For my birthday last year, my mom and I drove to the ocean for a picnic dinner on the beach. We picked up my brother and his best friend on the way, and because I hadn’t seen his apartment during the first year of his Masters program, my brother showed me around before hopping in the car.
It was a fairly nondescript apartment with a modest living room, cramped kitchen, tiny bathroom, and two small bedrooms. The entire tour took less than 60 seconds… And my brother spent more time offering us snacks for the beach, like trail mix and his favorite kettle-cooked potato chips!
Although one of the top schools in the state, his university rarely renovates their graduate student housing, so in addition to its small size, my brother’s apartment also lacked air conditioning. With the temperature nearly 100°F that day, he and his best friend couldn’t wait to get in our car and head to the breezy beach!
When our weather went above 90°F again last week, I started thinking about my poor brother and his hot, stuffy apartment… And how he probably loves sitting in lecture halls listening to professors speak. At least those rooms are air-conditioned!
Knowing my brother, a sweet treat might help take his mind off of the heat back at his apartment, so I came up with this Healthy Single-Serving Lemon Poppy Seed Mug Cake recipe just for him. Lemon is his favorite cake flavor, and this one is made in the microwave—no oven required or heating up the house! Even better, it contains no butter, eggs, refined flour or sugar and only 101 calories!
Basically… Guilt-free dessert heaven. ??
This healthy mug cake is ready in just 10 minutes! How awesome is that? Perfect for when your sweet tooth starts craving a treat… Which is basically 24/7 for me! ? So when that happens, you’ll start by measuring out a little white whole wheat flour. Yes, such a thing actually exists! It’s made by finely grinding a special type of soft white wheat (hence the name!). White whole wheat flour has a lighter taste and texture compared to regular whole wheat flour, but it has all of the same health benefits, like extra fiber and nutrients!
Instead of a tablespoon of butter and a full egg like in many traditional mug cake recipes, you’ll use just ¼ teaspoon of coconut oil and no eggs! (My brother is allergic to eggs, so that’s why this recipe is so perfect for him!) Instead, the rest of its tender texture comes from Greek yogurt, one of my favorite ingredients in healthy baking. It adds the same moisture as extra oil for a fraction of the calories, and it gives your mug cake a protein boost, too!
You’ll also skip the refined sugar and sweeten your mug cake with vanilla crème stevia. It’s another one of my favorite ingredients! Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that contains nothing artificial or refined. It’s very concentrated, so you just need a generous ¼ teaspoon! This is the kind that I buy because I love its warm vanilla flavor and don’t notice any strange aftertaste 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 cheapest price I’ve found. (And you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)
Then for that iconic flavor, you’ll mix in poppy seeds and lemon extract. This was actually my first time using lemon extract! With a few large lemon trees in my parents’ backyard, I’ve never needed to use it before… But I really didn’t feel like zesting a lemon and using just a teaspoon of juice to make a mug cake. ? I was completely surprised by this lemon extract—it tasted just like regular, real lemons! Not artificial at all!
And now, I’m sharing my 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 regular oven, so your mug cake won’t turn out tough or gummy—just sweet and tender, like a traditional cake!
No need to pucker up for this perfectly sweet treat! ?? 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!
| Healthy Single-Serving Lemon Poppy Seed Mug Cake | | Print |
- 3 tbsp (23g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- ¼ tsp poppy seeds
- 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 (23mL) nonfat milk
- ¼ tsp lemon extract
- ⅜ tsp 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, poppy seeds, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, stir together the butter, Greek yogurt, and milk.* Stir in the lemon extract and vanilla crème 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 40 seconds (2:40). Let the mug cake cool for at least 2 minutes to allow the center to finish cooking through.
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 correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale (← that’s the one I own and love!). Too much will make the mug cake dry. 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 sweeteners, and you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine too. (I always buy it online here because that’s the cheapest price I’ve found!) 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.
To give this mug cake a more yellow color, add in a teensy tiny pinch of ground turmeric! (That’s what I did for these photos!) You can’t taste it at all!
If the Greek yogurt and milk are cold, they will immediately re-solidify the melted butter or coconut oil. 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 10-12 minutes to start.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low sugar, higher protein}
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You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ The Ultimate Healthy Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
♡ Lemon Poppy Seed Energy Bites
♡ Lemon Poppy Seed Mini Muffins
♡ Lemon Poppy Seed Protein Bars
♡ Lemon Poppy Seed Scones
♡ Greek Yogurt Lemon Pound Cake
♡ Healthy Single-Serving Raspberry Chocolate Chip Mug Cake
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy mug cake recipes!
Fabulous recipe, treat inspiration/backstory; and I LOVE the new site design!
You’re so sweet Liz — thank you!! That means so much to me! 🙂
Hi Amy! Lovely story and I am loving the update you did on your blog!! Great pic…you are incredibly beautiful – inside and out. We love lemons, poppy seeds and who doesn’t love cake in a mug?!?! I have plenty of ’em! You know what that means!!! I will let you know how they turn out 🙂
You’re SO sweet Carmelina — thank you!! That means so much to me!! ♡ I can’t wait to hear what you and your family think of this mug cake if you make it!
Nothing against lemon, but for me if it’s poppyseed it needs to be almond. I will have to try this because it looks yummy!
I’d love to hear what you think if you try this mug cake Anna! Subbing almond extract for the lemon extract is such a great idea! 🙂
Hi Amy! I went out and bought a whole new set of ramekins. I served these individual cakes to my friends after dinner last Saturday. I used whole wheat pastry flour and skipped the tumeric because I don’t ever use it and therefore didn’t have any on hand. I ALWAYS measure the flour as you instruct – actually, I have been doing that for decades. This truly does ensure the best texture of any baked good. The mini cakes turned out lovely! Moist and delicious! So easy to make! Thank you again!
Oh my goodness Carmelina!! You’re SO sweet to make my recipe to serve to your dinner guests — I’m truly honored! I’m really glad everyone enjoyed them too! That means so much to me. ♡
Looks so good! Only issue is that I do not have lemon extract, could I replace it with lemon juice instead? Looking forward to making this!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Julia! Lemon extract is much stronger than lemon juice, so you wouldn’t actually be able to taste the lemon flavor if you substituted lemon juice. It’d basically taste like a plain mug cake with poppy seeds! 😉 I’d love to hear what you think if you try it!