Is It Okay to Eat Chocolate Cake for Breakfast?

Chocolate cake for breakfast doesn’t contain any more sugar, “bad carbs” or fat than many traditional breakfast foods.

Not too long ago I was at the Cheesecake Factory with family. Now, anyone who’s familiar with the Cheesecake Factory knows that they have killer chocolate layer cake.

I knew I wouldn’t have much room for it after eating my huge appetizer of nachos, followed by pizza and pasta.

But others had ordered their dessert to eat right then and there, and asked me why I was ordering the chocolate cake to go (I guess they were surprised I didn’t have the room for it).

I said, “I’m going to eat it for breakfast, when I’ll be good and hungry for it.”

“Chocolate cake…for BREAKFAST?”

“Yes, why not?” Why not think outside the box?

“Even though I’m a RD, I’m definitely a chocoholic,” says Amanda A. Kostro Miller, RD, LDN, whose specialties are nutrition counseling, weight loss and medical nutrition therapy.

“So if someone eats healthy, is healthy and doesn’t have underlying medical conditions that call for specific nutritional needs (i.e., diabetes, hypertension, renal disease), chocolate cake can be part of a healthy diet,” explains Kostro Miller.

“If this cake-for-breakfast person wants to change their health status or weight status, however, something like a chocolate cake for breakfast may need some modifications (and there are many healthier options).

“Also, it’s important to know what your food gives to you when you eat it.

“A piece of chocolate cake gives you mostly calories, fat and sugar. However, if the rest of your diet is healthy, we can still enjoy these foods.

“If having cake allows you to eat healthy for the rest of the day, this can be part of your personalized diet plan.”

So-Called Breakfast Foods just As “Bad” As Chocolate Cake

People eat a stack of pancakes smothered in syrup and butter for breakfast all the time. This has as much white flour, sugar and fat as any serving of chocolate layer cake.

In fact, IHOP offers Belgian Dark Chocolate Mousse Pancakes. Certainly, this is ordered more often during breakfast hours than later on.

I bet you’ve had French toast for breakfast. That, too, is loaded with calories, sugar, white flour — and with butter, there’s fat – and no less of these than in a serving of chocolate layer cake.

And what about donuts and especially eclairs for breakfast? People eat all sorts of pastries for breakfast, like giant cinnamon rolls, bear claws and sticky buns—all the sugar and fat of a piece of chocolate layer cake.

But as mentioned, if you’re going to eat chocolate cake for breakfast, make sure your food intake for the rest of the day is health-giving — and it would be a wise idea to have fruit for dessert after dinner, rather than something loaded with sugar, flour and fat.

Amanda Kostro Miller has worked with U.S. veterans, people with eating disorders and those with various acute and chronic diseases. 

Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.