Man oh man, if you’re a fan of the white chocolate and strawberry combo, I can’t wait to hear from you after making these protein cake bars. The bars themselves are super moist but actually stick together, and the white chocolate topping hardens so you can pick them up like brownies. Each cake bar has roughly 7 grams of protein and only 113 calories which is great news because you’ll be wanting more than one.
One warning: they’re dangerously delicious. But on a positive note, the strawberries and cake are high volume to fill you up, and the white chocolate is rich enough to keep you in check.
Ingredient Notes for Protein Cake Bars
I’ll cover the two primary structural ingredients—coconut flour and protein powder—first.
Coconut Flour
A common question on my recipes that call for coconut flour is whether or not it’s possible to substitute all purpose flour or almond flour for coconut flour.
The short answer is meh, maybe. It really depends on the recipe, but a recipe like this that uses a larger amount of coconut flour may be challenging.
Not to mention, the calorie difference in substitutes since you’ll need more. Coconut flour is super-duper absorbent, and something like all purpose flour might require 2-3x as much to have the same effects. In this case, that could be an extra cup of flour (roughly 440 calories extra).
All that said, if you want to give it a go, a recipe that’s baked like these protein cake bars would be the one to try it on. Since you don’t need to form them, start with equal amounts and add as needed until you reach the desired consistency.
Protein Powder
I always give a spiel about using any protein you’d like, and that remains true here. I always use a whey concentrate or some type of whey-based blend like Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey or Dymatize 100% Whey. If you wanted to use a plant-based protein powder, that’s fine, but you may want to add an extra egg or two to help with the granular texture.
Between the coconut flour and a plant-based protein powder, you run the risk of a sandpaper-ey finished product.
Sweetener & Pudding Mix
Similar to coconut flour, pudding mix is frequently asked about in terms of substitutions. I typically recommend adding more protein powder, sweetener, and possibly a bit of corn starch. The recipe calls for a 1-oz box (28g) which is more than most recipes on my blog. Therefore, I’d probably go with an extra 1/2 scoop of protein powder and an extra tablespoon of sweetener and coconut flour each.
It’s important to note, doing this will remove the cheesecake flavor from the recipe beyond the cream cheese on top.
Sweetener
Speaking of extra sweetener, I’ve become an official fanboy of Swerve. They make both granular and powdered sugar substitutes that are calorie-free and amazing. I’ll spare you the details but if you want to read more, check out my Chocolate Cake Protein Donut Holes or Low Carb Gingerbread Balls.
Other options include the ol’ faithful stevia for baking or any calorie-free sugar substitute.
Chocolate Chips and Cream Cheese
Here’s a big potential calorie saver. The recipe as-is creates a hard shell chocolate coating that allows the protein cake bars to be handled and potentially enjoyed without a fork. If you don’t care much about having the chocolate hardened and want to serve them a bit soft, you could use something like the chocolate layer from my Skinny Hello Dolly Pie (use white chocolate and omit cocoa powder). It will still solidify slightly, but you won’t want to handle them for very long to keep your hands clean.
Okay, that’s about it for ingredient notes. Find the full recipe below. And if you make these protein cake bars, be sure to let me know what you think on Instagram. Remember, #picsoritdidnthappen.
White Chocolate Strawberry Cheesecake Protein Cake Bars
High protein cake bars topped with fresh strawberries and a creamy white chocolate sauce.
Ingredients
- 1/2 C (56g) Coconut Flour
- 2 scoops (64g) Protein Powder, vanilla
- 1/4 C (26g) Graham Cracker Crumbs
- 1 oz box Sugar-Free Fat-Free Pudding Mix, cheesecake flavor
- 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 Tbsp Low Cal Sweetener, I prefer Swerve or Stevia
- 1 C (227g) Fat-Free Greek Yogurt, vanilla
- 2 large Eggs
Protein Cake Bar Toppings
- 1 lb Fresh Strawberries, quartered
- 4 oz Fat-Free Cream Cheese, room temp or softened
- 1/2 C (112g) White Chocolate Chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and spray an 8x8 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Set cream cheese out to warm to room temp.
- Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Gradually add the Greek yogurt and eggs to the dry ingredients. Stir until everything is evenly mixed. The batter should be fairly thick but spreadable.
- Transfer the cake bars batter to the baking dish and spread it evenly to cover the entire dish. (A rubber spatula or spatula sprayed with cooking spray helps prevent any sticking.)
- Bake the bars for 14-16 minutes or until the center of the cake bars can pass the toothpick test.
- While the bars are in the oven, wash, de-stem, and cut the strawberries into 4 pieces each. Set aside.
- Add the chocolate chips and cream cheese to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 45-60 seconds or until melted, stirring often. Stir until everything is evenly incorporated.
- Once the cake bars are baked, remove to cool.
- Add the strawberries on top of the cake bars and pour the white chocolate and cream cheese mixture on top. Place the cake bars in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to allow the chocolate to set.
- Slice the cake bars into 16 pieces. Store in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Each serving has 4 Smart Points.
- Feel free to swap the strawberries for a more seasonally appropriate fruit. The white chocolate cheesecake mixture pairs with all kinds of fruit!
- To reduce calories and sugar content, use something like the chocolate layer from my Skinny Hello Dolly Pie (use white chocolate chips and omit cocoa powder) instead of the chocolate chips and cream cheese mixture.
- To sub for pudding mix, try an extra 1/2 scoop of protein powder and an extra tablespoon of sweetener and coconut flour each.
- Subbing coconut flour is not recommended but if you live dangerously, start with equal amounts all purpose flour and add as needed until you reach the desired consistency.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1 Cake BarAmount Per Serving: Calories: 113Total Fat: 3.4gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCarbohydrates: 13.7gProtein: 6.8g
Similar Recipes You Might Like
If you’re looking for another bite size protein cake recipe, look no further than my white chocolate protein cake bites. Each one has 9 grams of protein and just 12 grams of carbs.
Or maybe you’d like a full cake. My healthy banana bread cake is a reader favorite that is unbelievably moist and perfectly textured.
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Krystal
Sunday 24th of November 2019
This is a nice dessert for summer since it’s cool. It is delicious
Palak
Saturday 21st of September 2019
Thanks for the awesome recipe. I tried with whole wheat and soyabean flourin 3:1 ratio. And result was bit chewy cake bars. I used to hate taste of whey cakes but this taste turned out to be much better. I will also try with coconut flour. Keep doing the good work. 👍
Palak
Friday 20th of September 2019
By wheat i mean whole wheat flour and not all purpose flour.
Palak
Friday 20th of September 2019
Can i sub coconut flour with wheat flour and soyabean flour in 3:1 ratio? Also is there need of sweetner if whey protein is already sweetened?
Mason Woodruff
Friday 20th of September 2019
I've never worked with soybean flour so I can't say for sure, but you could definitely give it a go. These larger recipes are usually pretty forgiving with substitutions. And if you add more flour, you may need a bit sweetener still unless the protein you're using is very sweet. Hope that helps!
Rebekah Foote
Wednesday 9th of January 2019
I've made these a couple of times and they are so delicious, especially since I love strawberries! I've eaten for both breakfast and just as a sweet treat. Mmmh!