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During my four years at college, a combination bakery and ice cream parlor opened a new location in the heart of downtown. Located just a few minutes from campus, or a short bike ride from my apartment, it quickly attracted huge throngs of students because of its daily specials and wide variety of flavors. Â
From Monday through Friday, a colorful message on the chalkboard outside their front door advertised that day’s discount, ranging from single scoops of ice cream or full-sized quarts to milkshakes or made-to-order ice cream cookie sandwiches… And cupcakes. $2 cupcakes on Tuesdays.
Can you guess which option excited me the most?
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With my long organic chemistry lab classes on Tuesday afternoons, it took me many months before I finally stopped by the shop. I purposely arrived before the crowds came at dusk to give myself plenty of time to read each flavor description… I’m one of the most indecisive people in the world!
Over the next couple of years, I sampled the s’mores, mint chocolate, red velvet, coconut, dulce de leche, and dark chocolate caramel… To name a few. I actually breathed a big sigh of relief when I moved out of town—my wallet stopped feeling lighter (and my stomach fuller) each Wednesday morning!
Now in my current city, I intentionally avoid almost all bakeries in the area. (Grocery store ones don’t count. Their vanilla and chocolate cupcakes taste much too generic to be tempting!) But with college classes starting again during this time of year, the memories of those cupcakes from my undergraduate days began to resurface…
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So I made this Skinny Single-Serving Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Mug Cake to satisfy my cravings! Just like those gourmet cupcakes, it’s perfectly portioned, but it contains absolutely no oil, eggs, refined flour or sugar—and a lot less guilt!
That’s my kind of dessert!
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This healthier mug cake starts 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 variety of red wheat. This gives white whole wheat flour a lighter taste and texture, which is perfect for the tender texture of this mug cake, but it still has the same health benefits of regular whole wheat flour.
Note: Whole wheat pastry flour would be a great substitute, and I’ve included my preferred gluten-free option in the Notes section as well.
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Traditional mug cakes typically call for a whole egg and a tablespoon or two of butter, but there aren’t enough hours in the day for me to exercise and burn off all those calories! Instead, our skinny mug cake only uses ¼ teaspoon of butter (or coconut oil). Yes—that’s it!
The rest of the tender texture comes from the pumpkin purée. It also acts as an egg replacer, which is why this batter is safe to eat raw! (If you’d like to lick the spoon for a taste test like me…) Be sure to buy regular pumpkin purée, rather than pumpkin pie mix. The latter contains refined sugar, which we’re avoiding in this recipe!
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Instead, you’ll sweeten the mug cake with a combination of powdered stevia and vanilla crème stevia. Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that’s clean eating friendly, and it’s highly concentrated. A little goes a long way! This is the powdered stevia that I buy, and this is the vanilla crème stevia that I absolutely adore. You can find them at many health-oriented grocery stores, but I typically buy them online at those links. (And you’ll use them in all of these recipes of mine, too!)
I have a secret trick to making the best skinny mug cakes… Rather than 1 minute at regular power, you’ll microwave your mug cake at 30% power for a longer period of time. This lower power better imitates baking in a regular oven, so your mug cake won’t turn out gummy or tough. Instead, it’ll be perfectly tender and oh-so-irresistible!
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Who’s ready for dessert?? 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 mug cake and feature it in my Sunday Spotlight series!
| Skinny Single-Serving Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Mug Cake | | Print |
- 3 tbsp (23g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- ⅜ tsp powdered stevia
- â…› tsp baking powder
- 1/16 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted
- 1 tbsp (15g) pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie mix!)
- 1 ½ tbsp (23mL) nonfat milk
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- 18 drops vanilla crème stevia, or to taste
- 1 tsp miniature chocolate chips, divided
- Lightly coat a 1-cup ramekin with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, powdered stevia, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, stir together the butter, pumpkin purée, and milk.* Stir in the vanilla and vanilla crème stevia. Gradually mix in the flour mixture, about 1 tablespoon at a time, until just incorporated. Fold in ¾ teaspoon of chocolate chips.
- Spread the batter into the prepared ramekin, and gently press the remaining chocolate chips on top. Microwave on 30% POWER for 2 minutes 40 seconds (2:40). Let the mug cake cool for at least 2 minutes to allow the center to finish cooking through before enjoying.
Whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour. Regular whole wheat flour may be substituted in a pinch, but the mug cake will have a somewhat "wheat-y" taste.
Any milk may be substituted in place of the nonfat milk.
You’ll use two types of stevia because too much of either type can result in a slightly bitter aftertaste to the mug cake. (You'll use them in all of these recipes of mine, too!) Other sweeteners may be substituted in place of both the powdered stevia and vanilla crème 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.
If the pumpkin purée 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.
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.
