What cake can you eat with high cholesterol? Baking swaps and 3 recipes

With high cholesterol, the best cakes are ones made with vegetable oil instead of butter, without cream or buttercream, and with fruit, oats or nuts. An olive oil sponge, a banana loaf or an apple traybake can have under 2g of saturated fat per slice, while a slice of classic Victoria sponge with buttercream has around 16g, most of a day's limit. So it's the butter and cream that need to change, not cake itself.

Below: why butter matters more than eggs or sugar, swaps that work in home baking, saturated fat per slice for 14 common cakes and bakes, and three recipes that each come in under 2g.

Why the butter matters more than eggs or sugar

• Saturated fat raises LDL the most. The NHS advises no more than 30g of saturated fat a day for men and 20g for women. 100g of butter has about 50g, so a butter cake can use up a day's allowance in one or two slices. Our guide to how much saturated fat per day explains the limits.
• Eggs matter less than most people think. One large egg yolk has about 1.6g of saturated fat and 184mg of cholesterol. Spread across a 10-slice cake that is small, and for most people the cholesterol in food has much less effect on blood LDL than saturated fat does. See eggs and dietary cholesterol.
• Sugar is a separate issue. It doesn't raise LDL directly, but a lot of it can push up triglycerides and weight. Cake is still a treat; the recipes below just make it a much lighter one. If your triglycerides are high, see what to eat for high triglycerides.

Baking swaps for butter, cream and egg yolks

Saturated fat figures are from USDA FoodData Central.

Two cautions. Coconut oil is not a healthier swap: it has even more saturated fat than butter. And oil doesn't work where butter gives the structure, such as shortbread, puff or shortcrust pastry, and cakes made by creaming butter and sugar. For those, have a smaller slice less often, or use filo pastry brushed with a little oil.

Saturated fat per slice: 14 cakes and bakes compared

Sorted from lowest to highest. Shop-bought items use USDA FoodData Central values and portion sizes for US products; British classics are worked out from typical home recipes. Brands vary, so check the "saturates" line on the label, and see our guide to reading nutrition labels.

The pattern is clear: the cakes at the bottom get their saturated fat from butter (in the sponge, the filling or spread on top), cream cheese or pastry. The ones at the top use oil, egg whites or fruit instead. For any cake not listed, the saturated fat calculator shows how a slice fits into your daily limit.

Three low-cholesterol cake recipes

Nutrition figures are estimates per slice from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values.

1. Olive oil lemon cake

Makes 12 slices · Prep 15 min · Bake 35 min

• 200g / 1 2/3 cups plain (all-purpose) flour
• 50g / 1/2 cup ground almonds
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 150g / 3/4 cup caster (superfine) sugar
• Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
• 1 large egg plus 2 large egg whites
• 150g / 2/3 cup 0% fat Greek yoghurt
• 120ml / 1/2 cup light olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice, for the cake
• 60g / 1/2 cup icing (powdered) sugar and 1 tbsp lemon juice, for the glaze

1. Heat the oven to 180°C / 350°F (Gas Mark 4; 160°C fan). Oil a 20cm / 8in round cake tin and line the base with baking paper.
2. Mix the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, sugar and lemon zest in a large bowl.
3. In another bowl, whisk the egg, egg whites, yoghurt, olive oil and 2 tbsp lemon juice until smooth.
4. Fold the wet mixture into the dry until just combined, scrape into the tin and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until risen, golden and a skewer comes out clean.
5. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack. Mix the icing sugar with 1 tbsp lemon juice and spoon it over the cake once it is cool.

Per slice (approx.): 250 kcal · 12g fat (1.6g saturated) · 15mg cholesterol · 32g carbs · 1g fibre · 18g sugar · 5g protein

Why it helps: olive oil has about a quarter of the saturated fat of butter, and the yoghurt and egg whites keep the sponge moist without the yolks or extra fat. A butter lemon drizzle made the classic way has about 12g of saturated fat per slice; this one has 1.6g. It keeps for 3 days in an airtight tin. Use a light (mild) olive oil if you don't want a peppery flavour.

2. Banana oat loaf

Makes 10 slices · Prep 15 min · Bake 55 min

• 3 ripe bananas (about 350g / 12oz peeled weight)
• 75ml / 1/3 cup rapeseed (canola) oil
• 60g / 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 100ml / scant 1/2 cup unsweetened soya milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 150g / 1 1/4 cups wholemeal (whole wheat) flour
• 80g / 3/4 cup rolled oats, plus a few for the top
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 40g / 1/3 cup walnuts, roughly chopped

1. Heat the oven to 180°C / 350°F (Gas Mark 4; 160°C fan) and line a 900g / 2lb loaf tin with baking paper.
2. Mash the bananas in a large bowl, then whisk in the oil, sugar, soya milk and vanilla.
3. Add the flour, oats (keeping a tablespoon back), baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon and fold together until there are no dry patches. Stir in the walnuts.
4. Scrape into the tin, scatter over the reserved oats and bake for 50 to 55 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. Cover loosely with foil after 35 minutes if the top is browning fast.
5. Leave in the tin for 10 minutes, then lift out and cool on a rack before slicing.

