Banana Mug Cake

Let's go bananassss!!! With a little sugar-free magic, I whipped this one up tonight, round about 11pm (mug cake time in my world - yes). Yum. 

Original recipe courtesy of: http://mamameglutenfree.blogspot.com/2012/03/banana-mug-cake.html

Banana Mug Cake

Ingredients:
4 tbsp. Pamela's baking and pancake mix (or other GF baking mix w/baking powder)
10-12 drops liquid stevia (or equivalent)*
1 large egg
3 Tbsp. milk of your choice
1 small very ripe banana, mashed up
1 Tbsp. coconut oil (liquify it if needed)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Method:
Mix in mug, microwave 2 minutes, let cool (easiest way is to pop it out of the mug and slice up a bit - these mug cake puppies take a long time to cool off. Spoon into mouth and enjoy!

*If you are not off sugar, I suggest also adding a bit of honey to this one. It was sweet enough for me with just stevia, but could/would/should be even sweeter with an additional... uh... sweetener.  :-) 

Okay, folks, this one goes out by request! A yummy carrot mug cake (sans cream cheese frosting, which it truly does not need, anyway). This one received two thumbs up from my daughter, who devoured most of my serving.

This recipe is adapted from the one at: http://octaviaandvicky.com/recipes/five-minute-carrot-mug-cake/

You can use your choice of gluten-free flours here, as well as your choice of milks and vegetable oils (though the coconut oil goes very well with the cake, especially if you use the optional coconut flakes). As for the sweetening agents, you could easily leave out the erythritol, providing you add both kinds of stevia.

The texture from just using almond flour was a bit different from your regular carrot cake (to be expected), and didn't hold together well at all, but it was quite yummy. Besides, it's a cake in a mug - grab a spoon, and who cares if it holds it's shape!

And here's how it goes, in gluten-free, dairy-free, and sugar-free glory. Plus, it can be vegan, too - bonus!

Carrot Mug Cake

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp almond flour
• 1 Tbsp rolled oats
• 1/2 tsp stevia powder
• 10 drops liquid stevia - vanilla flavored
• 1 tsp erythritol
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp chia seeds
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice*
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp shredded coconut (optional)
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil
• 3 Tbsp almond/coconut milk
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup shredded carrots

* If you don't have pumpkin pie spice, then mix your own from cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and ginger (or if you don't have all of those, then just use cinnamon and nutmeg for a close approximation).

Method: 

Mix the ingredients in a small bowl, or else directly in a microwavable mug. The mixture will be quite thick, and drier than a traditional cake batter. If you feel the need, you can add a little more milk, but do NOT add more oil (in other words, do as I say, and not as I did). If you used a bowl to mix it in, then spoon it into a mug. If you mixed straight in the mug, then you're a step ahead of the game. 

Put the mug in the microwave and hit 2 minutes. Check to make sure it's set, but still moist in the center, and if not, hit it for another 30 seconds. Do not overcook! There are no eggs in here, so no need to worry about *under*cooking it.  

Caveats and Disclaimers

I was reminded today by a friend, that I should put this disclaimer on my blog - these mug cakes are NOT sweet. Unless you are off of ALL sugar, in which case they are the bombdiggity. And that in turn reminded me that I have officially reached my two year anniversary of being off sugar. Yay!

That's right, folks - a whole two years without the sweet stuff and, with the exception of a very short trial period a year ago, not even a drop off honey or maple syrup. I also stay as far away as I can from artificial sweeteners like the not-so-splendid-stuff, and don't even get me started on the pink stuff. Stevia is my best friend, I want to marry it (my apologies to my dear husband). When I went off sugar, I thought it would be for a few months at most, not a new lifestyle. But even though going off it was one of the most intimidating things I have ever done, and was by far the thing I wanted to ever do least in life... well... I still wouldn't change the past two years a bit.

Yes, yes, I know, that was me almost having a teary breakdown in Wegman's yesterday from hunger when I couldn't find anything safe (gluten and sugar free) in the prepared foods to feed my ravenous tummy. But we all have our moments, then, don't we? And no matter how many of those days I may have (honestly, once a year ain't so bad), I don't plan on ever going back. Sure, it would be easier if I didn't have to scan the ingredients list of every single thing I eat, if I didn't have to plan ahead to make sure I won't get stuck snack-less in a situation where I am a starving lunatic with blood sugar as low as the floor. Yeah, it happens, but the rewards SO far outweigh the inconveniences, that well... it kind of reminds me of parenthood!

And as for you, dear reader - if you are still on the sweet stuff, even just in small amounts, and don't need to or plan to go off sugar as extreme as I did, then do yourself this favor: take these recipes I post, and add yourself in a bit of honey in place of the erythritol. But also do yourself this favor - make sure it's local raw honey you are using.

Sweet!

