So you’re craving chocolate cake and you’re ready to knock someone out to get it. Or as one of my clients recently described, “I wanted cake so badly I went out and bought a slice at the grocery store and ate it in the parking lot.” Whoa… let’s never let our chocolate cravings get that wild, agreed? Enter my Paleo Chocolate Fudge Mug Cake. It’s also gluten free, vegan and you can whip up this single-serving dessert whenever a nasty craving strikes.
Hello there, fudgy-chocolatey bite of delicious goodness!
So here’s where I stand on keeping less healthy foods in your house. Personally, if I have ice cream or cookies on hand, I will eat them… and probably in a single sitting. I’ve learned that I can’t keep sugary treats in my house if I want to meet my nutrition and health goals.
When I meet with clients who are struggling with trying to lose weight and stop emotional eating, mindless eating or binge eating, I always ask about what foods they find challenging to keep on hand. If a client feel out of control around a certain food, I advise that person to keep the food out of their house, at least for the time being. So that means cakes, cookies and other things that call to you from your kitchen are a no go. If you can’t help but overeat it, don’t put it in your grocery cart.
So am I saying you can never have that food again? No. Absolutely not. Here’s what I do and what I advise clients to do: go out and get a single serving of that food and savor every bite.
If chips are your vice, go have a small bag every so often and eat the chips mindfully. Do they taste as good as you remembered? With cookies and ice cream, I’ll buy a really nice cookie at a bakery or go out for a kiddie scoop of ice cream. Then I’m done. When I really want it, I can have it. On the days I’m not really up to going out to get it, I don’t really need it. That’s the difference – and trust me, it does add up!
We just had our first snowfall of the year in Toronto! That’s a good reason to eat a few bites of brownie goodness, right?
The fabulous thing about this paleo chocolate fudge mug cake is you can have a single serving of cakey brownie delightfulness and then it’s gone. Compare that to baking an entire cake and then having it sitting around needing to be eaten (if a food can have a need). Plus, it just happens to be a healthier option than a typical chocolate cake. You’re getting a higher protein, higher fiber, lower sugar option that will tide you over so you feel satisfied. Win-win!
Making Mug Cake without Making a Mess in Your Microwave
Gotta admit, it took me 2 mug cake explosions in my microwave before I got this recipe right. I hate to see good chocolate go to waste (not to mention the stress of needing to scrub cakey splotches out of your microwave. Not fun).
I finally figured out that rather than just putting it in for a minute to start, go slow, my friends. Try 30 seconds at first and keep checking every 20 seconds to figure out if your cake is ready. Oh, and use an oven mitt. It’s gonna get super hot! 
Health Benefits of Almonds
- Do you have a sweet tooth? Choose healthier desserts more often and save less healthy options for special occasions. Make your own desserts so that you can control the type and amount of sugar and fat that is added. Nuts and seeds contain heart-healthy fats, fiber, protein, antioxidants and many minerals and vitamins. The healthiest options are raw or dry roasted without added salt or sugar.
- Check out my article on 5 Surprising Health Benefits of Almonds for FITNESS!
Health Benefits of Cocoa vs. Chocolate
- Cocoa may surprise you with its potential health benefits! Using cocoa powder in desserts instead of chocolate helps to reduce the overall calories and fat in a recipe.
- Cocoa and chocolate have been shown to boost levels of serotonin and endorphins in the brain, chemicals that boost mood and pleasure.
- Cocoa’s bitter taste comes from its flavanols, which research suggests may give chocolate its heart health benefits. Flavonols are types of antioxidants that help protect healthy cells from damage caused by free radicals. Gram for gram, cocoa is one of the highest food sources of antioxidants. Two tablespoons of cocoa powder have more antioxidant activity than 3 cups of green tea or 1 cup of blueberries.
- Flavanols may help protect the heart and blood vessels. They reduce blood pressure, make blood platelets less likely to clot, and improve blood flow to the heart and brain, lowering the risk of heart attack and stroke.
- Processing cocoa using methods such as fermentation and roasting reduces its bitterness but also causes some of the flavanols to be lost. To get the most flavanols, choose raw cacao or cocoa powder that has not undergone Dutch processing (adding ingredients to cocoa to reduce its acidity). Look for products that do not have “cocoa processed with alkali” on the ingredient label.
Paleo Chocolate Fudge Mug Cake – Gluten Free and Vegan!
Ready to try the easiest craving crusher that won’t crush your nutrition and health goals? Make this cup of yum now!
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| Servings | Prep Time |
| 1 | 1 minute |
| Cook Time |
| 30 seconds |
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- 3 tbsp almond flour
- 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder unswee
- 1/2 Banana mashed (or 1 egg if not vegan)
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 1 tbsp unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1 tbsp maple syrup (or sweetener of choice)
- pinch of salt
- In a microwave-safe mug, add the almond flour and cocoa powder and stir. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
- Put your mug in the microwave for 30 seconds and check it (use an oven mitt, it's hot). If it's still runny, microwave in 20 second intervals until the cake has set.
- Enjoy!
This mug cake looks so chocolatey!! I want to dive into that mug! lol Great job!