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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.
There is something so fun about starting the 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 living with diabetes, eating sugary pancakes smothered in syrup is not a good breakfast option.
That’s why I created this nutritious (and very delicious) cinnamon swirl protein cake.
Why you will love this cinnamon swirl protein cake
- It’s high in protein (34 grams per serving) and low in carbs (13.7 net carbs per serving)
- It only takes 30 minutes to make
- You can store it in the fridge for days so you always have breakfast or a snack ready
- It’s very filling and will give you energy for hours
Reader review
Best protein cake ever! I have never had much luck baking with protein powder before, but this was amazing. I have had it 4 days in a row now 🙂.
Madison
How to make cinnamon swirl protein cake
This delicious, breakfast-approved cake is very simple to make and requires only 6 ingredients (one of which is water!).
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 390 F (200 C).
Step 2: Blend all the ingredients except the cinnamon. The mixture should be like a thick pancake batter.
Step 3: Pour half the batter into a small (about 4.5 inches across) nonstick pan and sprinkle with the cinnamon.
Step 5: Pour the remaining batter on top.
Step 6: Pull a knife through the batter a few times to slightly mix in the cinnamon.
Step 7: Bake for 12 minutes and let it rest for a few minutes before serving.
Recipe tips and tricks
- Don’t try to increase the ingredients and make a “giant loaf.” If you do that, it won’t get cooked all the way through… and the last thing you want is a mushy protein cake!
- I love to make this 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 smaller than 6 inches in diameter.
- Make sure you’re using 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.
Substitutions and variations
- You can use almost any sweetener you like. Most low-carb sweeteners are ok for baking, and of course, regular sugar works great (if you don’t mind the carbs and calories)
- You can use a different protein powder, but it may take some trial and error to find one that works. Not all protein powders are great for baking, and it is hard to know which ones work without testing them.
- Using milk instead of water makes the cake slightly richer in texture.
- This recipe uses a lot of cinnamon. You can make the taste milder by reducing the cinnamon and adding a dash of vanilla essence.
What to serve with protein cake
When I eat this cake for breakfast, I typically drink a Skinny Vanilla Almond Latte or Orange Cinnamon Breakfast Tea (if I want to go all-out on cinnamon flavor).
For an afternoon snack, I often pair it with a low-carb smoothie. My favorites are a Low-Carb Carrot Smoothie or Low-Carb Watermelon Smoothie with Mint. The freshness from the smoothies is excellent with the heavy cake.
If you want to be a little crazy, you can slice the cake into pieces and put Sugar-free Cinnamon Applesauce on them. This is A LOT of cinnamon, but I love it!
Storage and freezing
- You can store cinnamon swirl protein cake in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- To reheat, place in the microwave for 30 seconds.
- I don’t recommend freezing it. It will get soggy when you defrost it.
More high-protein recipes
I love incorporating protein powder into my cooking. Here are a few of my favorite high-protein recipes that I know you’ll love!
For even more healthy high-protein recipes, take a look at my roundups of the best high-protein breakfast recipes.
Cinnamon Swirl Protein Cake
Ingredients
Batter
- ½ cup oats
- 2 egg whites, (2 ounces or 6 tablespoons)
- ⅔ cup water
- 2 scoops vanilla protein powder, (2 ounces)
- 1 teaspoon Stevia
- 1 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 390 F (200 C)
- Blend everything except the cinnamon until the consistency is smooth. The mixture should be like thick pancake batter.½ cup oats, 2 egg whites, ⅔ cup water, 2 scoops vanilla protein powder, 1 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon Stevia
- Pour half of the batter into a small (about 4.5 inches across) nonstick pan and sprinkle with the cinnamon.1 tablespoon cinnamon
- Pour the remaining batter on top.
- Pull a knife through the batter a few times to slightly mix in the cinnamon.
- Bake for 12 minutes and let it rest for a few minutes before serving.
alex
could i leave out the oats entirely to make it even more low carb?
Christel Oerum
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
Stacey
The 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
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
Avu
Can I use vegan eggs as a substitute
Christel Oerum
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
Diana
Where do you find vanilla powder??
Christel Oerum
You can try out different brands but the one that I find always gives solid baking results is the Met-RX (link here)
Joanna
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.
Amanda
If making just the one serving, what kind or size dish am I baking it in?
Tobias Oerum
Good question. The one we use is about 4.5 inches across. I have added that to the recipe description.
Sherri Barton
I am still unsure about the nonstick pan to use. I have mini loaf pans, would that be about the size?
Tobias Oerum
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.
Lori
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!!
Christel Oerum
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.
Zach
Can I use monk fruit as the sweetener instead of stevia??
Christel Oerum
Yes, that works just as well
Erica
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!
Christel Oerum
Yes, that’s not a problem and something I’ve done before.
Hope you like it
Petrina Behlow
This maybe a dumb question , but when u say mix do u mean in a blender ? Or a mixer ?
Thank you
Charlotte
I had the same question. Hope we get an answer.????
Christel Oerum
Step 2 is in a bender. After that, you just have to gently whisk everything together in step 3..
Rebecca
HI there!! What approximate size is a serving?? And how many servings does one batch make? Thanks ?
Tobias Oerum
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.
Amy
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! 🙂
Tobias Oerum
Hi Amy,
Good questions 😀
Our scoops are 1 oz. (28.5g). We use Old Fashioned Oats, but any kind of rolled oats should work.
Shannon
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?
Christel Oerum
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.