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Healthy Almond Chocolate Mug Cake

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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!

Almond Chocolate Mug Cake {gluten free, grain free, dairy free} - this recipe uses almond meal and cacao to make a dead easy healthier chocolate mug cake!

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.

A healthier chocolate cake that goes from zero to done in about ten minutes! This almond chocolate mug cake is so easy to make and is gluten free, grain free and dairy free.#mugcake #healthy #glutenfree

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.

Almond Chocolate Mug Cake {gluten free, grain free, dairy free} - this recipe uses almond meal and cacao to make a dead easy healthier chocolate mug cake! #healthy #mugcake #paleo

A healthier chocolate cake that goes from zero to done in about ten minutes! This almond chocolate mug cake is so easy to make and is gluten free, grain free and dairy free.

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. 
5 from 23 votes
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Course: Desserts and Sweets
Cuisine: chocolate, dairy free, gluten free, grain free, paleo, vegetarian
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 2 minutes
Total Time: 7 minutes
Servings: 1 cake

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!

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!).

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. #paleo #mugcake #almondflour
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. #healthy #glutenfree #paleo #mugcake
A healthier chocolate cake that goes from zero to done in about ten minutes! This almond chocolate mug cake is so easy to make and is gluten free, grain free and dairy free. #glutenfree #mugcake #paleo

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. 5 stars
    Fab recipe. So quick to make. I used agave nectar plus a tsp of Splenda as I like sweet. I added half a tsp of coffee and 2tsp of chopped hazelnuts and my son loved it too

    Reply

    • Hi 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 🙂

      Reply

  5. 5 stars
    Made 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

    Reply

    • Thank 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! 🙂

      Reply

  6. Love 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!

    Reply

    • Oh 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 🙂

      Reply

  7. Absolutely delicious! Moist, not too sweet and so quick and easy. I will make this again and again! Thanks

    Reply

  8. 5 stars
    This 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

    Reply

    • Hi 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 🙂

      Reply

  9. I 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.

    Reply

    • Hi 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!

      Reply

  10. 5 stars
    Thank 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.

    Reply

    • Oh 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!

      Reply

  11. 5 stars
    Honestly 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!!! 😊

    Reply

    • Hi 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 🙂

      Reply

  13. 5 stars
    I made these for my little brother’s birthday and my whole family loved them!! I might’ve found my holy grail cake recipe.

    Reply

    • Hi 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 🙂

      Reply

      • I 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!

        Reply

        • Hi 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! 🙂

          Reply

  22. 5 stars
    This 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!

    Reply

    • Hi 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 🙂

      Reply

    • This 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 🙂

      Reply

    • Yay 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!

      Reply

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