Healthy Single-Serving Peanut Butter Mug Cake

 
Every year during the first few weeks of February, I start dreading my trips to the grocery store. Thankfully, I live in sunny California, so it’s not because I have to shovel three feet of snow off of my driveway or wait for the city to plow the streets…  

It’s because little girls draped with blue or green sashes plant themselves at every entrance, standing beside folding card tables and chanting, “Would you like to buy some Girl Scout cookies?” whenever somebody walks through the automatic doors.

Since I stop by the supermarket nearly every day, I’d be broke by Valentine’s Day if I bought a box each time they asked!

But boy is it tempting…
 

 
Although it seems like the organization tests out new flavors almost every year, the Girl Scouts at the grocery stores always maintain a huge stockpile of my three favorites: Samoas (or Caramel deLites, the new name I rarely remember!), Thin Mints, and Tagalongs (or Peanut Butter Patties… why’d they have to change that name too??).

Despite hating coconut as a child, I still loved Samoas the most. Both the sticky sweet caramel and chocolate drizzle must have masked the coconut taste enough for me because I could easily polish off a box in just a day or two all by myself. Mom actually created a rule that we could only eat two of those cookies per dessert so the rest of my family would stand a chance!

The Thin Mints and Tagalongs were tied for second place, very close behind the Samoas. I enjoyed the rich chocolaty taste of the former, but the latter… As a peanut butter addict who regularly scooped out big spoonfuls to eat straight from the jar, I adored that sweet peanut butter layer in the middle. I actually ate the plain bits all around the sides of those cookies to save the peanut butter centers for last. (And I sometimes do that now, even as an adult!)
 

 
Because I started craving peanut butter shortly before I planned to head over to the grocery store last week, and because I knew I’d be really tempted and would succumb to buying at least three boxes of Tagalongs as a result… I made this quick Healthy Single-Serving Peanut Butter Mug Cake as a guilt-free treat to help my willpower (and my wallet)! It’s ready in just a few minutes and full of sweet peanut butter flavor—but no refined flour or sugar!

Bliss.
 

 
To make this healthy mug cake, you’ll start with white whole wheat flour. White whole wheat flour is made by finely grinding a special type of white wheat, whereas regular whole wheat flour comes from a heartier red wheat. This gives white whole wheat flour a lighter taste and texture, similar to that of all-purpose flour, but it still has the same health benefits of regular whole wheat flour.

Note: Whole wheat pastry flour is a great substitute! I also included my preferred gluten-free flour blend in the Notes section beneath the Instructions.
 

 
Next comes the most important ingredient: peanut flour! Peanut flour comes from partially defatted, finely ground peanuts, and this means that it contains much fewer calories than regular peanut butter. I love Protein Plus (I buy it online!) because it has no added sugar like PB2, which we’re avoiding in this clean eating recipe. (And you’ll use that same peanut flour in all of these recipes of mine, too!)

Note: I do not recommend making your own peanut flour or substituting almond flour. Almond flour’s flavor is not nearly as strong as peanut flour’s, so the mug cake will not have any prominent nutty taste.
 

 
Although many traditional mug cake recipes contain a full tablespoon or two of butter along with an egg yolk (I’m cringing just thinking about all of those calories!), this lighter one has just ¼ teaspoon of butter and no eggs. The rest of its tender texture comes from my favorite ingredient in healthier baking… Greek yogurt! It adds the same moisture as extra butter or oil for a fraction of the calories, and it gives your baked goods a protein boost, too!

You’ll sweeten this mug cake with my new favorite ingredient, liquid stevia. Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that’s clean eating friendly. It’s very concentrated, so a little goes a long way! This is the kind I use, and you can find it at many health-oriented grocery stores. However, I generally buy it online here because that’s the best price I’ve found. (And you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)
 

 
Tired of tough or gummy mug cakes made in the microwave? I have a secret trick to getting that perfect tender texture… You’ll microwave the mug cake on 30% power for a longer period of time! Reducing the power of your microwave better simulates baking in a regular oven and doesn’t overcook the cake (like it’s so easy to do on a microwave’s regular high power setting!).

Then wait a minute or two for it to cool, add a chocolate drizzle, and…
 

 
Enjoy! And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy peanut butter mug cake!
 

Healthy Single-Serving Peanut Butter Mug Cake

© Amy's Healthy Baking

Yields: 1 mug cake

This mug cake is really easy to make and packed with sweet peanut butter flavor! It’s the perfect treat for any peanut butter lover.