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, vegan, clean eating, low fat, low calorie, lower sugar}
View Nutrition Information
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You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♥   Skinny Single-Serving Chocolate Chip Mug Cake
♥   Skinny Single-Serving Raspberry Chocolate Chip Mug Cake
♥   Skinny Single-Serving Snickerdoodle Mug Cake
♥   Skinny Single-Serving Peanut Butter Mug Cake
♥   Skinny Single-Serving Vanilla Mug Cake
♥   Skinny Single-Serving Chocolate Mug Cake
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I very much appreciate your inclusion of a “printer” icon; I “print” to PDFs, which is much simpler with that “printer” icon: Thank YOU! However, I would appreciate ONE photo and the nutrition values to be included in the recipe! Thanks, again!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipes Pat! Although the full nutrition information isn’t included in the printable PDF, it is included underneath the recipe. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of this mug cake!
I remember going to a patisserie once, and there was a huge array of cakes, pastries and other baked goods, which all looked so delicious! I’m pretty sure I stood there for about 10 minutes, trying to decide which to choose! (In the end, I went with a black forest gateau slice, which was a good choice.?)
There is so much variety when it comes to flavours of food – especially things like cupcakes and ice cream – and all of the flavours sound so yummy, which is why I always take so long to decide, too!☺
I love mug cakes, because they are like having a large cupcake all to yourself! This pumpkin mug cake looks so scrumptious, and perfect for pudding. Of course, I can make it now, as I’ve got my vanilla creme stevia!?
What setting and time do I use for a conventional oven? I no longer own a microwave and will not be getting one. Thank you.
Sorry. Didn’t see it in the notes. Page kept hanging up.
No worries Becky — I’m glad you found it! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of the mug cake!
You totally get it, Katie!! Going to bakeries and patisseries with lots and lots of options is almost dangerous… I’m so indecisive that I want one of everything! But, like with your black forest slice, I usually end up with something chocolaty. 😉 I’d love to hear what you think if you try this mug cake! So glad you’re enjoying the vanilla creme stevia!
Haha, me too! (I would probably take a second one of everything from the patisserie if I had the chance!) Yes, chocolate is certainly one of my main priorities, for sure.? I’m going to make this tonight, so I’ll let you know how it went!☺
Yay!! I can’t wait Katie! 🙂 And if we ever visited a pastisserie together, it’d make things easier because we could order one of everything and split them all! (Not as much guilt about how many things we ate that way! 😉 )
That sounds like a great idea to me!? The pumpkin mug cake was super delicious! x
Yay!! I’m so glad you loved it Katie!! 🙂
Why do you use microwaves when you promote healthy eating? Microwaves are dangerous and change the molecular composition of food not to mention the radiation aspect of it.
I was a chemist before a baking blogger, so I’m very familiar with the concept of electromagnetic waves, which is the type of waves used to cook food in a microwave. The way microwaves are constructed, they’re perfectly safe for cooking food. Any type of cooking, whether on the stovetop, on a grill, or in a conventional oven, affects food molecules and changes them in essentially the same way. For example, raw proteins (meat, eggs, plant sources, etc) resemble very knotted and tangled piles of yarn. When cooked, regardless of the method, the energy from cooking relaxes the proteins’ structure, which is equivalent to untangling the mess of yarn and rewinding it into a nice ball. If you’ve come across scientific journal articles that have conducted experiments that prove otherwise about microwave ovens, I’d be very interested in reading that information Karen! 🙂
I quite often use a microwave, and the way I see it, there are more micro-waves being emitted from mobile phones than there are from microwave ovens. I am by no means a scientist (Amy will know more about it, having been a chemist), but I found an article that explained it quite well.
“The levels of radiation are extremely low, and can be almost entirely avoided by simply stepping away while your food is heating. Compared with microwave radiation from other devices (particularly cell phones), radiation from your microwave oven is negligible.”
“There’s no evidence that microwaves adversely affect the nutrient profile of foods.”
A microwave heats the water particles in food, making them vibrate and transfer heat, therefore cooking the food. Waves pass THROUGH the food in order to do so, but there isn’t any radiation left inside the food.
Microwaves don’t have enough energy to induce molecular vibrations, electron excitation, or ionization, so in other words, (as the government concluded) they aren’t a significant risk to human health,
I hope that settles any concerns – research is still going on about it, but I know that I’ll certainly be using my microwave to make this pumpkin mug cake, because it just looks so delicious!?
Thank you so much for sharing that information Katie! 🙂
Could you please explain to me what Vanilla Cream Stevia is? I don’t recall ever seeing it near where I am in Canada. Is there something that could be used in place of it? I’d really like to try this recipe – it sounds delicious!!
I appreciate your interest in my recipe Laurie! I go over what vanilla creme stevia is in the text of this blog post above the recipe, and I’ve already included alternatives in the Notes section underneath the Instructions. I can’t wait to hear what you think of the mug cake!
Could I add protein powder to this recipe? And would it work with almond flour?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Katie! All protein powders behave differently (see my Protein Powder FAQ Page for more info!), so I can’t guarantee that substituting your protein powder for some of the flour will turn out. You can sub almond flour, but the mug cake will be denser in texture. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try it!