8 Healthy Cake Recipes That Make Great Breakfast Food

It’s not a celebration without cake, and what’s more important to celebrate than the most important meal of the day? Cake for breakfast may not sound like solid nutrition advice, but it all depends on the recipe.

Traditionally, baked goods served for dessert are high in unhealthy fats (like the saturated fat in butter) and added sugar, both nutrients the American Heart Association (AHA) recommends limiting as much as possible to improve cardiovascular health and decrease the risk of diabetes, heart attack, and stroke. For example, data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) shows that you might get about 250 calories, 4 grams (g) of saturated fat, and almost 26 g of added sugar in a single slice of chocolate cake. For women, that’s more than the recommended amount of added sugar for the entire day!

But if you could bake a cake with a friendlier nutritional profile, it might be just the thing to start your day off right. After all, cake can be easily made ahead of time, and a slice is easy to grab and eat when you’re on the go. Plus, there’s good evidence that baking can be a form of self-care. And who doesn’t love the idea of eating cake — or any dessert — for breakfast? It can be a sweet way to convince breakfast skippers (of any age) to put something in their bellies in the morning.

A breakfastworthy cake is just a few basic ingredient swaps away. Natural sweeteners, such as mashed bananas or applesauce, for example, can cut down on added sugar and add nutrients including fiber, vitamins, and minerals, while keeping your cake super moist. Applesauce can also be used to cut back on the amount of fat in a recipe or in place of some or all the eggs.