This almond chocolate mug cake is so easy to make and is gluten free, grain free and dairy free. A healthier chocolate cake that goes from zero to done in about ten minutes? Yes!
Guys, this month for me is going to involve a lot of NO FUSS cooking. No sooner were we unpacking our Sydney home…we have been on the move again! Why? Well, it’s kitchen renovation time. Something I actually don’t really mind being moved around for. I can handle a few weeks out of a suitcase if there’s a shiny new kitchen at the end of the journey! Pretty new bench tops, a powerful new oven, a lovely tiled splash back. Bring it.
Being the crazy busy couple that we are, my husband and I have enlisted serious help in making over the bottom floor of our terrace. Did I just say we were only doing the kitchen? I meant – kitchen, toilet, laundry…whole ground floor. The floor has been ripped up already. Eeep. We’re actually using a renovation broker, which is something you may or may not have heard of before. Basically, they’re some kind of renovating godsend who helps project manage and connects you with all the tradespeople you need. More about this to come in a blog post!
So that brings me to this almond chocolate mug cake. Without all my usual kitchen gadgets and space, this is the speedy, no fuss cake I need right now. A single serve chocolate delight.
Yep, you cook this cake in the MICROWAVE, and it’s done in 90 seconds. 90 SECONDS! Seriously; this almond chocolate mug cake is the quickest, easiest little chocolate cake I have ever made. Making this blog post took about half the time that it usually does, because the practice and preparation of the food was so damn speedy! (Makes up for all of the times I have massive recipe fails, just a little…).
All that’s required to get yourself an almond chocolate mug cake are 7 key ingredients (plus a dash of vanilla if you have it), a fork and a good mug. If you like making them more pretty, you can make them in a bowl and then pour into microwave-safe ramekins, like I did for the photos. I think they look awesome! Sprinkle over some toppings and I think they can pass for decadent chocolate cakes that you spent an age slaving over.
So this almond chocolate mug cake isn’t just for must-have-cake emergencies. It’s for all occasions! And being gluten free, dairy free and sweetened with only one tablespoon of maple syrup, it makes a healthier option when you need a treat.
Healthy Almond Chocolate Mug Cake
This gorgeous almond chocolate mug cake comes together in MINUTES! Easily made in the microwave, it's gluten free, grain free, dairy free and paleo friendly.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp almond meal a.k.a. ground almonds or almond flour
- 1 and 1/2 tbsp cacao powder
- 1/4 tsp baking powder (gluten free)
- 1 small pinch salt
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp maple syrup or honey
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract - OPTIONAL but lovely for flavour
Instructions
To start - you can make this cake in the mug you'll cook it in, or you can make it in a small bowl and then pour it into a mug or ramekin to cook it.
Place the dry ingredients (almond meal, cacao, baking powder) into a small bowl/mug. Stir a little to combine.
Add the egg, maple syrup, olive oil and vanilla to the mixture. Whisk with a fork until you have a smooth cake batter.
Pour batter into the mug or ramekin you're going to cook it in (if it's not in there already). Make sure the mug/ramekin isn't filled to the brim - you'll need at least 2cm left at the top so it doesn't spill over.
Place mug/ramekin in microwave. Cook for 60 seconds - it will puff up a lot while cooking and then settle. Check on the cake. It will probably still be a little undercooked. Cook for a further 15-30 seconds until done to your liking (microwave ovens can vary a lot).
Serve immediately while it's nice a warm. Add toppings if you like!
Recipe Notes
*If the cake batter seems far too thick - say, more like a pudding than a batter - you can add 1-3 teaspoons of any kind of milk e.g. almond milk to thin out the batter a little.
*You can substitute another liquid sweetener in to this recipe e.g. coconut syrup, date syrup or rice malt syrup. Rice malt syrup isn't as sweet-tasting, so you may need to increase the quantity slightly if you're not satisfied with the result.
*This is also really yummy with a pinch of cinnamon and/or some chocolate chips stirred through as well!
Need more speedy no-fuss treats!? I’m also loving my No Food Processor Protein Balls (one bowl!) and this Cashew Butter Freezer Fudge (melt, freeze, eat, repeat!).
Milly says
August 5, 2019 at 7:27 amAmazing recipe! Are you able to tell me the macros for one of these?
Thanks!
Monique says
August 17, 2019 at 12:56 pmHi Milly, I’m sorry I don’t have the calculations for that, however you can drop the recipe into an analyser online like happyforks.com and it should give you an estimation 🙂
Gigi says
July 10, 2019 at 7:12 pmSo delicious!! Definitely my new go-to!
