For part of college, I lived alone in a spacious one-bedroom apartment, which I absolutely loved. As an introvert, after spending all day surrounded by people in my science classes or setting up experiments in the organic chemistry research lab I worked in, I looked forward to that quiet solitude in the evenings.
Even better, when I arrived back at my apartment, I never found someone else’s dirty dishes piled in the sink, textbooks strewn across the kitchen table, or shoes scattered around the front door. After living with a few different messy roommates, I truly appreciated coming home to find everything exactly as I left it!
However, I quickly discovered one tiny downside… With how much I enjoyed baking, I always ended up with more treats than I should eat by myself! I sometimes brought them into our lab’s break room to share with the graduate students, but most of the time, I piled the cookies or brownies on a plate and knocked on my neighbor’s door.
As a family of six, they made my baked goods disappear in the blink of an eye! When she realized I stopped by almost every week, the mom actually gave me a cookie and cupcake decorating set for Christmas that winter. After unwrapping it, I immediately whipped up a batch of sugar cookies and used those tools to pipe one letter of “Thank you!” onto each cookie!
Back then, I had never heard of single-serving desserts, other than the slices of cake or individual cupcakes sold by the town’s bakeries, but I imagine this Skinny Single-Serving Chocolate Chip Gingerbread Mug Cake would have come in extremely handy on those evenings where I started craving dessert—yet didn’t want to deal with the leftovers!
This mug cake is full of cozy flavors and lots of decadent chocolate, but it contains no butter, eggs, refined flour or sugar. Since it takes less than 10 minutes to make and it’s just 135 calories, it’s the perfect way to satisfy you sweet tooth this holiday season!
To make this healthier mug cake, you’ll start with white whole wheat flour. That sounds like a bit of an oxymoron, doesn’t it? White… Whole wheat?… It’s actually made by finely grinding a special type of softer white wheat, which gives it a lighter taste and texture very similar to that of all-purpose flour. However, white whole wheat flour still has the same health benefits (like extra fiber!) as regular whole wheat flour.
Whereas traditional mug cakes contain a tablespoon or two of butter and a whole egg (that’s nearly 300 calories alone!), this guilt-free mug cake calls for just ¼ teaspoon of coconut oil and no eggs! So yes… It’s completely safe to taste the raw batter!
Instead, it gets its tender texture from Greek yogurt. If you’ve been around my blog for a while, you know how much I adore Greek yogurt! It provides the same moisture as extra butter or oil for a fraction of the calories, and it gives your mug cake a protein boost, too!
To sweeten the mug cake, you’ll use a combination of molasses and vanilla crème stevia. Molasses is half of what provides the iconic gingerbread flavor (with ground ginger as the other half, of course!), so don’t skip it. This is the kind I buy, and it’s inexpensive and keeps for ages. As for the stevia, it’s a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that’s clean-eating friendly. This is the kind that I use because I love its warm vanilla flavor and don’t notice any strange aftertastes like with some other stevia products. You can find it at many health-oriented grocery stores, but I always buy mine online here because that’s the best price I’ve found anywhere! (And you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)
Finally, I have a secret trick to a perfectly tender mug cake… You’ll microwave it on 30% power for a longer period of time, rather than 1 minute on full power. This lower power better simulates baking in a traditional oven, so it prevents your mug cake from turning out tough or gummy. I’ve used it for all of my mug cake recipes—it works like a charm!
Time 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 Chocolate Chip Gingerbread Mug Cake | | Print |
- 3 tbsp (23g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- ⅛ tsp baking powder
- ⅛ tsp ground ginger
- 1/16 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/16 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted
- 1 tbsp (15g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 ½ tbsp (23mL) nonfat milk
- ½ tsp molasses
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp vanilla crème stevia, or adjusted 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, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, and salt. In a separate bowl, stir together the butter, Greek yogurt, and milk.* Stir in the molasses, 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.
