A few years ago on Valentine’s Day, one of my high school best friends stopped by my city. During that three-day weekend, she and her husband were visiting her mother-in-law, who lived in the next town over, and they planned to watch her brother-in-law’s acting performances at the downtown theater in my city that evening.
After the first show, my friend graciously ducked out to meet me at a fun dessert shop located a few blocks away. Although typically pretty quiet with only a handful of patrons, the store looked completely different on Valentine’s Day… The huge line snaked around the tables and outer perimeter—twice!
The shop owner planned ahead and brought on extra staff that evening, so we found ourselves quickly shuffling around the checkered tile floor and standing in front of the glass display of desserts within twenty minutes. When I spotted an empty booth, I immediately dove for it, while my friend agreed to select a decadent slice of cake for us to share.
She picked out the mocha torte: six layers of moist buttermilk cake with alternating layers of mocha buttercream and rich dark chocolate ganache. Although not much of a frosting person, I fell in love with both of those flavors (especially the latter… it practically tasted like fudge!), and we made that entire slice disappear before her husband stopped by after the second show!
Since I moved from that city a few months later and I won’t be stopping by that incredible dessert shop this Valentine’s Day, I needed another treat to fill that cake void… And this Skinny Single-Serving Triple Chocolate Mug Cake will definitely do the trick! It’s ready in 10 minutes and contains no butter, eggs, refined flour or sugar—and only 126 calories!
To make this healthy mug cake, you’ll start with a combination of white whole wheat flour and cocoa powder. White whole wheat flour sounds like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? Normally white flour and whole wheat flour are two different things! However, white whole wheat flour is made by finely grinding a special type of softer white wheat (hence the name!), whereas regular whole wheat flour comes from a heartier variety of red wheat. This gives white whole wheat flour a lighter taste and texture, similar to all-purpose flour, but it still has the same health benefits as regular whole wheat flour.
Note: Check the Notes section underneath the Instructions for my preferred gluten-free flour blend!
Whereas traditional mug cakes include an egg yolk and a couple tablespoons of butter for their tender texture (I’m dying a little on the inside just thinking of all those calories!), this healthy one only uses ¼ teaspoon of coconut oil. Instead, the rest of its tender texture comes from one of my favorite ingredients 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 mug cake a protein boost, too!
To sweeten your mug cake, you’ll use another one of my favorite ingredients: vanilla crème stevia. Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that’s clean eating friendly, and it’s highly concentrated. You just need ½ teaspoon to sweeten this entire mug cake! This is the kind that I buy 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 it’s the cheapest price I’ve found. (And you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)
For those final two chocolate components, you’ll mix in mini chocolate chips (these are some of my favorites!) and top the mug cake with a homemade chocolate drizzle. Just stir together a little cocoa powder, milk, and a bit more stevia. That’s it!
Now I have a secret trick to perfectly tender mug cakes… Instead of microwaving them on high for 1 minute, like with traditional recipes, you’ll microwave them on 30% power for a longer period of time. This lower power better simulates baking in a traditional oven, which prevents your mug cakes from turning out really gummy. Instead, they’re perfectly tender—and this chocolate one even turned out a little bit fudgy, like brownies!
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 Triple Chocolate Mug Cake | Print |
- for the mug cake
- 2 tbsp (15g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 2 tbsp (10g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured like this)
- ⅛ tsp baking powder
- 1/16 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted
- 1 tbsp (15g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 5 tsp nonfat milk
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp vanilla crème stevia, or adjusted to taste
- 1 tsp miniature chocolate chips, divided
- for the drizzle
- 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder (measured like this)
- ½ tsp nonfat milk
- 8-12 drops vanilla crème stevia, or adjusted to taste
- Lightly coat a 1-cup ramekin with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, stir together the butter, Greek yogurt, and milk.* Stir in the vanilla extract 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 45 seconds (2:45). Let the mug cake cool for at least 2 minutes to allow the center to finish cooking through.
- While the mug cake cools, prepare the drizzle. Stir together the cocoa powder, milk, and vanilla crème stevia. Drizzle on top of the prepared mug cake.
Whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour.
It’s very important to measure the flour and cocoa powder correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. Too much of either will make the mug cake dry (and too much cocoa powder will make the mug cake taste bitter). If your batter is too dry, add additional milk ½ teaspoon at a time until the batter resembles the texture of thick muffin batter.
Any milk may be substituted in place of the nonfat milk.
I highly recommend using the vanilla crème 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 2-3 tablespoons of granulated sugar in the mug cake. In the drizzle, use ¼ teaspoon of milk and ¼ teaspoon of pure maple syrup, honey, or agave.
As written, this mug cake tastes similar to 72% dark chocolate. For a sweeter taste, increase the amount of vanilla crème stevia by up to an additional ¼ teaspoon.
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, low sugar, higher protein}
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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 Vanilla Mug Cake
♥ Skinny Single-Serving Peanut Butter Mug Cake
Love the story behind these individual serving mug cakes, you’re always so good about meeting with friends, that’s really special. I love single serving desserts because of the potion control. Have to try these soon!
You’re the sweetest Phi — thank you!! That’s actually one of my goals for 2017… To work a little less and see people in real life more (or via FaceTime — we should do that sometime!). 🙂
Hey there!
I’ve noticed that most of your delicious recipes call for vanilla cream stevia (I assume this is a liquid). I love stevia but only have the concentrated powdered kind right now (not truvia), are the ratios the same? Will the powder work just as well if i just add a little vanilla? Thanks a ton! your recipes are saving me since I’ve given up sugar 😉
I really appreciate your interest in my recipes Amy! It means a lot to me! Yes, vanilla creme stevia is a liquid, and you should be able to substitute your stevia for it. The amount of your concentrated powder to use as a substitute really depends on the brand and exact product that you have. All brands tend to have a different sweetness level. 🙂
I made this tonight, and it was delicious-without the guilt! I didn’t have stevia drops, so I substituted with 2tbsp of Truvia (which was juuust a tad to much, next time I’ll do just 1TBSP), and I topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this mug cake Amanda! 🙂