Monday, August 23, 2010

UPDATED 5-MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE-- VEGAN, ALMOST NO-FAT, WHOLE GRAIN, W/ GLUTEN-FREE & LOW-GLYCEMIC VARIATIONS

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Thanks so much, Gail Davis, for posting this on your "Hungry Vegan" blog! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

RECIPE UPDATED OCTOBER 27, 2018.



UPDATE, Aug. 26, 2010: Well, last night I tried steaming the mugs as an alternative to using a microwave-- it was a flop, I'm afraid!  For one thing, it ended up taking 18 minutes steaming time, which kind of defeats the whole exercise of a 5-minute cake!  But, perhaps more importantly, it didn't rise and get fluffy like the original.  It was, as the British say, "stodge"-- yuck!  Sorry, no solution there. 

I thought about pressure cooking, but it might be more trouble than it's worth, with the getting up to pressure, cooling down, etc. 

(BTW, for anyone who is wary of microwave ovens, I have compiled some info in a Google doc: Read here.)

***********************************************

My youngest daughter, Justine, gave me a challenge yesterday.  Devise a Weight Watcher-friendly, preferably vegan, 5-Minute Chocolate Mug Cake.  I vaguely remembered hearing about this cake before, but hadn't looked into it.  So, I set about meeting her challenge.  I looked up various recipes and comments  on the recipes, first of all.  Then I set to work.  I wanted it to be vegan, of course, no-fat (except for a very few chocolate chips), and whole grain, but also nicely chocolate-y and slightly gooey.

We tried 2 of my versions last night-- one was too dry, so we didn't eat it!  I was pretty happy with the other version, though.  I ultimately made it in smaller servings than the original cake-- the larger size was too big for a healthy snack.  To refine the recipe, I made the ultimate sacrifice and had the final version for breakfast this morning! I must say, I'm happy with it!  I hope you like it, too!



NOTE: The updated 2018 version below has a an easy GF AND low-glycemic option.

(Worried about using a microwave oven?  Read here.)


Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S VEGAN, ALMOST NO-FAT, 5-MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE
(WITH GLUTEN-FREE AND LOW-GLYCEMIC VARIATIONS)
Yield: 1 or 2 servings
UPDATED on October 27, 2018

Quick, 3 WW points, gooey and satisfying! The ultimate quick chocolate hit (well, maybe second to Drinking Chocolate!). The chocolate chips may sink to the bottom, but no worries-- that makes an “icing” on the bottom that you can scoop up with each bite of cake! (BTW, I tried removing the cake from the mug to a plate, but it doesn’t look very attractive and dirties another dish, so better to eat it right out of the mug!) See Variations below for Gluten-Free version.

NOTE: One of my readers suggested quadrupling the dry ingredients and the brown sugar to make a quick mix-- great idea! (You could even multiply it further, I would think.) Measure out equal servings of the mix and bag them in little sandwich baggies. Maybe print out labels with the wet ingredients and stick them on the baggies.

FOR 2 SERVINGS (see Variations below for 1 serving)
Wet Mix:  
2 1/2 Tbs    water or strong coffee    
2 Tbs    thick, smooth unsweetened applesauce  
3 Tbs    packed brown sugar OR coconut palm sugar (both brown sugars deepen the chocolate taste)
1/2 tsp    lemon juice or cider vinegar  
1/4 tsp    pure vanilla extract  
Dry Mix:  
3 Tbs    whole wheat pastry flour 
1 Tbs    oat flour (or barley flour)
(OR, for a gluten-free AND low-glycemic mix, use 3 Tbs oat flour [you can blend oat flakes or quick oats in a dry blender to a fine flour] + 1 Tbs chickpea or white bean flour.)
2 Tbs    organic dark unsweetened cocoa powder  
scant 1/4 teaspoon    (more like 1/5 teaspoon!) baking soda  
1 pinch    salt  
Additional:  
1 tablespoon    organic, vegan, semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips  

Lightly spray two 1-cup mugs (such as cappuccino mugs), or 1-cup ramekins, with oil from a pump sprayer.

In a small bowl mix together the Wet Mix ingredients well with a whisk.

In a smaller bowl, whisk together (with a dry whisk) the Dry Mix 
ingredients.



The ramekins in this picture are the right size to use for microwaving the cakes if you have no suitable mugs, BTW.

Pour the Dry Mix into the Wet Mix and whisk together well. Divide the batter evenly between the 2 prepared mugs. Sprinkle 1/2 tablespoon chocolate chips over the batter.


Microwave at High power for 1 minute, 10 seconds
. (Note: My microwave is 1200 watts—if yours is less, you may need a few seconds more.)  

Cool on a rack for at least 5 minutes.  Eat right out of the mug or ramekin!

TIPS:
1.) If you have no leftover coffee, you can add 1 /2 teaspoon coffee or espresso powder to the water, or just use water.
2.) Freeze unsweetened canned or homemade applesauce in ice cube trays and pop the cubes into zipper-lock bags-- each one is 2 tablespoons! You can thaw them quickly in the microwave.
3.) For oat flour, just whiz rolled oats or quick oats in a DRY blender to a fine flour.