Per slice (approx.): 230 kcal · 10.5g fat (1g saturated) · 0mg cholesterol · 32g carbs · 4g fibre · 11g sugar · 4.5g protein

Why it helps: the ripe bananas bind the loaf, so there are no eggs, and rapeseed oil replaces the butter that most banana breads use. Rapeseed oil has the least saturated fat of the common cooking fats, and the oats add soluble fibre. A banana bread made with 100g of butter gets about 5g of saturated fat per slice from the butter alone; this loaf has 1g in total. It keeps for 3 days wrapped, and slices freeze well.

3. Apple and cinnamon traybake

Makes 16 squares · Prep 15 min · Bake 30 min

• 100g / 3/4 cup plain (all-purpose) flour
• 100g / 3/4 cup wholemeal (whole wheat) flour
• 50g / 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 100g / 1/2 cup light brown sugar, plus 1 tbsp for the top
• 100ml / scant 1/2 cup rapeseed (canola) oil
• 1 large egg plus 1 large egg white
• 100g / scant 1/2 cup 0% fat Greek yoghurt
• 3 eating apples (about 450g / 1lb once cored), diced

1. Heat the oven to 180°C / 350°F (Gas Mark 4; 160°C fan) and line a 20cm / 8in square tin with baking paper.
2. Mix both flours, the oats, baking powder, cinnamon and 100g sugar in a large bowl.
3. Whisk the oil, egg, egg white and yoghurt together, pour into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in three-quarters of the apple.
4. Spread into the tin, scatter over the rest of the apple and the 1 tbsp sugar, and bake for 28 to 30 minutes, until golden and a skewer comes out clean.
5. Cool in the tin, then cut into 16 squares.

Per square (approx.): 160 kcal · 6.5g fat (0.6g saturated) · 10mg cholesterol · 23g carbs · 2g fibre · 10g sugar · 3g protein

Why it helps: at 0.6g of saturated fat a square, this is the leanest of the three. The fruit does a lot of the work: diced apple keeps the crumb moist, so the batter needs less oil and sugar. For an egg-free version, swap the egg and egg white for 3 tbsp aquafaba (the liquid from a tin of chickpeas). It keeps for 2 days in a tin or 4 days in the fridge.

Cake at parties, cafés and birthdays

• Pick fruit or sponge over cream and pastry. A plain sponge, fruit loaf or meringue with berries usually beats cheesecake, cream cakes, croissants and anything with buttercream.
• Leave the frosting. On carrot cake or cupcakes, scraping off most of the topping removes most of the saturated fat.
• Go smaller, not never. A slice of birthday cake now and then won't undo weeks of good habits. It's the daily biscuit, pastry or muffin that adds up.
• Share, or take half home. Café slices are often twice the size of a homemade one.

For more sweet ideas, see desserts for high cholesterol, chocolate and cholesterol, and the low-cholesterol snacks list.

Cake and high cholesterol: quick answers

What cake can I eat with high cholesterol?

Cakes made with vegetable oil rather than butter, without buttercream or cream, and with fruit, oats or nuts: an olive oil sponge, a banana loaf made with oil, a fruit traybake, or a fatless whisked sponge. These can have under 2g of saturated fat a slice. A slice of butter-based Victoria sponge with buttercream has around 16g, so keep those for occasions and keep the slice small.

Is carrot cake OK for high cholesterol?

The sponge often is, because most carrot cake recipes use oil, not butter. The frosting is the problem: in a classic recipe, the full-fat cream cheese and butter frosting provides about three-quarters of the 7.3g of saturated fat per slice. Skip the frosting, use a thin layer of light cream cheese, or top it with a lemon glaze instead.

Is banana bread good for high cholesterol?

It depends on the fat. A banana bread made with 100g of butter gets about 5g of saturated fat per slice from the butter alone. Made with rapeseed oil, wholemeal flour and oats, like the recipe above, it has about 1g per slice and 4g of fibre.

Do I need to avoid eggs in baking if I have high cholesterol?

For most people, no. One large egg yolk has about 184mg of cholesterol, but spread across a cake of 10 or 12 slices that is under 20mg each, and saturated fat from butter and cream raises LDL much more than the cholesterol in eggs. If your doctor has asked you to limit eggs, swap each whole egg for two egg whites or 3 tbsp of aquafaba. See eggs and dietary cholesterol for more.

Can I use olive oil instead of butter in baking?

Yes, in most cakes, muffins and loaves. Oil is pure fat while butter is about 80% fat, so use about three-quarters of the weight: 75g of oil for 100g of butter. That swap cuts saturated fat from about 50g to 10g with olive oil, or 5.5g with rapeseed oil. Choose a light olive oil for a mild flavour. Oil does not work for shortbread, pastry or recipes where you cream butter and sugar for structure.

Want more? Browse every recipe on the low-cholesterol recipes page, or see our guide to good fats and omega-3s for choosing cooking oils.

Sources

• NHS: Fat, the facts
• American Heart Association: Saturated fat
• USDA FoodData Central (nutrition values for ingredients and shop-bought cakes)

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