With this Cinnamon Swirl Protein Cake, you can have cake for breakfast! It’s a tasty, high-protein treat that will make you excited to get out of bed in the morning.
I don’t know about you, but I love a breakfast that reminds me of dessert!
There is something so fun about crawling out of bed in the morning and starting my day with a sweet treat. I guess that’s why people love to wake up and have a big breakfast of waffles or pancakes drowning in syrup, right?
However, as someone with diabetes, eating sugary pancakes smothered in sugary syrup is not a good breakfast option. In fact, it’s not exactly a good breakfast option for anyone (even if it tastes great going down!).
I like to eat breakfasts that are high in protein and have a moderate amount of low-glycemic carbs and healthy fats. That’s why I created this nutritious (and very delicious) Cinnamon Swirl Protein Cake. Yes, cake for breakfast!
As you might expect with the name, this recipe has a ton of protein (34 grams), and it also has a moderate amount of carbs (18 grams) and fat (2 grams).
There are only 217 calories in the entire protein cake recipe, so it’s a healthy, low-calorie breakfast option.
I love to make Cinnamon Swirl Protein Cake in a small loaf pan because I can slice it up and eat one slice at a time, but you can make it in any oven-safe dish you want. As you can see in the photos, it also bakes great in a small round glass baking dish!
Make this protein cake the night before
One thing I really love about this recipe is it stores so well in the fridge. If you’re rushing around most mornings like I am, you probably appreciate a breakfast that you can make the night before and just pop in the microwave the next morning.
This recipe is perfect for that—if you store it in the fridge, you can warm it up in the microwave in only 30 seconds. It tastes good and it’s convenient. Talk about a win-win!
Great as a snack or dessert, too
Even though I told you this makes a healthy, low-calorie breakfast, that shouldn’t hold you back from eating it as a snack or dessert. With the high protein content (thanks mostly to the vanilla protein powder), it’s a great way to increase your protein consumption any time of the day.
If you want to get a little decadent for dessert, you could spread a thin layer of almond butter on a slice. Yum!
Tip and tricks for making protein cake
- Although you might be tempted, don’t increase the ingredients and try to make a “giant loaf” for a bunch of meals. If you do that, it doesn’t get cooked all the way through… and the last thing you want is a mushy protein cake!
- Use the right protein powder. You want a protein powder that is suitable for baking and has a strong vanilla flavor. I use Met-RX Vanilla Protein but other brands should work as well. If you try this recipe and it doesn’t come out right, try changing your protein powder.
More high protein recipes
If you want to try more of my protein baking recipes, check out my Protein Pancakes and Protein Berry Crumble. Both recipes are packed with protein (more than 20 grams per serving) and taste AMAZING!
You can also take a look at my roundups of the best low-carb breakfast ideas for diabetics and diabetic desserts for more great low-carb recipes.
When you’ve tried this healthy protein powder cake, please don’t forget to let me know how you liked it and rate the recipe in the comments below!
Cinnamon Swirl Protein Cake
Ingredients
- ¼ cup oats
- 1 egg white
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- 2 tsp. Stevia
- ½ tbsp. cinnamon
- ⅓ Cup water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 F (165 C)
- Blend oats, egg white, and water until the consistency is smooth (I use a Nutribullet)
- Pour the mixture into a bowl and whisk it together with the protein powder and 1 tsp. Stevia (the mixture should be like thick pancake batter).
- Pour half of the batter into a small (about 4.5 inches across) nonstick pan and sprinkle with two-thirds of the cinnamon and 1 tsp. Stevia. Pour the remaining batter over and sprinkle with the rest of the cinnamon.
- Pull a knife through the batter a few times to slightly mix in the cinnamon and Stevia.
- Bake for 25 minutes and let it rest for a few minutes before serving.
- If stored in the fridge, reheat for 30 sec in the microwave before serving.
Nutrition Info Per Serving
Troy says
May 12, 2019 at 6:50 pmReally sounds good. I have a question though. On the label you show, where does the sodium come from? I saw it say something like 145. Is it in the protein powder? Do you know by chance?
Christel Oerum says
May 13, 2019 at 8:54 am75 mg is from the liquid egg whites and 70 mg are from the protein powder. So you might be able to reduce the total amount by choosing a different brand of protein powder
Jamie says
April 27, 2019 at 6:55 amThis did not work for me. The batter didn’t rise into a loaf. It might be an inch tall. This is a glorified pancake.
Christel Oerum says
April 28, 2019 at 3:10 pmWell, that’s annoying. Could be your protein powder, not all whey powders are optimal for baking. I recommend Met-Rx vanilla, it’s excellent for pretty much all types of baking
Allison says
April 4, 2019 at 2:22 pmHi!
Has anyone tried doubling or tripling the recipe and making into muffins?
Christel Oerum says
April 4, 2019 at 4:26 pmI’ve tried doubling. Not a problem unless you bake it all in one tin, then it’s hard to get it baked though
Neha says
February 27, 2019 at 4:26 pmLooks amazing. Cant wait.to try it. Would I be able to use oat bran instead since it is already grounded? I make oat “bread” often by mixing 1/3 cup oat bran, 3 egg whites, 15g flavored protein powder. I cook half batter like a pancake on non stick pan and then the other half. Then I have this with almond butter and 1tsp unsweetened jam. Pretty good PB&J
Christel Oerum says
February 28, 2019 at 11:40 amI”m not sure that would work since rolled oats are the entire oat groat while oat bran is made up of only the outer shells of the seeds. But it could be worth a try. Let me know how it goes please
MonicaJumper says
February 1, 2019 at 3:29 pmIt looks like icing or yogurt in the picture are you adding that to the dish or does it just look like that?