Chocolate Pumpkin Mug Cake

I loved the Pumpkin Mug Cake so much that I made it again the next day, but with a twist. I had a hankering for chocolate and pumpkin together (oh how I miss pumpkin chocolate chip muffins), so here's how I tweaked it:

Chocolate Pumpkin Cake in a Mug {makes 1 serving}

Ingredients:

1 egg

2 tablespoons milk of choice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup organic pumpkin puree

7 tablespoons almond flour

2 tbsp cocoa powder

1 tbsp erythritol

10 drops vanilla flavored liquid stevia

1 rounded tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/4 teaspoon salt

How to:
1. Mix together all ingredients in a bowl, or else just mix directly in a large size microwavable mug. If you mixed in a bowl, then pour into a large mug once smooth.

2. Microwave on high for about 2 minutes, or until the center is moist, but not liquid.

3. Turn it out onto a plate to cool a bit, or else wait a few minutes for it to cool in the mug. It WILL be extremely hot when it comes out of the microwave.

4. Eat up - Bon Apetit!

Comments:

If you would like to use regular sugar, then do about 1/4 cup in place of the erythritol and stevia. 

If you don't have liquid stevia, just use about 1/2 tsp or so of powdered stevia.

Almond flour can be a bit lumpy - I suggest sifting it a bit before adding.

I used whole organic grass-fed milk, but the recipe should work just fine with any milk substitute.

If you don't have pumpkin pie spice, then make your own mixture using about half cinnamon, and equal parts nutmeg, cloves, allspice (if you have it), and ginger. 

Pumpkin Mug Cake

I just had mug cake of the day #4, but it came out so well that I am going to hit the pause button on #s 2 and 3, and write up this one right away! This one was from:
 http://blogs.babble.com/family-kitchen/2011/11/05/easy-pumpkin-cake-in-a-mug-in-minutes/ 

Pumpkin Mug Cake - YUM!

Ingredients:
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk (I used soy this time)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (get the real stuff - no vanilla "flavoring")
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
7 tablespoons almond flour (you could use other flours, too)
1 tablespoon erythritol
10 drops liquid stevia (I used vanilla flavor)
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or your favorite mix of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, allspice)

What to do:
1. Grease a mug with oil (I use coconut oil).
2. Mix liquids together right in the mug with a fork, then stir in flour (sift first if you like), or mix it all in a bowl and then transfer to mug.
3. Microwave on high for 2 minutes, more or less, depending on your microwave. It should be set when done cooking, but still moist in the center.
4. Turn out onto a plate and let cool for a couple of minutes - it will be extremely hot when it comes out of the microwave.
5. Dig in and enjoy!

Happy autumn harvest (aka pumpkin season in this house)  :-) 

Chocolate Mug Cake

I suddenly decided to get serious about this mug cake business. I have become obsessed with them lately, and making ones that will satisfy even my picky husband (who has no food allergies) is a tough one. Fortunately, they are mug cakes, so if he doesn't like them, well then I have them all to myself. And if one doesn't turn out as I expected, then there's not much lost in terms of time, energy, or ingredients.  :-)  I have created this blog mostly to keep track of my experiments, and share the good ones with the rest of you. I am going to attempt to try out one new recipe a day, and hope my waistline doesn't get affected too much. Wish me luck, and happy GFDFSF (and ideally grain-free) eating! 

The first mug cake of the day is one I have tried out twice, varying the "flours" to get the right consistency.  I am posting the original link and recipe here, and then my tweaks to it below. This one is from ATX Gluten Free: 
http://atxglutenfree.com/2011/05/gluten-free-chocolate-mug-cake/

Chocolate Mug Cake

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Sugar-Free

Time: Less than 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 large microwave safe coffee mug
• 4 tablespoons gluten-free flour mix (such as Pamela’s or homemade)
• 4 tablespoons coconut palm sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 3 tablespoons vanilla almond milk
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Optional add-ins: pinch ground coffee, dark chocolate chips, coconut flakes

Instructions:

Grease a coffee mug with oil or cooking spray. Place all ingredients in mug and mix with fork to combine ingredients, but don’t over-mix. Microwave on high for 1 minute and 30 seconds. The cake might look like it is overflowing from mug, but it will settle. Cooking time depends on microwave strength, but the standard is 1 minute and 30 seconds; with 3 minutes being on the higher end. Final product should be moist.

Note: If using a homemade flour blend, make sure the blend contains baking powder and salt.

My tweaks, notes, and comments: 

I found after some experimentation that this recipe works well with an almond flour/coconut flour combination. In fact, I preferred it that way. I used almond flour for 3 out of the 4 tbsps, and coconut flour for the remaining tbsp. As the OP mentions, make sure you add a pinch of baking powder and a smaller pinch of salt if you use these flours. 

I replaced the coconut palm sugar with a combination of stevia and erythritol, which we tolerate well, but some people do not. It could be made with regular sugar, as well. If doing stevia/erythritol, then try using a pinch of stevia powder (or about 8-10 drops if liquid stevia) with a tbsp or two of erythritol. 

I made the cake once with almond milk and once with organic (grass-fed always) whole milk - both worked out great. I'm sure you could use coconut milk, too, and it would be yummy. 

One last thing to remember about mug cakes in general - you will have to hand wash and scrub your mug. No dishwasher will get off the caked on bits (pun intended), but if you soak it for a few right away, it will come off easily by hand. 

So go ahead, give it a try the next time you get a hankering for chocolate that *must* be satisfied immediately! You are always only five minutes away from cake. 

Enjoy!