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

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.)

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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 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 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!