 pounds on WW and finding sites like this makes my day!!!! 🙂

  66. Avatar photo
    Sara with an H

    Oh. My. God. This is the most amazing thing EVAR! We host a Bible study at our house on Tuesday nights and I made the cake last night. Tonight I'll do the presentation part. I melted down some Nestle Toll House Semi Sweet Chunks, put it in a pastry bag, and wrote each person's name in the chocolate. I put it in the freezer to harden. They turned out beautiful!!

  67. Would a regular hand mixer work (not the one for soups or blender, but the type you stick to parts to the bottom and select slow medium and so on work? ) I dont have a stand mixer???? I want to make tomorrow.

  68. I tried this tonight on my family-( all of us are doing WW). Everyone LOVED IT! Absolutely could not taste the coffee, it just gave it a richer taste. Thanks, Ann

  69. i have a flour called flaky crust flour for cookies and pie, (i live near a Amish dry good store, thats why i have a strange flour:) wondered if i could use that and also u prolly didn't add the choc. topping pts. in, right? thanks joanan

  70. My son and I made this into cupcakes last night as a Valentine's for his dad. They are light, moist and absolutely delicious! The best chocolate cake I've ever made! (By the way, I substituted whole wheat pastry flour for half of the flour, and you can't tell at all.)

    1. I just used regular chocolate syrup on mine and it was delicious. Up to 1 tablespoon only adds 1 PP if you are on WW.

  71. I just made this cake for my family and they LOVE IT!!!! I did put whipped peanut butter fluff frosting on it and I must say this is the best chocolate cake recipe I have ever made. Will definitely be making it again…

  72. I can taste coffee in anything even when people swear I won't taste it so I'm not going to risk it. I'm going to try this with a cup of chai tea and see what little bit of something extra that adds.

  73. Made mini muffins out of this for a gathering I have tonight! Turned out soooo yummy! I just used regular white flour since I couldn't find cake flour! Hope that doesn't change the points too much!

  74. I can't wait to try this. I'm so excited about your site, I heard about you at my WW meeting and you're my new favorite! Even if I wasn't struggling to stay in my points, I'd love your recipes! Thanks!

  75. made this yesterday and it came out amazing!!!! Hubby loved it! thanks for sharing…will pass it along

  76. I made this last night – FANTASTIC! It was moist, loved the texture, sort of fudgy-like. It was a hit – hubby loved as well as myself and two 7 year old boys. Love that I can work this into my WW plan, plus feel good about serving it to my family as there's no junk in it like splenda or something artificial. Thank you for an awesomely chocolate recipe!

  77. I made this tonight for my Bunco group and it was a hit! Everyone was shocked to find out it was a lighter version. The cake was very moist and delicious! Thanks!

  78. Making this tonight for company. SO nice to be able to make a nice dessert for people coming over and stay on WW plan. Thank you!

  79. Avatar photo
    Katie @ OhShineOn

    I LOVE this recipe. I don't have any pudding on hand, but I may try subbing vanilla yogurt and some agave nectar… We'll see how it turns out!

  80. My heart just did a double-flip when I saw this! So rich and decadent! I'm sure any man would fall in love if we gave them this! 😀 Loving your blog!

  81. I'm new to baking….so sorry if I'm asking stupid questions. For cake flour – is that bleached or unbleached? I saw the two kinds in the grocery store and I wasn't sure which be to use. Also, is the instant pudding mix…just the jello kind? Thank You.

  82. This cake turned out sooo delicious & so very very moist! I only made two substitutes 1) coconut oil for canola & 2) almond milk for fat free milk. I wasn't sure what size instant pudding box so I bought the smallest one & it turned out perfect. I drizzled your chocolate glaze & the same glaze but without chocolate over the entire cake. My kids all raved over it. Thank you for your hard work in putting together such great recipes! We've tried so many & loved all of them!

    1. Not sure how the chocolate syrup affects the WW points? Is there a lower fat version you used? Also, still hoping for tips on the decorative chocolate topping…

  83. Seconded! Cake's in the oven and I would love to know what to drizzle on top for tonight.

    I was also wondering if you had any tips for making the twill without a pastry bag. I was planning to use unsweetened baking chocolate. Any other advice for that step? Thanks!

  84. Oh this looks SOOO good! I am going to make this on Sunday – so I can take it into the office on Monday (of course we will try a little bit before then). Nice to taste, not good for me (or hubby) to have too much around – even if it is the skinny version.
    Thanks so much for sharing!

  85. I'm drooling. Thanks so much for your amazing recipes. You've made a difference in so many people's lives by providing them!

  86. Gina! I made this last night, it was a huge hit with the hubby, thank you! I didn't have cocoa powder on hand so I used unsweetened baking chocolate squares, and it turned out perfectly, so moist and flavorful!

    About the coffee, when I tasted the batter I could taste the coffee, but after it cooked you couldn't taste it at all. Thanks again!

  87. Looks so good! Can you use all purpose flour? Also what did you drizzle on top to make it look so pretty? Thank you Gina, love chocolate, love coffee 🙂

  88. I'm allergic to coffee…would the same amount of hot tea work in it's place or would the flavors not come together properly? Thanks so much! I love this blog!!

  89. Avatar photo
    Mara @ Elemental Custard

    YUM. Theres something about Valentines day and chocolate- but pair chocolate and raspberries and its just so much better! These cakes are adorable!

    And also- that whisk is so cute!

  90. aside from wanting to lick my computer monitor after seeing your beautiful dessert, I was wondering what type of whisk you have and where you got it? lol I need a new one to try this dessert!