Monique says
July 13, 2019 at 3:10 amYay so happy to read this! Thank you so much Gigi 🙂
Rachael says
May 27, 2019 at 6:19 pmMade these tonight as I wanted to make a mug cake but a healthier version for my two toddlers – these were divine and so quick! They loved them too – thank you
Monique says
June 23, 2019 at 4:55 pmThank you so much for your positive feedback Rachael! I really appreciate you taking the time to write to me especially with two toddlers, my hands are full with two babies at the moment myself! 🙂
Diana says
May 24, 2019 at 1:17 pmLove this! First time I did it, they were a little dry. I just made one leaving out cacao powder and instead of honey putting 2T elder flower cordial in. It turned out perfect, fluffy, moist and delicious – so a variation of you don’t want chocolate. Vanilla coconut based ice cream goes great!
Monique says
June 23, 2019 at 4:58 pmOh gosh vanilla and elderflower sounds absolutely amazing together! Great idea. If it seems to dry with the cacao, adding some mashed banana makes it into a more moist choc banana cake too! Thanks Diana 🙂
Rachel says
May 11, 2019 at 7:12 pmAbsolutely delicious! Moist, not too sweet and so quick and easy. I will make this again and again! Thanks
Monique says
May 15, 2019 at 3:56 pmThank you so much for this positive feedback Rachel! Appreciate you taking the time to let me know 🙂
Hema says
April 19, 2019 at 2:17 amThis cake is too good n very much healthy. Its so instant can’t believe it.
My kid loved it.
Had a question what would be the measurement if I subsitute honey with sugar powder
Monique says
April 22, 2019 at 12:10 pmHi Hema, I’m not quite sure what the conversion would be as I haven’t tried it. I wouldn’t recommend switching a liquid sweetener for a powdered one as the consistency of the cake will be different, though. The honey adds moisture 🙂
Marie Brett says
October 28, 2018 at 1:15 amI really want to try this -it looks amazing. As i am watching my carbs i was wondering what the carb count is in it??? Thanks in advance.
Monique says
November 2, 2018 at 3:58 pmHi Marie, Thank you for your message 🙂 I’m sorry but I do not count carbohydrates on my recipes. You can place the recipe into an online analyser like Happy Forks (which I think is at happyforks.com/analyzer) and it will tell you the approximate carbohydrate count for this recipe. Hope that helps!
Jess says
October 3, 2018 at 9:07 pmThank you so much! This recipe is amazing, perfect amount of sweetness and turned out really moist. I added a small handful of choc chips too.
Monique says
October 17, 2018 at 1:53 pmOh this would be SO yum with chocolate chips in there! I am going to try it that way myself 🙂 Thanks so much for leaving me a comment, I really appreciate it!
Hannah says
October 3, 2018 at 10:08 amHonestly the best cake I’ve ever had! Never had anything gluten/grain/dairy free so I wasn’t sure what to expect but oh wow I’ve been going on about this recipe to the coeliac and lactose intolerant members of my family as well as friends because I know they will love and appreciate it as much as I did!!! 😊
Monique says
October 17, 2018 at 1:31 pmHi Hannah, thank you so very much for this lovely feedback! Honestly, it was just so nice to read and put a huge smile on my face. I love this little mug cake, it has cured me of many cake cravings 🙂
orianna says
August 11, 2018 at 5:44 amhello there 🙂
love this recipe !
what is the white liquid inside ? looks like yogurt ?
Monique says
August 16, 2018 at 11:28 amHi Orianna, yes that’s just yoghurt which I put on top after I made the cake 🙂 Thank you for your lovely message!
Kayla says
June 12, 2018 at 8:34 amI made these for my little brother’s birthday and my whole family loved them!! I might’ve found my holy grail cake recipe.
Monique says
June 12, 2018 at 10:54 amI am so happy to read this Kayla! Thank you so much for your feedback 🙂
Hazel says
March 7, 2018 at 2:29 pmThis looks quick and yummy! What size ramekins did you use?
Monique says
March 9, 2018 at 12:38 pmHi Hazel, thank you for your lovely comment! I used small ramekins about 300mL to make these 🙂
Becca says
January 7, 2018 at 8:26 amMade it. Loved it! Thanks for taking the time to share!
Monique says
January 7, 2018 at 3:21 pmThank you for taking the time to leave me a comment! I really appreciate it 🙂 And I’m glad you liked the cake too, of course!
Marina says
November 24, 2017 at 8:24 amHello! Great site, I love it!
Is there anything I can replace with the egg? I do not eat eggs this month!
Thanks!
