No-Fat Chocolate Cake (Shelley Rodgers)

Zero butter, zero oil, zero egg yolks. This chocolate cake gets its moisture from non-fat yogurt and its structure from six whipped egg whites, so it tastes rich and chocolatey without a single gram of added fat. The brown sugar adds a molasses depth that makes the cocoa taste fuller than you’d expect from a fat-free recipe.

Cake flour keeps the crumb tender. All-purpose flour would make this dense and tough since there’s no fat to tenderize the gluten. The low protein content in cake flour compensates for what butter would normally do.

A third of a cup of unsweetened cocoa powder is generous for a cake this size, which is why the chocolate flavor hits hard despite having nothing to carry it the way butter usually does. The baking soda also darkens the cocoa and enhances its flavor through an alkaline reaction.

Test at 15 minutes. The cake is done when the center springs back to a light touch. Overbaking a fat-free cake is unforgiving. Without fat to keep it moist, even a few extra minutes turns it dry and crumbly.

A simple dusting of powdered sugar on top is all the finish this needs.

Chef Tips

• Sift the cake flour before measuring. Packed flour throws off the ratio and makes the cake heavy.
• Beat the egg whites, brown sugar, yogurt, and vanilla together thoroughly before adding the dry ingredients. The egg whites need to be well incorporated to provide lift.
• Use an 8-inch square nonstick pan. Without fat in the batter, sticking is almost guaranteed in a regular pan.
• Eat this the day you bake it. Fat-free cakes stale faster than traditional ones.

Variations

• Mocha version: Dissolve a tablespoon of instant espresso powder into the yogurt before mixing for a coffee-chocolate combination.
• Cocoa berry topping: Serve slices with fresh raspberries or strawberries and a dusting of cocoa instead of powdered sugar.