Healthy No-Bake Strawberry Lemon Cake Bites
Healthy Strawberry Lemon Cake Bites- naturally sweetened with dates, these grain-free cake bites are packed with nutrition and bursting with flavor!
It might be too hot outside to turn on the oven but we can still have our cake and eat it too! These healthy no-bake bites are a perfect way to satisfy your cravings.
Obviously they don’t taste exactly like strawberry cake…just want to make sure I’m tempering expectations here. I know some of you see the word cake and might think they’re going to taste like cake bites from a bakery. Not the case. There’s no wheat, oil, or refined sugar so the ingredients are much different but they are a great healthier alternative when you get a craving for something sweet!
Healthy No-Bake Strawberry Lemon Cake Bites Ingredients
- Pitted Medjool Dates– The majority of the sugar in this recipe is coming from dates. They are an ideal source of sugar because they’re a whole food, meaning the sugar comes in a nice little package along with fiber and essential vitamins and minerals such as iron, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and zinc. They also act as the main binder for these bites. If you’re dates are on the dry side, I recommend soaking them first to make them easier to blend.
- Raw Walnuts- I prefer to use walnuts because they’re a good source of omega-3s. However, raw cashews would also work well here.
- Almond Flour- Blanched almond flour is key for a cake-like texture. I don’t recommend substituting here.
- Coconut Flour- Coconut flour provides a slight density to the bites. If you don’t have any on hand you can substitute with more almond flour.
- Dried Strawberries- Freeze-dried strawberries are finely chopped to provide little bits of strawberry flavor. I don’t recommend using fresh strawberries as they will go bad too quickly and make for mushy bites.
- Lemon Zest/Juice- I find one tablespoon of lemon juice to be just enough to compliment the strawberry flavor. However, I’ve received many comments on other recipes that the lemon flavor is too strong. We all have different tastebuds so keep that in mind when you add the lemon juice. If you don’t eat a lot of sour and acidic foods then try starting with a teaspoon and go from there.
How to Make No-Bake Strawberry Lemon Cake Bites
- First step is to soak your dates so that they’re soft enough to blend. I like to soak them in boiling hot water for about 5 minutes. However, you can skip this step if your dates are super fresh and already moist.
- Next, combine everything in a food processor (this tool is key to making the cake bites!) and blend until a dough forms.
- Roll into balls, coat with coconut and enjoy!
Want more no-bake snack ideas? Check these out:
- Healthy No-Bake Brownie Bites
- Dark Chocolate Pistachio Bliss Bites
- Turmeric Carrot Cake Energy Bites
- No-Bake Blueberry Muffin Energy Bites
Healthy No-Bake Strawberry Lemon Cake Bites
Ingredients
- 1 cup Medjool dates, pitted
- 1 cup raw, walnuts
- 1 cup blanched almond flour
- 1/3 cup coconut flour
- pinch fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup freeze dried strawberries
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, for rolling
Instructions
- Bring a small pot with 1 cup water to a boil. Remove from heat, add the pitted dates and allow to soak for 5 minutes. Strain the water and set aside. (You can skip this step if your dates are fresh and moist).
- To the processor, add the walnuts and blend to a coarse crumb. Then add the almond flour, coconut flour, salt, dates, strawberries, lemon zest/juice and vanilla extract. Blend until a dough forms. Scrape down the sides and continue to blend until evenly combined. Taste test to see if you prefer more sweetness. If so you can add maple syrup or honey and blend until combined.
- Using a scooper, scoop out roughly 1 tablespoon of the dough and roll into balls. Roll each one in the shredded coconut to coat then set aside. Continue until all of the dough has been rolled into balls.
- Store in a sealed container and refrigerate until ready to serve. Cake bites will stay fresh when sealed and refrigerated for up to 5 days.
Where do you add the strawberries??!! Im assuming along with everything else of course but it’s missed of the method.. :)
Thanks for pointing that out for me, Annette! I just updated the instructions but you are correct, they are added when everything else gets thrown into the food processor. :)
Strawberry & lemon is such a refreshing, yummy combo. I always like whipping up date bites, and this flavor combo sounds fab!
These are easy and so delicious. I did eliminate the coconut, for personal preference and they kept in an air tight container in the fridge for 5 days easily. Such a delicious sugar free treat!
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These are so tasty. Such a delicate lemon and strawberry flavor but the perfect brightness for approaching spring. I needed something besides chocolate nut balls because kids at school tell Camryn it looks like she’s eating poop balls! Ugh…kids.
OMG, poop balls! LOL. Is that what I have to look forward to? My kid would definitely be the one eating poop balls too, haha. Glad these were able to help you mix things up. Thank you so much for leaving reviews on my recipes <3