Any milk may be substituted in place of the nonfat milk.
I highly recommend using the vanilla creme stevia! It's one of my favorite ingredients, and you'll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too. Other sweeteners may be substituted in place of the 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 Greek 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.
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, clean eating, low fat, low calorie, lower sugar, higher protein}
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You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♥ Chocolate Chip Gingerbread Scones
♥ Chocolate Chip Gingerbread Mini Muffins
♥ Chocolate Chip Gingerbread Oatmeal Cookies
♥ Classic Gingerbread with Maple Glaze
♥ Baked Gingerbread Donuts with Maple Glaze
♥ Gingerbread Protein Overnight Oats
♥ Skinny Gingerbread Latte
♥ Dark Chocolate Gingerbread Truffles
I definitely need more mug cakes in my life because I always end up making more baked goods than I need too….but kinda on purpose. 😉 I have to make sure they’re fit to serve to other people, right? 😉 This looks like the perfect holiday treat Amy!! 🙂
Exactly!! Quality control is a tough job, but somebody has to do it… 😉 We sound more and more like twins by the day Marina! ♡
Yum, I love gingerbread! This looks perfect for a quick treat! 🙂
Thanks Courtney! I’d love to hear what you think if you try it. 🙂
Love this! Will definitely be making this for a little gathering at home.
I can’t wait to hear what you think of the mug cake Amit! 🙂
What can the Stevia be replaced with? I only use honey, raw brown sugar or maple syrup.
I actually covered that already in the Notes section underneath the Instructions. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of the mug cake Marg!
I agree that mug cakes are brilliant for when you’d like a dessert to yourself without leftovers – however, I’m sure the family loved the privilege of finishing all of those baked treats! Gingerbread makes me think of Christmas…which isn’t so far away now! I can’t believe it, but we’ll be putting up our decorations next week!!?
I know — time has completely flown by this year Katie!! How is it nearly time for Christmas already?? ? I hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful time celebrating the holidays! ♡
I was really excited about this recipe. I had a problem with the Microwave and getting 30 percent power level. The flavor was great but it was rubbery. Bummer
That sounds disappointing Mary! Were you able to microwave it on 30% power? Most microwaves have a “power” button, but they can vary in how to change the power level. For some, you have to press that power button, and each time you press it, the power level reduces by 10%. (It’ll read, “90…80…70…” etc where each “…” = one time you press that button.) For other microwaves, you press that power button, then type in the corresponding number. (So for 30%, you’d hit “power” followed by “3.”) Do either of those work for your microwave?
HA! Perfect contrast between loving living alone, and the struggles of eating ALLL THE TREATS!
I had a feeling you’d understand Brittany! ??
Could this be multiplied to make multiple at one time?
I don’t recommend it Candace. Placing multiple mug cakes in the microwave will cause them to bake unevenly. I’d love to hear what you think if you try the recipe! 🙂
Thanks for the quick reply – I didn’t even think of that! Have you ever tried baking mug cakes? I was just hoping I could make a bunch at once and freeze so I don’t waste a container of greek yogurt! I know you have other gingerbread recipes but was hoping to avoid having to get egg whites. I’ll try this regardkess – I’ve loved all the recipes I’ve tried from you and love everything gingerbread!
I’ve already included the directions for baking in a traditional oven in the Notes section underneath the Instructions. 😉 That means a lot to me that you’re enjoying my recipes Candace! I’m truly touched. ♡ I can’t wait to hear what you think of this mug cake too!
Oops Sorry must’ve skipped over the notes! Your overnight oats have become a staple for me to take to work and I love the brownies! Just asked for your cook book for christmas so hopefully I can try those recipes soon too!
That means SO much to me Candace!! I’m really glad that you’ve been enjoying the overnight oats and brownies, and I’m truly touched that you asked for my cookbook for Christmas. I really hope you receive it — I can’t wait to hear what you think of the recipes inside! 🙂