5 from 1 vote

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Ingredients 

FOR THE MUG CAKE

• 2 tbsp (15g) white whole wheat flour or gluten free* flour like this (measured like this)
• 1 tbsp (7g) peanut flour (measured like this)
• ⅜ tsp powdered stevia (see Notes!)
• ⅛ tsp baking powder
• 1/16 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted
• 1 tbsp (15g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• 1 ½ tbsp (22mL) nonfat milk
• ¼ tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp liquid stevia (see Notes!)

FOR THE DRIZZLE (optional)

• 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ tsp honey
• ½ tsp milk

Instructions

• To prepare the mug cake, lightly coat a 1-cup ramekin with nonstick cooking spray.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the white whole wheat flour, peanut flour, powdered stevia, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, stir together the butter, Greek yogurt, and milk.* Stir in the vanilla and liquid stevia. Gradually mix in the flour mixture, about 1 tablespoon at a time, until just incorporated.
• Spread the batter into the prepared ramekin. Microwave on 30% POWER for 2 minutes 25 seconds (2:25). Let the mug cake cool for at least 2 minutes to allow the center to finish cooking through.
• To prepare the drizzle, stir together all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Transfer to a zip-topped bag, cut off a tiny piece of one corner, and drizzle on top of the cooled mug cake.

Notes

IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It's extremely important to measure the flours correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Too much flour will make the batter dry. If this happens to you, add extra milk ¼ teaspoon at a time until you're able to fully incorporate all of the dry ingredients.

 

IMPORTANT BAKING NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It’s very important to microwave the mug cake on 30% power. This is set differently depending on the brand of microwave that you own. If microwaved on HIGH (full power) for a shorter time, the cake will be gummy, and the top may be overdone while the insides stay raw.

 

Microwave times may vary, depending on the wattage of your microwave oven. I used a 1000-watt microwave.

 

STEP 2 NOTE: If the yogurt and milk are cold, they will immediately re-solidify the melted butter. If this happens, microwave on HIGH for 6-8 seconds or until the butter re-melts; then proceed with the rest of the instructions.

 

FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: Whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour. Regular whole wheat flour may also be substituted, but you may detect a faint wheat-y flavor.

 

PEANUT FLOUR NOTES: This is the peanut flour that I used (← and I buy it online there!). For best results, the only ingredients on the label should be partially defatted peanuts and salt. I don't recommend making your own or substituting almond flour.

 

If that's unavailable, then look for powdered peanut butter that contains nothing except peanuts (or peanuts and salt), such as PBfit Pure Peanut, PB2 Pure Peanut Butter Powder, or Crazy Richard’s 100% All Natural Peanut Powder. (I know these aren't always easy to locate, so more widely available products like PB2 Original or PBfit Original are decent third choices.)

 

MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted in place of the nonfat milk.

 

STEVIA NOTES: You’ll use two types of stevia because too much of either type results in a somewhat bitter aftertaste to the mug cake. This is the liquid stevia that I use (← and I buy it online there!), and this is the powdered stevia that I use. You'll use stevia in all of these recipes of mine too!

 

Other sweeteners may be substituted in place of both the powdered stevia and liquid stevia, but you may need to adjust the amount of flour or milk depending on the type of sweetener that you use. You’ll need the equivalent of 2 ½ tablespoons of granulated sugar.

 

GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: For the gluten-free flour, use the following blend: 1 tablespoon (7g) millet flour, ½ tablespoon (4g) tapioca flour, ½ tablespoon (3g) brown rice flour, and 1/16 teaspoon xanthan gum. I cannot guarantee that other gluten-free flours will work, but many store-bought gluten-free flour blends (I like this one from Bob's Red Mill) should work, if they’re measured like this. Do not substitute coconut flour.

 

REGULAR OVEN OPTION: To bake the mug cake in a regular oven, bake at 350°F until the top feels firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. I haven’t cooked the mug cake this way myself and can’t guarantee how long it will take, but check for doneness after about 12-14 minutes to start.

 

{gluten-free, egg-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie, high protein}

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.

View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
 
 
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡  Healthy Single-Serving Chocolate Mug Cake
♡  Healthy Single-Serving Vanilla Mug Cake
♡  Healthy Single-Serving Chocolate Chip Mug Cake
♡  Healthy Single-Serving Fudgy Brownie
♡  Healthy Single-Serving Snickerdoodle Mug Cake
♡  Healthy Single-Serving Carrot Mug Cake
♡  …and the rest of Amy’s healthy mug cake recipes!