Recipe: Protein Chocolate Pumpkin Box Cake (1-2 snack servings with Optimum Nutrition)

Today there is a mega-fine cake recipe with high-quality and almost unsurpassed taste products from Optimum Nutrition .

What is the difference between whey and casein?

Whey Protein

Whey Protein is the English name for "whey protein". It is obtained from the whey (arises during cheese production) and is considered a high-quality protein, as it is quickly used by the body and thus quickly supplies it with important muscle building blocks. This supports muscle growth and speeds up muscle recovery. Therefore, whey protein is best taken in the hours after training.

Whey protein has a very high biological value, as it contains all eight essential amino acids - the latter are metabolized directly in the muscle cells and thus contribute to good muscle building.

If you want to lose a few pounds, a whey shake can also be a good help, because it fills you up well and with fewer calories than a "normal" meal.

Casein Protein

Casein is a milk protein; it is made from milk and cheese. This milk protein has a slightly lower biological value than other types of protein, but athletes still benefit from casein - with a completely different background: Casein proteins are absorbed and metabolized more slowly by the body. This means that they supply the body with important muscle building blocks for several hours (approx. 6-8) and thereby counteract muscle-breaking processes.

The best time to consume casein is therefore in the evening: the muscles are supplied with essential amino acids even at night when there is normally no food intake. Casein also has a filling effect and is a good meal replacement for athletes who want to lose weight!

Off to the fitness kitchen

In my kitchen - that of a fitness enthusiast hobby athlete with the aim of defining and maintaining her muscles, but without ambitions for a bodybuilder body - the aforementioned characteristics of the two products mentioned play a role (I will come to other protein sources in a later blog post speak) only a subordinate role: in order to create good baked goods that taste as “real” as possible (ie as if they were made with flour), you have to make use of the baking properties of the powder!

Casein absorbs much more water / moisture than whey and binds very well. It also makes baked goods and creams wonderfully fluffy.

Whey hardly binds (as far as dough is concerned), so one or more binders must be added. It dries out dough - which can be used with very moist ingredients (fruits, for example). Most of the time, however, the aroma is more intense, more natural and has no taste of its own. Multi-component products are particularly recommended, as isolates and concentrates often make baked goods sticky and hard.

The long preface in short: here is the recipe for the delicious chocolate pumpkin box cake in the picture. It's a mini silicone cake pan that I used for this - exactly the width of the and a little longer than the ON bar / s! So it's a snack for 1-2 servings or 1 meal for 1 person:

• 100g pumpkin pulp (from around 120g raw pumpkin)
• 10g chocolate casein
• 5g chocolate whey
• 5g potato fibers
• 3g cocoa powder
• Erythritol-Stevia-Mix
• -> mix everything well
• 30g egg white
• Flavor Drops Chocolate (as you like)
• -> add and stir well
• -> set aside
• 1/2 Optimum bar
• -> place in the mold as a base
• 40g pumpkin sauce (approx 50g raw pumpkin)
• 20g cream cheese
• Cinnamon, erythritol and stevia mix (as desired)
• -> Stir and place on the bottom of the bar
• -> Pour the dough that has been set aside over it
• -> Bake at 180 degrees for 25-30 minutes
• ... and you have a chocolatey pumpkin dream

Pumpkin in the cake?

You were probably startled when you read the ingredient pumpkin in the recipe title. Yes, of course - it's pumpkin season right now - but does that mean you have to use it in (sweet!) Baked goods ?! And how, I say!

First of all, I really like the nutty pumpkin taste. But that's not all: the giant orange berries also have great effects on the consistency (juiciness, fluffiness) of the baked goods and act as the binding agent mentioned above. Pumpkin can even replace eggs and, depending on the recipe, all or part of the butter.

But take a look yourself and try it out - based on your feedback (also on my personal Instagram account: monicab. ody.fit.food ) I'm already looking forward to it!