FOR 1 SERVING ONLY:

1 1/4 Tbs  water or strong coffee  
1 Tbs thick, smooth unsweetened applesauce
1 1/2 Tbs    packed brown sugar (both brown sugars deepens the chocolate taste)
1/4 tsp    lemon juice or cider vinegar  
1/8 tsp pure vanilla extract  
Dry Mix:  
1 1/2 Tbs    whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 Tbs    barley flour or oat flour (OR, for a gluten-free AND low-glycemic mix, use 1 1/2 Tbs oat flour [you can blend oat flakes or quick oats in a dry blender to a fine flour] + 1/2 Tbs chickpea or white bean flour.)
1 Tbs organic unsweetened cocoa powder  
scant 1/8 teaspoon baking soda  
1 small pinch  salt  
Additional:  
1/2 tablespoon    organic, vegan, semisweet chocolate chips  

The directions in the main recipe above are for 2 servingsfor 1 serving, you can mix the Wet Mix right in the mug or ramekin that you are going to microwave the cake in. Microwave 1 serving for only 40-50 seconds.

Nutrition Facts Per Serving:       
Calories 190.56, Calories From Fat 26.92, Total Fat 3.22g, Saturated Fat 1.53g, Cholesterol 0.00mg, Sodium 314.72mg, Potassium 240.07mg, Carbohydrates 41.25g, Dietary Fiber 4.15g, Sugar 20.07g, Sugar Alcohols 0.00g, Net Carbohydrates 37.10g, Protein 3.95g 


Enjoy!

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

This looks great Bryanna but the gluten free link doesnt work for me.

Bryanna Clark Grogan said...

Thanks for the heads-up-- I fixed it!

Unknown said...

You have just achieved goddess status.

mamafliz said...

If I could kiss you through the computer, I would Mum! I made these tonight and they were great. They definately taste better if you let them cool for the five minutes you noted. YUMMY.

Bryanna Clark Grogan said...

Glad you challenged me, Honey, and so glad you enjoyed it!

Jessica said...

I've been looking for a yummy weight watchers treat. I'd forgotten about this, but I'm glad you've made it vegan. Yum!

jessyburke88@gmail.com

Marie said...

YUM! This is unbelievable. Great for those chocolate cravings...
However, I don't have a microwave. Is there a way to do this in the oven?

Bryanna Clark Grogan said...

Marie, someone else asked me about that and I think it would work if you covered the mugs wit foil and steamed them, but I'm not sure how long it would take, so I'm going to try it this week.

Tiana said...

I just got done eating this and it was so good! It tasted like a brownie it was so decadent. =)

Bryanna Clark Grogan said...

Well, last night I tried steaming the mugs-- it was a flop, I'm afraid! For one thing, it ended up taking 18 minutes, which kind of defeats the whole exercise of a 5-minute cake! But, perhaps more importantly, it didn't rise and get fluffy like the original. It was, as the British say, "stodgy"-- yuck! Sorry, no solution there.

I thought about pressure cooking, but it might be more trouble than it's worth, with the getting up to pressure, cooling down, etc. Anyway, I'm "between" pressure cookers at the moment, so I can't try it.

(BTW,for anyone who is afraid of microwave ovens, I have compiled some info in a Google doc:
http://tinyurl.com/2ecv9x2
(Live link at end of blog post, before the recipe.)

Sarah said...

I just made this - I needed a chocolate fix like nobody's business. This really hit the spot! I had to use oil b/c I was out of applesauce, but thank you so much for the awesome suggestion of keeping applesauce frozen in the freezer, that's an awesome idea and much more eco-friendly than those individual servings from the supermarket, since you can store the cubes in re-usable tupperware. Delish! :)

Marie said...

Aw! Thanks for reporting back about your experience with the oven, Bryanna. Sorry it was a flop though.

I'm not afraid of microwaves. I just don't own one (I have a tiny kitchen).
Never thought I'd be jealous of people who own a microwave!

dee said...

A link to a recent article on Huffington Post about the dangers of microwave cooking. It's hard to know what to believe.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mercola/microwave-cancer_b_684662.html

Bryanna Clark Grogan said...

I would certainly not rely on anything Dr. Mercola has to say! He is part of the Weston A. Price contingent, for one thing (read about them here:
http://www.bryannaclarkgrogan.com/page/page/3476771.htm#weston

Dr. Joel Fuhrman has saved me the effort of compiling all of Mercola's nonsense-- read his article on Mercola here:
http://www.vegsource.com/articles2/fuhrman_metabolics.htm

Sava said...

I have never even heard of a cake made in a coffee mug before, but this looks delicious!

I am definitely trying this out :)

dee said...

Thanks for the links to Fuhrman's article about Mercola and the Weston A Price foundation. What an eye-opener!

custom mugs said...

nice post thanks for sharing.

Leah said...

This has become one of my all time favorite treats! Thanks! FYI with the points plus system they are 5 points+ each (including the chocolate chips)

Leah said...

Because sometimes 5 minutes is too long :) I'm taking a crack at making a "bulk" dry mix with the dry ingredients and brown sugar in it...have you tried this at all? I was thinking if I quarduple everything I should be able to use 1/4 cup of the dry mix per mug and get 8 mugs out of the equation...

Bryanna Clark Grogan said...

Leah, I was thinking of doing that, too. Let me know how it works!

Leah said...

I just tried it and it seemed to work :) It tasted great and was a good afternoon pick me up.

Bryanna Clark Grogan said...

Thanks for reporting back-- I'm going to try it!

judy said...

Thanks Bryanna for this wonderful recipe. I was sooo hungry for some dessert , made it and it was just perfect.