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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.
Yvonne
How would vanilla slim fast protein powder work for this?
Christel Oerum
I don’t have any experience with that product. If you try it out, please let us know
Kelly
Wow. This actually tastes like regular food, not fake sweets. Thank you!
Allison
Hi, does this recipe freeze well? I am wanting to do a meal prep for a sick relative, and he likes his sweets.
Christel Oerum
I haven’t tried so can’t say for sure, but I don’t think so
Brittany
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!
Christel Oerum
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
Troy
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?
Christel Oerum
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
Jamie
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.
Christel Oerum
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
Allison
Hi!
Has anyone tried doubling or tripling the recipe and making into muffins?
Christel Oerum
I’ve tried doubling. Not a problem unless you bake it all in one tin, then it’s hard to get it baked though
Neha
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
Christel Oerum
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
Amy
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.
MonicaJumper
It looks like icing or yogurt in the picture are you adding that to the dish or does it just look like that?
Christel Oerum
The white stuff is just a dusting of powdered stevia. I like it super sweet
Sherri
I am allergic to Stevia. Would Splenda or another powder-type sweetener work as well in your recipes?
Christel Oerum
Yes, that should work. As long as it’s the powdered version and not the extract