Monique says
November 24, 2017 at 1:36 pmHi Marina! Thanks for your message. You could try using a ‘flax egg’, which is 1 tbsp ground flaxseed and 3 tbsp water soaked to form a gel, or alternatively try half a mashed banana. Let me know how you go 🙂
Marina says
November 29, 2017 at 6:53 amI don’t eat flaxseed as they are highly estrogenic and I have endometriosis. Maybe chia seeds would be ok? I have just read your last recipe, with carrots, parsley, egg and spices. Can I replace there the egg with an avocado, for example, what do you think? Anyway, that recipe is great too!
Monique says
November 29, 2017 at 4:46 pmHi Marina. I would try a chia egg then for sure! You could also try half a mashed banana, or a few tablespoons of applesauce, as these are other common vegan egg substitutes.
For the carrot fritter recipe, I would probably try a chia egg there as well instead of avocado – I’ve never used that as a substitute for egg and am not sure how that would go, sorry! 🙂
Katie Mae @ Nourishing Simplicity says
November 22, 2017 at 5:16 amWho doesn’t need a chocolate pick-me-up all to themselves? 🙂 The garnishes are so lovely!
Monique says
November 22, 2017 at 5:23 amHaha my thoughts exactly! There’s something so great about eating the WHOLE cake… thank you Katie Mae!
Carrie Forrest says
November 20, 2017 at 2:04 amWow! This looks absolutely delicious. Perfect for the holidays!
Monique says
November 20, 2017 at 10:33 amThank you so much Carrie! Yep perfect for the holidays or any time you need a choccy fix 🙂
Nicole says
November 17, 2017 at 11:36 pmYummy! I love the sound of this guilt-free cake in just over a minute!
Monique says
November 18, 2017 at 5:57 amGetting a cake made in no time is THE BEST – I’m so happy to have discovered mug cakes! Thank you Nicole 🙂
Corrine says
November 17, 2017 at 11:47 amThis is a PERFECT healthy treat! I love that it’s sweetened with maple syrup.
Monique says
November 18, 2017 at 5:56 amThank you Corrine! The maple in it is so good – a lovely caramel sweet flavour, but not too sweet 🙂
Emily @ Recipes to Nourish says
November 17, 2017 at 3:44 amThis is so pretty! I love all things chocolate, so this cake definitely speaks to me. Yum!
Monique says
November 17, 2017 at 5:38 amThank you so much Emily! Can’t go wrong with a little chocolate 🙂
Hope says
November 17, 2017 at 2:17 amThis looks like the perfect quick and easy sweet treat! My kitchen is getting ripped out next week so totally understand where you are coming from – I will be needing quick treats like this, have pinned for later!
Monique says
November 17, 2017 at 5:38 amHi Hope! Oh wow, can’t believe you’re about to start the kitchen renovation process too – we are in the thick of it right now! Can’t wait to see our shiny new kitchen at the end of it. Good luck with everything and hope you enjoy this mug cake 🙂
Judy Purcell says
November 16, 2017 at 4:02 pmI have client on a pretty strict protocol for gut health, but this is a treat she can have and I know she will appreciate the single serving too! Looks yummy!
Monique says
November 17, 2017 at 5:36 amThis is great to hear Judy! This is a pretty simple, healthy dessert and the single serve is so great for portion control – great for working with clients for sure 🙂
Megan Stevens says
November 14, 2017 at 10:33 pmLove this and those pretty garnishes!! Thank you for such a fun treat!
Monique says
November 15, 2017 at 11:40 pmAw thank you so much Megan! A few pretty garnishes make all the difference to a mug cake!
Jean says
November 14, 2017 at 4:05 amI need to try this! I actually never made a mug cake before and your photos are making me feel like I’m missing out!!
Monique says
November 14, 2017 at 5:28 amYay Jean I hope you do try it! This is my first mug cake too 🙂 Finally motivated to start trying them as we are renovating and I need super easy recipes!
linda spiker says
November 14, 2017 at 3:51 amI can not believe I still have never tried a mug cake! I need to get my act together and make this!
Monique says
November 14, 2017 at 5:27 amHaha Linda I was the same before I made this! I’ve seen them around for ages but just never got around to experimenting!
Joni Gomes says
November 13, 2017 at 11:43 pmOhhh with olive oil? Yes, definitely going to try this!
Monique says
November 14, 2017 at 5:26 amYes olive oil! Healthy, easy, accessible and keeps the cake so moist! Hope you enjoy it 🙂
Renee says
November 13, 2017 at 11:29 pmThis is so fun, and perfect for those days you need a quick sweet treat! So pretty too!
Monique says
November 14, 2017 at 5:26 amThanks Renee! This was my first mug cake and I definitely found it fun, so easy to make!
Lindsey Dietz says
November 13, 2017 at 10:23 pmSo simple! Perfect to satisfy a sweet tooth!
Monique says
November 14, 2017 at 5:25 amExactly – for that quick must-have-cake fix with a healthier spin on it! 🙂