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!