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Chocolate Almond Microwave Mug Cake

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Chocolate Almond Mug Cake

So I saw some lady on Martha Stewart, or maybe it was Oprah, like 10 years ago (I think, I don’t really know when it was but it was a long time ago) and she was making individual microwave mug cakes. I thought the idea was kind of silly and figured the cake would taste pretty bad. Fast forward all these years, I don’t know what possessed me to revisit the idea but I looked up recipes online and decided to make my own adaptation. Oh.My.Goodness. Why did I wait so long to try this?

Several of the ones I looked at had 3 Tablespoons of butter (per cake). Yikes! And I am in no way implying that is is a low fat cake. It is not. It is meant to be rich and yummy (and super easy) and would be perfect to share with a friend. I think you all know me by now and from my history of recipes shared, that I love healthy food, but am totally ok with splurges. I don’t try to make everything super light because typically those dessert fake-outs don’t fake out my taste buds. That’s just me though.

Chocolate Almond Mug Cake

Instead of using butter I substituted some of the fat with the healthy kind from natural almond butter and kept around 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil to keep it moist and rich, but again, this is not meant to be one of those crazy healthy make-overs. It’s still a cake and has plenty of fat in it. Just want to make sure we are all clear on that because when the Dietitian recommends a cake, I don’t want to mislead anyone! Haha.

This is what you need to make it (minus the mini chocolate chips)!

Chocolate Mug Cake-1-3

If you don’t have almond butter you could try Nutella! If you have nut allergies, you could omit the ingredient altogether (note: I haven’t tried it that way but have seen other recipes).

(This is the second cake I made, the first one I pressed the chocolate chips into the batter, this one I did not. Didn’t matter much but I kind of liked the chocolatey coating when the chips were just sprinkled on top)

Chocolate Almond Mug Cake

What is just amazing is that this cake is ready in under 5 minutes! Oh and the fact that it’s rich and delicious is crazy too. I NEVER would’ve believed! I had to make it 4 times to get the recipe the way I wanted it and I was very pleased with the final version. The key in my opinion is not microwaving it too long. The first three times I did 1 minute and although it was tasty, it was a tad bit too dry. You’ll think it should look dry like cake does, but don’t make that mistake. I ended up preferring 45 seconds (can you believe this cooked it under 1 minute?!). You want it to look just slightly undercooked (think chocolate lava cake).

I will have to experiment with making a healthier version of this but I’m not making any promises, lol! Enjoy this as a treat, when you have a hankering for chocolate pronto, especially when you don’t feel like baking a big ol’ cake which is great because then you won’t be tempted by leftovers. Make sure to eat it warm and share with a loved one to cut back on some calories!

Make this soon, and please when you do, come back here and tell me how good it was and how you will love (and hate) me forever for encouraging you to make cake. Also as a Dietitian who believes all food fit, I have to say….make your splurges occasional and share this with someone!

Chocolate Almond Microwave Mug Cake

Chocolate Almond Mug Cake
 
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need a small portion of dessert in under 5 minutes? Try this Chocolate Almond Mug Cake!
Author:
Recipe type: dessert
Serves: plenty for 2 to share
Ingredients
  • 2 Tablespoons self rising flour
  • 2 Tablespoons sugar
  • 1½ Tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 1½ Tablespoons natural almond butter
  • 2 Tablespoons milk
  • 2 teaspoons vegetable or olive oil
  • ½ extra-large egg or 1 medium (beat in a separate bowl and add to mixture)
  • 2 teaspoons mini chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Combine all ingredients (except chocolate chips) in a small bowl. Pour half of batter into mug, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon mini chocolate chips. Pour remaining batter on top and sprinkle with another teaspoon of chocolate chips.
  2. Microwave for 45 seconds (more or less depending on the strength of your microwave).
  3. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream and drizzle of chocolate syrup and/or a scoop of ice cream.
Notes
Re cooking time, obviously all microwaves have different strengths. I imagine the low end cooking time would be 30 seconds and the high end would be ~1 minute 30 seconds. Just keep checking every 10-15 seconds or so until you figure out what works for you. Mine cooked perfectly in 45 seconds. The more you microwave it, the drier you're cake will be. You want it to look a little glossy on top- think chocolate lava cake. You could even add some frosting to the top of this if you want!

If you don't have almond butter, you could sub peanut butter or Nutella.

Question: Have you ever tried the microwave mug cake? Are you skeptical like I was?

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    • Thanks Angela! I am kind of glad I never tried it sooner….or else I’d be in big trouble! 🙂

      Reply

  5. I LOVE mug cakes!! I tend to make them for a midnight revision snack or if I realllllly reallllly am craving desert. You can make fruity ones, oaty ones, whatever floats your boat 🙂 I’ll sure be trying out our version super soon x x x
    Ibbs @ LaLangostaYMi recently posted..“Sunny Afternoon”My Profile

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    • Haha, thanks Tina. I never gave them the time of day until now. The key is not overcooking them and I think the creamy almond butter helps! 🙂

      Reply

  11. I’ve seen a couple of these recipes now, and I think I finally need to try one out! I love your comment about RD’s recommending cake. My internship director said the RD’s usually pick out/make the best desserts, because they know how to make those calories really count! Hahahaha
    Maria Tadic recently posted..Spring Time Lemony Vanilla BarsMy Profile

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