Healthy Sweet Potato Chocolate Cake with Braised Pears

This sweet potato chocolate cake has become one of my favorite ways to turn simple, nourishing ingredients into something that feels truly special. It’s rich, moist, and deeply chocolatey — yet made without gluten or added sugar. The sweet potato adds natural sweetness and a perfectly tender crumb, while the hazelnut–sweet potato toffee frosting and buttery braised pears make it feel like an elegant dessert you’d serve on a cozy evening or a special occasion. Proof that healthy baking can be every bit as decadent as the classic.

A Healthy Yet Decadent Dessert

With pear season in full swing here in Northern Europe, I wanted to make a decadent yet wholesome dessert that captures the warmth of the season — something with buttery, caramelized pears and deep, comforting chocolate. Sweet potato is one of my favorite ingredients to use this time of year — not only in savory dishes but also in sweet treats (check out these chocolate and sweet potato brownies!) — so it naturally became the foundation for this recipe.

While this dessert is still calorically rich, it’s far from empty calories. Each slice delivers about 7 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber, along with an impressive range of nutrients — including vitamin A, vitamin E, magnesium, zinc, potassium, phosphorus, and vitamin B2. In other words, every bite offers nourishment as well as indulgence — a beautiful example of how whole-food ingredients can create desserts that truly support your well-being.

Three Layers of Goodness

This gluten-free and sugar-free dessert has three simple but luxurious layers. The base is a deeply chocolatey, rich cake made with 85% dark chocolate, cultured butter, baked sweet potato, cacao, and just a touch of allulose — my favorite gut-friendly sweetener. It contains only a small amount of flour (4 tablespoons total, a mix of almond, millet, and tapioca), making it almost flourless in texture and taste.

When served warm, the cake has a luscious, melt-in-your-mouth quality — almost like a molten chocolate cake. As it cools, it becomes tender and perfectly moist, with just the right amount of fudginess. Once chilled, it transforms into a dense, truffle-like cake — still soft and deeply chocolatey — ideal if you enjoy your desserts cold.

The second layer is a silky sweet potato hazelnut toffee frosting, made with roasted sweet potato, hazelnut butter, and a touch of allulose. It’s thick yet spreadable, naturally sweet, and reminiscent of classic toffee — without any refined sugar or additives. It comes together in minutes and is versatile enough to use as a frosting for other gluten-free layer cakes or even as a filling for homemade chocolate truffles.

Finally, the cake is crowned with buttery braised pears — peeled wedges of firm, ripe pears caramelized in butter with a sprinkle of allulose until golden and fragrant. Spread the toffee frosting over the room-temperature (or slightly warm) cake, top with the warm pears, and drizzle over a little of the buttery syrup. Finish with a scattering of toasted, crushed hazelnuts or almond flakes for a gentle crunch.

I love serving this cake while the chocolate layer is still slightly warm and the pears are freshly braised — it’s comforting, elegant, and full of flavor. But even the chilled leftovers are pure pleasure: rich, fudgy, and decadent in the best way.

I hope you enjoy this cake as much as I did. It’s proof that healthy baking can be just as indulgent as the classic desserts we love.

Here’s the complete list of ingredients, quantities, and a step-by-step guide with photos. At the end of the post, you’ll find a printable recipe card and a detailed nutrition label.

Ingredients

For the Sweet Potato Chocolate Cake

• 100 g dark chocolate (85% cacao)
• 100 g unsalted butter
• 2 large eggs
• ¼ cup allulose
• 100 g cooked and mashed sweet potato
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 tablespoons flour (1 tbsp millet, 1 tbsp tapioca, 2 tbsp almond)
• 2 tablespoons raw cacao powder
• 1/4 teaspoon warming spice blend (or something like pumpkin pie spice, or a mix of cinnamon and cardamom)
• Pinch of salt

For the Sweet Potato Hazelnut Toffee Frosting

• ½ cup hazelnut butter
• ¼ cup cooked and mashed sweet potato
• 1 tablespoon allulose (or to taste)

Note: You will only use half for this recipe; store the rest in the fridge for other recipes (like chocolate truffles).

For the Braised Pears

• 2-3 firm small pears (green pears are fine and my favorite because they are lower in sugar and high in resistant starch)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon allulose
• Optional topping: crushed, toasted hazelnuts or toasted almond flakes

Step-by-Step Instructions

Make the Sweet Potato Chocolate Cake

Preheat the oven to 175°C / 350°F. Butter a 7-inch quiche baking dish (or something similar in size, any shape you like the final cake to be). I actually love a rectangular shape for this kind of cake, but I couldn’t find the one I wanted. Line it with parchment paper on the bottom (for safe release). The final cake is pretty thin, less than an inch tall.

Melt the chocolate and butter together over low heat. Set aside to cool slightly.

Beat the eggs, allulose, mashed sweet potato, and vanilla in a large bowl until smooth and creamy. Add the flours, cacao powder, spices, and salt, and whisk until just combined. Stir in the melted chocolate mixture until the batter is uniform.

Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 20-23 minutes, or until just set in the center — the cake should remain moist. Let it come to room temperature before frosting.

Make the Sweet Potato Hazelnut Toffee Frosting

In a small bowl or jar, blend (using an immersion blender) the hazelnut butter, mashed sweet potato, and allulose until well combined. Don’t worry if it separates. Continue mixing with a spatula, or spoon, until it all comes together in a sticky, toffee-like texture.

Braise the Pears

Peel the pears, cut them in half, and remove the cores. Slice each half into wedges.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the allulose and pears, and cook for about 5 minutes, turning occasionally, until caramelized and tender.

Assemble the Cake

Invert the cake onto a serving platter and carefully remove the paper. Spread the sweet potato toffee frosting over the cake. Arrange the warm braised pears on top and drizzle with a little bit of the syrup left in the pan.

Finish with a scattering of toasted, crushed hazelnuts or almond flakes for a gentle crunch. Slice and serve immediately, while the pears are still slightly warm.

Serving and Storage

This cake is at its best when served fresh, topped with warm, buttery pears — moist, elegant, and beautifully decadent. Leftovers keep well in the fridge, where the texture transforms into something denser and fudgier, almost like a chocolate truffle.

Enjoy!

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