Is Cake Unhealthy?

From birthday to weddings, graduations to retirements, a celebration doesn't seem complete without a cake of some sort. Although it's festive, a cake typically isn't too healthy as it's high in calories, fat and sugar without offering a significant source of other nutrients. However, some substitutions make a homemade cake a slightly better choice when consumed in moderation.

Nutritional Breakdown

• The nutritional breakdown of a cake depends largely on the ingredients used to make it; therefore, its nutrition content can vary considerably between recipes and flavors. If you study a range of types of cakes on the USDA Nutrient Database, a picture of overall caloric, fat and sugar content emerges. Typically, a serving of cake is high in calories, with one-twelfth of a generic 9-inch chocolate cake -- without frosting -- coming in at more than 350 calories. Although it also contains 5 grams of protein, this same chocolate cake provides 14 grams of fat and 50 grams of carbohydrates. A standard white cake is fairly better, but it still contains 264 calories per slice with 9 grams of fat, 42 grams of carbs and 4 grams of protein. A much healthier option is angel food cake: One slice contains just 72 calories, with less than 1 gram of fat and 16 grams of carbohydrates.

About the Frosting

• In many cases, a cake will be topped with a layer of frosting, which of course adds to the calories, fat and sugar. Again, nutritional breakdown can differ based on ingredients and brands; however, 2 tablespoons of ready-to-eat chocolate frosting adds another 163 calories to your treat, plus 7 grams of fat and 23 grams of sugar. Two tablespoons of vanilla frosting contains 138 calories, 5 grams of fat and 20 grams of sugar.

Boxed Versus Homemade

• Using boxed cake is easier and faster than baking a cake from scratch, but it doesn’t do your health any favors. Commercial cake mixes can contain unhealthy ingredients, including hydrogenated fats, additives, preservatives and too much sodium, according to British nutritionist Jane Clarke, reporting in “The Daily Mail.” When baking a cake from scratch, you have much more control over what goes into the final product.

A Healthier Cake

• With certain substitutions, you can make a cake healthier without sacrificing too much of the flavor or texture. To make a cake lower in fat, replace half the fat listed in the recipe with applesauce or plain yogurt. Therefore, if a cake calls for half-cup of butter, use a quarter-cup of butter and a quarter cup of applesauce or plain yogurt. Mashed ripe bananas and some fruit purees can also be substituted in certain circumstances. If you’re worried about the refined grain content, replace up to half of the flour with whole-wheat flour. This adds fiber to your cake; however, don’t replace all of the flour -- that will make the cake overly heavy.