Monday, August 23, 2010
5-MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE-- VEGAN, ALMOST NO-FAT, WHOLE GRAIN (IF YOU WANT IT TO BE!), W/ GLUTEN-FREE VARIATION
Thanks so much, Gail Davis, for posting this on your "Hungry Vegan" blog! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
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. Anyway, I'm "between" pressure cookers at the moment, so I can't try it. If anyone does try it, and succeeds, please let us know!
(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!
You can make it with my high-fiber, gluten-free flour mix, too.
(Worried about using a microwave oven? Read here.)
Printable Recipe
BRYANNA'S VEGAN, ALMOST NO-FAT, 5-MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE (WHOLE GRAIN IF YOU WANT IT TO BE!) (GLUTEN-FREE VARIATION)
Yield: 1 or 2 servings
Quick, 3 WW points, gooey and satisfying! The ultimate quick chocolate hit (well, maybe second to Drinking Chocolate!). The chocolate chips sink to the bottom and make 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.
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 1/2 Tbs packed brown sugar (brown sugar deepens the chocolate taste)
1/2 tsp lemon juice or cider vinegar
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
Dry Mix:
or 
scant 1/4 teaspoon (more like 1/5 teaspoon!) baking soda
1 pinch salt
Additional:
1 tablespoon organic, vegan, semisweet chocolate chips
Lightly spray two 1-cup mugs (such as cappuccino mugs), or 1-cup ramekin
s with oil from a pump sprayer.
s 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. Sprinkle1/2 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:
TIPS:
1.) If you have no leftover coffee, you can add 1 /2 teaspoon coffee or espresso powder to the water.
2.) Freeze canned or homemade applesauce in ice cube trays and pop the cubes into zipper-lock bags-- each one is 2 tablespoons!
3.) For oat flour, just whiz rolled oats or quick oats in a DRY blender
2.) Freeze canned or homemade applesauce in ice cube trays and pop the cubes into zipper-lock bags-- each one is 2 tablespoons!
3.) For oat flour, just whiz rolled oats or quick oats in a DRY blender
VARIATIONS:
FOR GLUTEN-FREE: For 1 serving: Substitute 2 tablespoons Bryanna’s Gluten-Free High-Fiber Flour Mix for the pastry flour and the oat or barley flour. For 2 servings: Substitute 1/4 cup Bryanna’s Gluten-Free High-Fiber Flour Mix for the pastry flour and the oat or barley flour.
Nutrition Facts
FOR GLUTEN-FREE: For 1 serving: Substitute 2 tablespoons Bryanna’s Gluten-Free High-Fiber Flour Mix for the pastry flour and the oat or barley flour. For 2 servings: Substitute 1/4 cup Bryanna’s Gluten-Free High-Fiber Flour Mix for the pastry flour and the oat or barley flour.
FOR 1 SERVING:
1 1/4 Tbs water or strong coffee
1 Tbs thick, smooth unsweetened applesauce
1 3/4 Tbs packed brown sugar (brown sugar 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 (you can use white pastry flour, if you insist!)
1/2 Tbs barley flour or oat 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 servings—for 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.
1 Tbs thick, smooth unsweetened applesauce
1 3/4 Tbs packed brown sugar (brown sugar 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 (you can use white pastry flour, if you insist!)
1/2 Tbs barley flour or oat 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 servings—for 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
Nutrition (per serving): 190.7 calories; 9% calories from fat; 2.6g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 310.9mg sodium; 239.2mg potassium; 43.2g carbohydrates; 4.1g fiber; 23.4g sugar; 39.1g net carbs; 3.3g protein; 3.2 points.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
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22 comments:
This looks great Bryanna but the gluten free link doesnt work for me.
Thanks for the heads-up-- I fixed it!
You have just achieved goddess status.
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.
Glad you challenged me, Honey, and so glad you enjoyed it!
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
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?
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.
I just got done eating this and it was so good! It tasted like a brownie it was so decadent. =)
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.)
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! :)
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!
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
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
I have never even heard of a cake made in a coffee mug before, but this looks delicious!
I am definitely trying this out :)
Thanks for the links to Fuhrman's article about Mercola and the Weston A Price foundation. What an eye-opener!
nice post thanks for sharing.
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)
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...
Leah, I was thinking of doing that, too. Let me know how it works!
I just tried it and it seemed to work :) It tasted great and was a good afternoon pick me up.
Thanks for reporting back-- I'm going to try it!
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