Healthy Pistachio Date Cake

This healthy pistachio date cake is made with better-for-you ingredients that will nourish your body, but it also tastes good! What more can you ask for in a dessert?

This healthy pistachio date cake is inspired by the blueberry breakfast cake that I posted last month. I was so pleased with the way it turned out, both texture and taste, especially considering it was made with wholesome ingredients and had 13g protein per serving! 

I wanted to create another version with Middle Eastern flavours I grew up eating in Iraq. Cardamom, pistachio and dates are staples in Arabic cuisine, especially in desserts (but also savoury dishes!). When you combine all three flavours together you get the most delicious and moreish flavour profile. You’ll know what I mean once you try it. 

Why I love making this healthy pistachio date cake:

I love making healthier cakes like this one to snack on in between meals with my cup of tea, or to enjoy as a healthier dessert after meals. 

Ground almonds is usually my go-to when looking for healthier flour substitutes. It has a naturally sweet and nutty flavour that works so well in baked and no-bake desserts alike. It also adds a wonderful texture to baked goods. They are finer than chopped almonds and blend seamlessly into batters, creating a soft, moist crumb. Perfect in recipes like this healthy pistachio date cake. 

Oat flour is another winner when it comes to looking for plain flour substitutes in cakes. It’s higher in fibre and nutrients, but works wonderfully when combined with other ingredients like ground almonds. 

I also love using yoghurt as a way to add lots of moisture without adding too much fat in the form of oils or butter. 

This healthy pistachio date cake is sweet, without being overly sweet. For me, it has just the right level of sweetness to satisfy my cravings without being too indulgent. 

Enjoying a delicious dessert with 10g protein and 4g fibre per slice isn’t bad as far as cakes go! Just another reason I love making this healthy pistachio date cake so much.

What you need to make this healthy pistachio date cake:

Ground almonds – I love using ground almonds instead of flour. Almonds are packed with nutrients, but they also help create a soft, moist crumb in cakes. Ground almonds helps create a tender and slightly dense texture that works particularly well in gluten-free baking.

Yoghurt – I’m using fat-free Greek style yoghurt as it’s almost as thick as full-fat Greek yoghurt, but with much less saturated fats. Yoghurt adds so much moisture to cakes and bakes. It works really well as an oil or butter substitute without all the calories and fat. You can use Greek style dairy-free yoghurt if you want the recipe to be dairy-free

Dates – they provide a natural sweetness and a rich, caramel-like flavour to the combination. They also have a soft, chewy texture that contrasts nicely with the crunch of pistachios.

Pistachios – they have a slightly earthy and savoury flavour that balances the sweetness of dates. The difference between the soft dates and crunchy pistachios adds an interesting contract in textures. 

Cardamom – it has a warm, slightly citrusy flavour with hints of herbal and floral undertones. It works in desserts the way cinnamon does, it adds a hint of spice while enhancing the natural sweetness of the recipe. If you’ve never tried combining cardamom with dates, you’re really missing out! 

Maple syrup – a little goes a long way to sweeten this cake. I only used 80ml (5 tbsp) in the whole recipe. I don’t like my desserts to be overly sweet, plus using dates

How to make this healthy pistachio date cake:

• Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan/ 350F.
• Add the yoghurt, eggs, maple syrup and milk to a large bowl. Mix until you have a smooth mixture.
• Mix in the ground almonds, oat flour and plain flour along with the baking powder, salt and cardamom powder until you have a smooth batter.
• Fold in the pistachios and dates, then transfer the batter into a loaf tin.
• Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, then cover with foil and bake for another 25-30 minutes.
• Allow to cool completely before slicing.

This healthy pistachio date cake is:

• Healthier than your average cake
• Easy to make
• Packed with delicious and aromatic Middle Eastern flavours
• Packed with 10g protein per serving
• A great source of fibre (4g per serving)
• Great as a snack, healthier dessert or even breakfast!
• Easily made dairy-free
• Absolutely delish! 

Healthy Pistachio Date Cake

This healthy pistachio date cake is made with better-for-you ingredients that will nourish your body, but it also tastes good! What more can you ask for in a dessert?

4.75 from 4 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine middle eastern

Servings 8

Calories 276 kcal

Ingredients

 

MetricUS Customary

 

1x2x3x

• 130g g fat-free Greek yoghurt or thick dairy-free yoghurt
• 2 eggs
• 80ml maple syrup
• 80ml milk of choice
• 125g ground almonds
• 50g oat flour
• 50g plain flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 100g chopped dates
• 50g pistachios

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan/ 350F.
• Add the yoghurt, eggs, maple syrup and milk to a large bowl. Mix until you have a smooth mixture.
• Mix in the ground almonds, oat flour and plain flour along with the baking powder, salt and cardamom powder until you have a smooth batter.
• Fold in the pistachios and dates, then transfer the batter into a loaf tin.
• Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, then cover with foil and bake for another 25-30 minutes.
• Allow to cool completely before slicing.

Notes

Store in an air-tight container at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 276kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 10gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 195mgPotassium: 352mgFiber: 4gSugar: 18gVitamin A: 88IUVitamin C: 0.5mgCalcium: 151mgIron: 2mg

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!