A few days after I sent over the footage for this TV episode to my video editor, he sent me an email. He mentioned that while making a mug cake that evening for dessert, he remembered the super easy 3-ingredient chocolate drizzle I included in that episode, so he tried it on his mug cake…
And he called it magical! His kind note made my entire day, so I quickly typed out a response. Inside, I included that I had made a major mug cake break-through of my own when I started microwaving them on 30% power instead, and I shared an explanation of why that made a huge difference, along with my favorite mug cake recipes.
The following weekend, he sent me another email about how he tried my recipe and also made the same mug cake for his significant other and mom. He included a picture along with their reviews…
All three of them proclaimed my recipe as the best mug cake ever! My editor even went on to say it made his own mug cake recipe look like a sad pretender. I felt like I was on cloud nine for days—that’s such high praise!
So in honor of my incredible video editor, I’m sharing my favorite mug cake recipe with you: this Healthy Flourless Chocolate Mug Cake! It’s supremely rich and chocolaty, even with no eggs, butter, refined flour or sugar. And it’s just 108 calories!
True single-serving dessert perfection! ??
Like I previously mentioned, I make my healthy mug cakes a little differently than most traditional recipes! Since my healthy mug cakes contain a lot less fat than typical recipes, I microwave them on 30% power instead for a longer period of time.
If you microwaved them on high for 1 minute like in traditional recipes, that would result in tough or gummy textures. However, this lower power better simulates baking in a regular oven, so your mug cakes turn out nice and tender instead!
So now with that nerdy microwave science out of the way… ? Let’s talk about the ingredients you’ll need!
First up is cocoa powder. Use the regular unsweetened kind, like this! Do not substituted Dutched or special dark cocoa powder. In this particular recipe, they actually have a much less prominent chocolaty flavor… Almost a little dull and bland. Regular unsweetened cocoa powder gives your healthy mug cake the most chocolaty and rich flavor!
I struggled with the name of this recipe… Should it be called “flourless” or “practically flourless” instead? That’s because you’ll mix in oat flour next, like this! (Or this for a gluten-free version!) Oat flour is simply finely ground oats so… I’m not sure if it technically counts as flour. I’ll let you decide!
Tip: You can make your own oat flour at home! I show you how here.
This low-calorie chocolate mug cake only requires ¼ teaspoon of coconut oil (or butter, if you prefer!) and no eggs. Instead, it gets the rest of its moist texture from Greek yogurt! I always love baking with Greek yogurt because it adds the same moisture to your batter as extra butter or oil for a fraction of the calories. And it gives your treats a protein boost, too!
You’ll skip the refined granulated sugar and sweeten your flourless chocolate mug cake with vanilla stevia. It’s another one of my favorite ingredients! Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that contains nothing refined or artificial (aka it’s clean-eating friendly). It’s also really concentrated—you need less than ½ teaspoon for your healthy chocolate mug cake!
This is the vanilla stevia that I use because I love its warm 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 buy mine online here because that’s the best price I’ve found. (And you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)
How decadent does that look?? There’s a reason I make this healthy flourless chocolate mug cake nearly every day! ? And with a certain holiday right around the corner… This would definitely make for a super easy (and healthy!) Valentine’s Day 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!
| Healthy Flourless Chocolate Mug Cake | | Print |
- 2 tbsp (15g) oat flour (gluten-free, if necessary, and 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
- ⅜ tsp vanilla stevia, or adjusted to taste
- optional: 1 tsp miniature chocolate chips, divided
- Lightly coat a 1-cup ramekin with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the oat 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 stevia. Gradually mix in the flour mixture, about 1 tablespoon at a time, until just incorporated. If using, gently fold in ¾ teaspoon of chocolate chips.
- Spread the batter into the prepared ramekin, and gently press the remaining chocolate chips on top (if using). Microwave on 30% POWER for 2 minutes 45 seconds (2:40). Let the mug cake cool for at least 4 minutes to allow the center to finish cooking through.
White whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the oat flour. Most store-bought gluten-free flour blends (like this one!) will also work, if measured like this. Do not substitute coconut flour.
It’s very important to measure the oat flour and cocoa powder correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That's the one I own and love!) 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.
I don’t recommend substituting Dutched or special dark cocoa powder. Those will taste muted and bland compared to regular unsweetened cocoa powder.
Any milk may be substituted in place of the nonfat milk.
