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 try these Keto Cinnamon Rolls from EasyKetoDishes.com.
For even more healthy high-protein recipes, take a look at my roundups of the best low-carb breakfast ideas for diabetics and diabetic desserts.
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
Hi, does this recipe freeze well? I am wanting to do a meal prep for a sick relative, and he likes his sweets.
I haven’t tried so can’t say for sure, but I don’t think so
I’m gathering quite the arsenal of different protein powders because I notice / am told they act differently in recipes. Is your pick of a whey- casein blend on purpose here? I use quest for that, but also have several whey only and vegan (pea, rice) blends to play with as well.
Thanks for the recipe!
You are absolutely right, some protein powders are more suitable for baking than others. I prefer this specific brand for baking since it acts like flour/thickener and basically, newer fails. I do like Quest as well but Met-Rx has been superior so far
Really 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?
75 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
This did not work for me. The batter didn’t rise into a loaf. It might be an inch tall. This is a glorified pancake.
Well, 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
Hi!
Has anyone tried doubling or tripling the recipe and making into muffins?
I’ve tried doubling. Not a problem unless you bake it all in one tin, then it’s hard to get it baked though
Looks 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
I”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
It turns out awfully dense (but very filling!) with oatbran. Needs more moisture if you’re trading it, and the swirl seems to rise to the top and not mix through.
It looks like icing or yogurt in the picture are you adding that to the dish or does it just look like that?
The white stuff is just a dusting of powdered stevia. I like it super sweet
I am allergic to Stevia. Would Splenda or another powder-type sweetener work as well in your recipes?
Yes, that should work. As long as it’s the powdered version and not the extract
could i leave out the oats entirely to make it even more low carb?
I’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
The only stevia I have are NuNaturals stevia packets. Is this the right stevia to use? Thanks, I can’t wait to try this!
That 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
Can I use vegan eggs as a substitute
I don’t know enough about vegan eggs to answer that. If you go ahead and try I’d love to know how it goes
Where do you find vanilla powder??
You can try out different brands but the one that I find always gives solid baking results is the Met-RX (link here)
You can use HelloSunshine! Shakes brand @hellosunshineshakes.com
They are super delicious, especially Copacabana Banana and Vegas Vanilla or Berry Bali. I love them and will bake this swirl tomorrow using one of them 💚 will let you guys know how it went.
If making just the one serving, what kind or size dish am I baking it in?
Good question. The one we use is about 4.5 inches across. I have added that to the recipe description.
I am still unsure about the nonstick pan to use. I have mini loaf pans, would that be about the size?
The one we used is a round pan 4.5 inches across. If your pan is about the same size, it should work fine. If your pan is a different size, just use it anyway and test if the cake is done with a knife. If the knife comes out without any batter on it, the cake should be done.
I 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!!
It 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.
Can I use monk fruit as the sweetener instead of stevia??
Yes, that works just as well
I’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!
Yes, that’s not a problem and something I’ve done before.
Hope you like it
This maybe a dumb question , but when u say mix do u mean in a blender ? Or a mixer ?
Thank you
I had the same question. Hope we get an answer.????
Step 2 is in a bender. After that, you just have to gently whisk everything together in step 3..
HI there!! What approximate size is a serving?? And how many servings does one batch make? Thanks ?
Hi Rebecca, the recipe is for 1 serving. Each serving is about the size of a burger bun so it’s a good sized snack.
Hi!
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! 🙂
Hi Amy,
Good questions 😀
Our scoops are 1 oz. (28.5g). We use Old Fashioned Oats, but any kind of rolled oats should work.
Hi 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?
Hi 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.