Grain-Free, Refined Sugar-Free Cake Bites
The other day, we were going through the Starbucks drive-thru for my husband. (I stopped drinking Starbucks after I quit most refined sugar.) My daughters know they typically don’t get anything when we get coffee out, except maybe a water, but for the first time they noticed the big giant picture of a cake pop on the menu. My six-year-old is getting to be of the age where she starts to question things. She wonders, “why don’t we get to get coffee, but our parents do” and “Why do they have these yummy menu items that we never partake in?”
So naturally, she did what any typical six-year-old would do and she asked if they could get one of those lollipops. I explained to her that they are called cake pops. They’re little pieces of “cake” on a stick, so they look like a lollipop. Well, of course that piqued her interest so by now she is practically begging me to get one. I said “no” for two reasons. The first is that I have looked at the ingredients of a Starbucks cake pop in the past, (Palm oil, GMO cane sugar, GMO corn syrup, GMO soybean oil, and enriched flour) and it isn’t something I want to feed my family. Second, I knew that getting one of these sugar pops every time their dad drives through Starbucks was not a habit I wanted to start.
So I said what any mom who loves to make healthy copy cat recipes at home would say: “We can make those at home!”
She was just as delighted at the idea of making these at home as she was at the idea of actually getting one, so I knew I needed to think fast and come up with a recipe.
My requirements for these bites were that they needed to be grain-free (unless they were sourdough), refined-sugar free, and minimal ingredients. I also try really hard to avoid processed oils, so that didn’t leave me a ton of options. I just grabbed my almond flour, coconut oil, maple syrup, and dye-free sprinkles and tried to make some magic happen. I eyeballed the ingredients the first time, and they turned out wonderful! I was surprised at how the texture came out super “cake-like” too.
Note: these are refined-sugar free if you make the chocolate chip version with Hu Kitchen chocolate gems, but if you use the dye-free sprinkles, they are made from cane sugar!
So here they are… cake bite copy cats. They’re my random creation in hopes that I can give my kids a “cake pop” experience without the icky ingredients (just check them out below, and let me know your thoughts). I am perfectly happy to make these at home for the girls and letting them have 2-3 versus one sugar-filled cake pop! I mean… look at how many things are in this cake pop? Why does it have to have so many ingredients?
 
 
Grain-Free, Refined-Sugar Free Cake Bites
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups almond flour
- 2-3 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- sprinkles or chocolate chips I like Watkins dye-free sprinkles and Hu Kitchen chocolate gems!
Instructions
- Combine the almond flour, coconut oil, and maple syrup in a large bowl. (I used my hand to mix -- but you can also use a food processor or fork)
- I eyeball the coconut oil; if I press the mixture together and it sticks, I know I have enough. If it doesn't hold together, I may add a bit more coconut oil.
- Take about a tablespoon of the dough and roll it into a rough ball. Add either the dye-free sprinkles or Hu Kitchen Chocolate Gems. Then roll again until smooth.
- Repeat previous step for the remainder of the dough.
- Chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours, and enjoy!
- (These cake bites will last in the fridge in an air-tight container for a day or so, but I doubt you'll have many left to store!)
I hope you enjoy these grain-free, refined-sugar free cake bites recipe! Let me know if you try it in the comments below! I can’t wait to hear what you think. Thank you so much for reading!