I highly recommend using the vanilla stevia! It's one of my favorite ingredients, and you'll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too. I buy mine online here because that's the cheapest price I've found. Other sweeteners may be substituted in place of the vanilla stevia, but you may need to adjust the amount of oat 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.
As written, this mug cake tastes similar to 72% dark chocolate. For a sweeter taste, increase the amount of vanilla stevia by up to an additional ¼ teaspoon.
If the Greek yogurt and milk are cold, they will immediately re-solidify the melted butter or melted coconut oil. If this happens, microwave on HIGH for 6-8 seconds or until the butter/coconut oil 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. If using a 1100-watt microwave, I recommend using 20% power instead. The mug cake will take longer to cook at 20% power. (I’m not sure how long since I don’t own one!)
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}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Healthy Triple Chocolate Mug Cake
♡ Healthy Mocha Chocolate Chip Mug Cake
♡ Healthy Chocolate Chip Mug Cake
♡ Healthy Snickerdoodle Mug Cake
♡ Healthy Peanut Butter Mug Cake
♡ Healthy Carrot Cake Mug Cake
♡ Healthy Vanilla Mug Cake
How do you regulate the ingredients for a springform cake tin
I am going to try this; it looks delicious. What is the recipe for the 3-ingredient chocolate drizzle?? I tried to find it on the website and could not. Would you kindly email me with the recipe? Thank you. Lisa
I really appreciate your interest in my drizzle recipe Lisa! If you click on the link to my TV episode (my links are the pink text!) at the top of this blog post, then you should find the drizzle recipe! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of it!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Sally! This only works as a single-serving mug cake; it doesn’t scale up very well. I’d love to hear what you think if you try it! 🙂
What can replace vanilla stevia with?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Margie! I’ve actually covered that in the Notes section underneath the Instructions. It can be easy to miss! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of this mug cake!
Looks so delicious! My microwave will not change power settings for some reason, I’m so sad because I’ve tried your other mug cakes before!
Oh no!! Is it the same microwave that you used for making my other mug cake recipes? If so… Whatever you did to make those will probably work for this one too! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try it Leela!
This recipe isn’t flour less, and I’m frustrated at you labelling it so. I came here hoping to find a low fodmap recipe (being as there should be no flour) instead, you substituted oats which are a no go for fodmap intolerant people. Please be conscious of your labelling next time.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Sarah! I actually covered this naming conundrum in the text of my blog post above the recipe. 🙂 You can substitute almond flour, if that fits your diet instead!
That was really yummy, Amy. Thanks! It was small, but my daughter said mug cakes are typically small. It was full of dark chocolate flavor and took care of my chocolate craving. I will make this again. Worked perfectly the first time.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this mug cake Lisa! That means so much to me that you’d make it again — that’s the best kind of compliment! Thank you for sharing that with me! 🙂
Oh wow!!!! This tastes amazing!!!!!! Finally!!! A healthy mug cake that tastes incredible!!! Thank yo so much for sharing! The 30% power makes all the difference!!
I’m so glad you loved this mug cake Gina! That means so much to me! 🙂
This recipe was so easy to follow and goof proof! I am not good at cooking, so I thought I would start with mug recipes and this one was amazing! I can’t wait to try the other ones Amy has on her site. The cool thing is once you get the ingredients, most of Amy’s recipes have similar ingredients so it makes it easy once you have them. Thank you Amy!!!
I’m so glad you loved this mug cake, Kris! That means a lot to me that you thought you’d start with one of my recipes — I’m honored! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what other recipes you decide to try!
Wonderful recipe!
Didn’t have Greek yogurt so substituted with lactose free sour cream and used 2.5 tbs sugar instead of stevia.
This is definitely going to ver my go to for chocolate cravings. Thanks a lot!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this mug cake! That means so much to me that you’d consider making it again — that’s the best kind of compliment! 🙂 Thanks so much for letting me know about your recipe modifications too. I always love hearing what tweaks work!
Hi! I tried your recipe and for some reason did not have as much luck as the previous commenters. I got it to work by making a few tweaks, however, particularly substituting baking soda for the powder, adding an additional tablespoon of liquid, and and adding 2 tsp of meringue powder. When I did this, the cake no longer fell in the microwave. It is a great way to satisfy those chocolate cravings!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this mug cake Lorraine! Thanks for including your recipe modifications — I always love hearing what tweaks work! 🙂