  91. Is there any way to make this Gluten Free? I want to make it for a Valentines Day Party but I would also like to have a slice myself!

    THANKS

    1. I just substituted the cake flour for King Arthur all purpose Gluten Free flour and it turned out amazing!

    1. Looking for the chocolate glaze over the top…where are directions for that – looks amazing!!!

      Thank you!

  92. Avatar photo
    Jen @ Peanut Butter and Peppers

    Wow! what a wonderful V-day treat! I love how low the calories are, now I can eat my cake too!!

  93. Avatar photo
    Roz @ weightingfor50

    Oh Gina, thank you soooo much!!!! I'll likely make this for valentines day! You site truly is the best!!!! Have a good day!

  94. Avatar photo
    Southern Gal

    This is so timely! I just asked my daughter yesterday what cake she would like for her birthday which is the day after Valentine's Day. She told me "something chocolate with raspberries". Thank you, Gina!

  95. I would like to make this dessert this weekend. It looks and sounds delicious! Did you use a small or large package of pudding?

  96. Avatar photo
    Belle on Heels

    This is wonderful, Gina. I'm making Spaghetti Carbonara for our V-Day dinner, and it's nice to know that we can have a yummy chocolate dessert that won't be quite so calorie-dense. We CAN have our cake and eat it too 🙂

  97. Avatar photo
    The Mrs @ Success Along the Weigh

    YAY! This will be perfect since V-day hits on a non high cal day this year! Brilliant!

  98. PERFECT FOR VALENTINES! LOVE YOUR RECIPIES! MAKE ABOUT 2-3 A WEEK! HONESTLY AMAZING! KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK AND THANKS SO MUCH FOR SHARING!!!1

  99. Avatar photo
    Gina @ Skinnytaste

    Yes, regular yogurt would work.

    You don't taste the coffee, it just brings out the taste of the chocolate. You can buy a cup of black coffee at McDonald's or Starbucks if you don't normally drink it. If you really insist on not, using it, I guess just boil water.

    I've not tried this with whole wheat pastry flour, if you do let me know how it turns out.

    I personally don't use Splenda, so I am not sure how it would effect the cake. Maybe the Splenda baking blend would be best.

  100. Avatar photo
    Gina @ Skinnytaste

    Yes, regular yogurt would work.

    You don't taste the coffee, it just brings out the taste of the chocolate. You can buy a cup of black coffee at McDonald's or Starbucks if you don't normally drink it. If you really insist on not, using it, I guess just boil water.

    I've not tried this with whole wheat pastry flour, if you do let me know how it turns out.

    I personally don't use Splenda, so I am not sure how it would effect the cake. Maybe the Splenda baking blend would be best.

  101. Avatar photo
    geeky Heather

    I'm like the princess and the pea with coffee in anything; I guarantee you I can taste it if there is even a TB of it! I'm going to try it with just hot water.

    1. Heather, you should try this with the coffee…I'm the same way about it, but when put into a chocolate cake you absolutely cannot detect any coffee flavor.

  102. Absolutely LOVE all of your recipes. I have 2 questions regarding this one:
    I have had a difficult time finding cake flour- any substitutions?
    Can you use splenda instead of the sugar?

  103. Im sure you cant taste the coffee. If just brings out the chocolate taste. Buy instant and make it that way if you dont have any real coffee grounds or a pot to make it with.

  104. I love your stuff! I sooooo want to try this iut next week. What could you replace instead of the hot coffee? Not big coffee lovers over here.
    Thanks,
    Janine

  105. I don't drink coffee or use it in anything. Do you have any suggestions for a coffee alternative in this recipe?

  106. This cake looks amazing to a chocoholic like me. I love your low fat ingredients, so I'll have to try this. thanks!

    1. Avatar photo
      Shannon Talkington Pierron

      You can't even taste the coffee when you bake with it. It just enhances the chocolate flavor. I ALWAYS add some coffee to my chocolate dessert items and it make the chocolate SO much richer. Give it a try! You won't even know it's coffee!

    2. People always say that, but I really don't like it at ALL and taste it even when others don't. I'm going to scroll down the comments to see if anyone tried something else.

  107. Avatar photo
    Gina @ Skinnytaste

    Monique, yes you melt the chocolate, pour it into a small piping bag with a small hole cut out and pipe it onto wax paper making any shape you like. The refrigerate until hard. If yuoou mes up, simply remelt and do it again.

    d.liff- Sure! You may need to use 2 pans depending on the size of your pan.

  108. I have a ceramic heart shaped pan – can I just bake the cake right in that? I was thinking of baking either cake or cookie cake in it…

  109. Gina, I need to make cupcakes with a chocolate design sticking out of the the brownie. Do you just melt chocolate (no adding butter or cream?), place it in a piping bag and pipe it onto wax paper and let it cool?
    I cant figure out how to do a search because I dont know what im trying to ask… but you get me right? lol

    1. you need candy coating/chocolate bark; the chocolate chips u melt and use to make chocolate pops it works great to make decorations like that.

    2. you can just melt the chocloate in the microwave. coating chocolate works best (not choc chips or hershey or anything like that!). when its melted put it in a piping bag with a small adapter on the end or just put it in a ziplock bag and cut one of the corners out of the bag to squeeze the chocolate out. you can squeeze the chocolate out to make whatever shapes you want onto wax paper. let them cool but dont put it into the fridge cuz that will make the choc look dull and not shiny.