When you hear “Pound Cake” what do you think of?

Personally, I think of two things. One: the absolutely decadent pound cake found at the farmer’s market near my aunt’s river house. Two: Pounds. And not the good, British money. The kind that makes you wish you didn’t have that second slice of cheesecake.

Two weeks ago, if someone had told me that pound cake could be healthy, yet still taste exactly like pound cake… I’d probably call them crazy. And if they told me that a huge slice of coconut pound cake could be eaten without inducing an ounce of guilt… I’d definitely call them crazy.

So call me crazy, but this recipe is guilt-free, healthy, and oh, that’s right… for coconut pound cake.

As mentioned in my recipe for Healthy French Crêpes, I usually come up with my recipes either from cravings or suggestions. And this past weekend, my mom gave me the ultimate suggestion… Healthy. Pound. Cake. Now, believe me, I personally didn’t think it could be done. But, I decided to humor her and sat down with my laptop to do a little research and try to figure out how on earth I was going to create this recipe.

Traditionally, pound cake is made with a pound of each ingredient: flour, butter, eggs, and sugar. So from the start, I knew we might have a problem, considering in the “Health World”, three of those four ingredients were practically poison. Of course, I turned to the old oats and chia seeds as a replacement for the flour, and switched the butter with coconut oil and applesauce. But that got me thinking, why not make it that much more of a challenge, and create a recipe for Coconut Pound Cake? From that, I decided to add coconut milk and (of course) coconut flakes, which would provide both the classic, rich texture of Pound Cake and a nice added topping, respectively. And for the eggs, well honestly, I left those babies alone! Why sacrifice something if it’s already good for you?

Well, long story short… The pound cake was a success. Actually, it was more than a success. It was downright delicious. The same rich, dense texture of pound cake, with a slight hint of coconut and, what was that again? Oh right, no guilt. Zero. Zilch. Nada. None.

Guilt-free, coconutty, and almost too-good-to-be-healthy.

That’s my kind of pound cake!

Healthy Coconut Pound Cake

• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 c full fat coconut milk
• 1/4 c plus almond milk (or other milk of choice)
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 3/4 c old fashioned oats
• 1 1/2 tsp chia seeds
• 1 1/2 c stevia
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 c plus 2 tbs unsweetened applesauce
• 2 tbs coconut oil
• 2 tbs reduced fat unsweetened coconut flakes

Grease and flour (using gluten free flour) a 9″x5″ loaf pan. In an electric mixer, cream stevia, applesauce, and coconut oil until fluffy and smooth. Add one egg at a time, letting each combine fully before adding another. In a blender or food processor, process oats and chia seeds until they’ve reached the consistency of flour. Sift together oat flour and baking powder in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, combine almond milk, coconut milk, and vanilla extract. Add flour mixture and milk mixture to wet mixture, alternating & stirring between additions. Pour into prepared pan and coat with coconut flakes. Place in a cold oven and set the temperature to 325°F. Bake for 1 hr 20 minutes, without opening door. Insert a toothpick, and if it doesn’t come out clean, bake for another 10-15 minutes, until golden brown & an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Using a knife, scrape around the edges, then either flip over or slide out onto a cake plate. Cut, serve, and enjoy!

Nutrition Information (from myfitnesspal.com)

Calories: 101

Fat: 6g

Carbs: 9g

Protein: 3g

(Yields 12 slices)