Christel Oerum says
February 1, 2019 at 5:16 pmThe white stuff is just a dusting of powdered stevia. I like it super sweet
Sherri says
January 13, 2019 at 2:33 pmI am allergic to Stevia. Would Splenda or another powder-type sweetener work as well in your recipes?
Christel Oerum says
January 13, 2019 at 3:10 pmYes, that should work. As long as it’s the powdered version and not the extract
alex says
July 29, 2018 at 8:55 pmcould i leave out the oats entirely to make it even more low carb?
Christel Oerum says
July 30, 2018 at 10:18 amI’m not sure it would work completely without any starch. I haven’t experimented with that, so please let me know if you try it and it works out
Stacey says
February 19, 2018 at 1:34 pmThe only stevia I have are NuNaturals stevia packets. Is this the right stevia to use? Thanks, I can’t wait to try this!
Christel Oerum says
February 20, 2018 at 1:39 pmThat product is similar to the Stevia in the raw brand that I use. As with the other powdered Stevia brands it does contain Maltodextrin which could potentially have a small impact on blood sugars. I’ve never had an issue with the powdered Stevia impacting my blood sugar but you’ll have to test and see if that’s the case for you as well. But yes, I’d say if you enjoy the taste of that brand to stick with it
Avu says
January 25, 2019 at 7:34 pmCan I use vegan eggs as a substitute
Christel Oerum says
January 25, 2019 at 9:44 pmI don’t know enough about vegan eggs to answer that. If you go ahead and try I’d love to know how it goes
Diana says
February 14, 2018 at 6:45 amWhere do you find vanilla powder??
Christel Oerum says
February 14, 2018 at 2:50 pmYou can try out different brands but the one that I find always gives solid baking results is the Met-RX (link here)
Amanda says
November 24, 2017 at 7:32 pmIf making just the one serving, what kind or size dish am I baking it in?
Tobias Oerum says
November 24, 2017 at 8:14 pmGood question. The one we use is about 4.5 inches across. I have added that to the recipe description.
Lori says
October 28, 2017 at 2:20 pmI just made this. It taste pretty good but my texture looks nothing like yours. Mine is very dense and thick, while I feel like yours looks more light and fluffy (like a cake). Should the recipe have baking powder in it to make it rise? Mine is flat. Hope you can offer me some advice on this. Thank you in advance!!
Christel Oerum says
October 28, 2017 at 5:48 pmIt might be the protein powder you use. I use a brand called Met-Rx Protein plus for baking and that acts pretty much like flour. If the texture and taste are good with your current product you could try and add a little baking powder, I haven’t tried that, but don’t see any harm in adding some.
Erica says
September 16, 2017 at 3:49 pmI’m thinking of using this for weekly meal prep. Is it possible to multiply the recipes, cook in a small casserole dish, and then slice it up into portions for each day? It would be for both the hubby and me. Thanks!
Christel Oerum says
September 16, 2017 at 6:01 pmYes, that’s not a problem and something I’ve done before.
Hope you like it
Petrina Behlow says
January 21, 2017 at 3:34 amThis maybe a dumb question , but when u say mix do u mean in a blender ? Or a mixer ?
Thank you
Charlotte says
March 5, 2017 at 7:45 amI had the same question. Hope we get an answer.????
Christel Oerum says
March 5, 2017 at 9:25 amStep 2 is in a bender. After that, you just have to gently whisk everything together in step 3..
Rebecca says
September 10, 2016 at 1:04 pmHI there!! What approximate size is a serving?? And how many servings does one batch make? Thanks ?
Tobias Oerum says
September 10, 2016 at 2:07 pmHi Rebecca, the recipe is for 1 serving. Each serving is about the size of a burger bun so it’s a good sized snack.
Amy says
November 14, 2015 at 6:07 pmHi!
This sounds fantastic!
I have Isofemme Vanilla protein powder and the scoop is quite large. Approximately how much is your scoop?
Also would any kind of oats do?
Thanks! 🙂
Tobias Oerum says
November 14, 2015 at 7:51 pmHi Amy,
Good questions 😀
Our scoops are 1 oz. (28.5g). We use Old Fashioned Oats, but any kind of rolled oats should work.
Shannon says
September 5, 2015 at 6:49 pmHi there! I was wondering about the kind of oats? I tend to have stone ground in the house but is that too thick/slow cooking?
Christel Oerum says
September 5, 2015 at 7:30 pmHi Shannon,
Stone ground oats, steel cut oats and old fashioned oats are almost identical when it comes to nutrients and glycemic index. They are all great! The main difference is that stone ground and steel cut oats need to cook a lot longer than old fashioned oats, so you can’t use them in our baking recipes without cooking them a little first.
The oats you want to avoid are instant oats and similar highly processed types where most of the nutrients are gone.