This flourless chocolate mug cake is rich and decadent enough for a single-serve dessert, and healthy enough to have for breakfast.
My flourless chocolate peanut butter muffins were the inspiration for this mug cake. I make batches of those all the time and freeze them for quick snacks and breakfasts (for myself and the kids). And I love love love that it's flourless.
Originally, I took the recipe as written and just microwaved it. It worked, in a manner of speaking, but it wasn't the moist and tender cake experience I was looking for. I knew there was potential—even though the recipe calls for eggs. And eggs are normally a no-no in microwave mug cakes.
Eggs in the microwave
Generally, when we're talking about cooking anything at all in the microwave oven, I'm anti-egg. No eggs ?in the microwave! But lately, I've been making myself scrambled eggs in the microwave for breakfast from time to time and I have a technique that always keeps them from coming out rubbery.
To make anything with eggs in the microwave, all you have to do is cook for a short burst, mix with a fork, and then finish cooking. I'm sure there's a nerdy ? scientific explanation for exactly why that works (it keeps the protein from, I don't know, tightening up too much?). But the important thing is that it works!
So if you're tight on time and still want some scrambled eggs for breakfast, pop them in the microwave! Just be sure to use an oversized heat-safe container and spray it with cooking oil first.
Microwave for about 30 seconds on about 70% power, stir well, then finish. The remaining time will depend upon how many eggs, and how powerful your microwave oven.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Egg: Well, we've been talking about that quite a lot, but what if you can't have eggs? Try using a chia egg (1 tablespoon ground chia seeds + 1 tablespoon water, mix and allow to gel). It should work just fine. You can try adding another 2 tablespoons of smooth applesauce, but I'm not as optimistic about that substitution.
Dairy: Haha j/k this recipe is already dairy free!
Nut butter: I've only tested this recipe with a no-stir nut butter (the kind that doesn't separate in the jar), and have had nothing but success with almond, peanut and cashew butters. If you want a pure chocolate taste, I recommend cashew butter since it has the most neutral flavor. But if you can't have nuts at all, sunflower seed butter might work. Or try my ‘regular' chocolate mug cake recipe, the one with flour. :)
Applesauce: The smooth applesauce can be replaced with an equal amount, by weight, of mashed bananas.
Want to see how easy it is? Click Play ▶️ On This How To Make Flourless Chocolate Mug Cake Video
Flourless Chocolate Mug Cake
Ingredients
1/4 cup (64 g) smooth nut butter (the no-stir kind that doesn’t naturally separate)
3 tablespoons (about 50 g) smooth applesauce
1 egg (50 g, weighed out of shell), at room temperature
1 to 2 tablespoons (21 to 42 g) honey (depending upon how sweet you’d like it)
2 tablespoons (10 g) unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-processed)
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Whipped cream and berries (optional), for serving
Instructions
Grease a large, microwave-safe mug with cooking oil spray, and set it aside. Instead of in a separate bowl, the batter can be mixed right in the mug. That just makes it more difficult to whisk properly.
In a small bowl, place the nut butter, applesauce, egg, honey, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder, and whisk to combine well. The mixture should be thick and may be a bit lumpy, which is fine. Transfer the batter to the prepared mug. You can, of course, whisk the batter right in the mug you plan to cook it in. It may be a bit harder to mix well, though.
Place the mug in your microwave oven and cook at about 850 watts for 30 seconds.* Remove the mug from the microwave, and stir the batter. Return it to the microwave, and cook again at about 850 watts for about 1 minute more, or until the cake is mostly set. It’s fine if the cake seems a bit wet in the center, which is preferable to overcooking it. Allow the cake to cool briefly before serving with whipped cream and berries, or plain.
*Note: It is important to be able to approximate 850 or 900 watts of power in your microwave oven. My microwave is 1200 watts, so I set it to 70% power for this recipe.
Patricia says
Can I sub regular butter for nut butter?
Nicole Hunn says
Definitely not, Patricia!
Alicia says
Thanks for another great recipe, Nicole! I have a pretty big sweet tooth so I added a little more than two tablespoons of honey and it turned out well. I topped it with coconut milk ice cream (I’m dairy-free as well as gluten-free, and not by choice!) from the store since I’m still experimenting with how to make my own. But I love mixing cold and hot in my desserts. This was perfect! And so easy and quick to make!
Nicole Hunn says
That sounds delicious, Alicia! So glad you enjoyed it. :)
truthname says
Oh my gosh, tried this and it was absolutely DELICIOUS! I used 2 tablespoons of maple syrup instead of honey because maple syrup has fewer grams of sugar, and I thought the maple flavoring would be nice. It was moist and delicious and not too sweet. And super easy.
I only had peanut butter on hand, so it had a faint taste of peanut butter. Next time I will try cashew butter.
Thanks so much Nicole!
Nicole Hunn says
Yes, peanut butter does have a super distinct flavor. Cashew butter tends to get hidden more by the cocoa powder. I think you’ll love it!
Christina johnson says
Thanks for charging
Looks very good , what can I use instead of applesauce
Nicole Hunn says
You can use an equal amount of mashed ripe bananas, Christina!
Jessi says
I ate this for breakfast yesterday and loved it! Thanks for making yummy and healthy recipes for me and my family!
Nicole Hunn says
That’s awesome, Jessi. Thanks for letting me know. :)
Rian says
This worked great. Satisfied my late night sweet tooth! I was missing some ingredients. But everything worked prefect. Used the mashed banana instead of applesauce and used agave syrup instead of honey. Topped wirh frozen blueberries and it was great! Thanks!
Nicole Hunn says
Sounds awesome, Rian!
Jennie Pakula says
What size mug do you suggest?
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Jennie,
I tend to use a slightly oversized mug (the one in the photos and video holds 14 fluid ounces of liquid), but my regular mugs hold about 12 fluid ounces. It’s really a matter of shape, as a wider, flatter mug is likely to overflow. I hope that helps!
pamela says
I tried it and it is soooo good. I been looking for GF and honey recipes.
Nicole Hunn says
That’s awesome, Pamela!
Micki says
Thank you,Nicole! I love it!
Ebony says
Can this be cooked in an oven as I dont have a microwave
Thanks in advance
xoxo
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Ebony,
Please see the flourless chocolate peanut butter muffin recipe I link to in the text of the post. That’s the recipe I recommend for the oven. :)
ann says
Not impressed with anything that has to be cooked in a microwave depletes the nutritional value
Nicole Hunn says
It sounds like this recipe isn’t for you, then, Ann!
Nicole D says
Actually microwave cooking is one of the best ways to keep the nutrients in your food!