Chocolate Lava Mugcake (Vegan and Paleo)

Soft, spongy cake. Oozing chocolate. With this mug cake in your palm, you can really hold the whole (edible) world in your hands. Now, even for a girl who has cut most sources of refined sugar out of her diet, sometimes the summer nights get cold, your stomach gets hungry, and all your taste buds want is a big slice of cake. Hello chocolate mug cake - creamy, gooey and just sweet enough to fulfill that chocolate craving!

That first bite...

Plus, who doesn't love a dessert that can transform from ten simple ingredients into a luxurious cake in five minutes?

To get started, gather your dessert armory! Like most of my recipes, this one is versatile, fits multiple diets (paleo, vegan, gluten free, low fodmap), and relatively healthy. So grab a mug, a spoon, and a microwave and get ready to dig in!

As exhibited by Mom!

Ingredients (Recipe inspired from Hearty Spoonful): 

Dry: 

2 TBSP coconut flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cacao powder (can be left out to make a banana mug cake) 

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Sprinkle of salt

Desired amount of chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life baking chunks)

Wet:

1/4 cup of rice milk (or your choice of milk)

1/3 a mashed ripe banana 

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp nut butter (I used sunflower butter, but anything would work!)

One of the best parts of this recipe? It's easy and quick! If you don't care about having a molten chocolate center, your dessert prep is as simple as mixing all of your ingredients together in a mug, topping with extra chocolate chips, and popping it in the microwave. 

The post-microwave goal

If you want the lava experience (like I certainly did!), combine all the ingredients except the chocolate chips in a separate bowl. Then, add about 1/2 of the batter to your mug and push a small bundle of chocolate chips into the deep center of the mix. Cover with the remaining batter and sprinkle some extra chocolate chips on top.

Following ether route, your nearly finished product will end up in the microwave to be cooked. Begin cooking the cake in 30 second intervals. My parent's microwave is relatively strong and I tend to lean on the gooey vs overcooked side of baked goods, so my dessert was done and steaming in about one minute. You know it's ready to devour when the cake pulls away from the mug's sides and is fluffy, but cooked through when poked with a spoon or fork. 

All the puns...

Now comes my favorite part - the cake "decorating." It doesn't necessarily need any extra toppings, but it can't hurt either! My favorites include Greek coconut yogurt, fresh fruit, and drizzles of more nut butter or homemade chocolate sauce. You could even go crazy and put a little ice cream on top. What's the point of a small cake if not as an excuse for more toppings? 

And, if extra cake exists post-feasting (doubtful, but possible!), it also is the perfect treat to top smoothie bowls, nana ice cream or yogurt and granola parfaits. I haven't tried it on my oatless oatmeal, but chocolate + breakfast is always a hit in my (mental recipe) book. 

Chocolate cake on a chocolate acai smoothie bowl?
I think yes!

I may not be as much of the chocolate cake hound as I once was, but there will always be nights when no snack sounds as good as dessert! And, when you consider the fiber from the coconut flour, antioxidants from the cacao powder and cinnamon, protein from the nut butter and vitamins from the fruit, this recipe means you can whip up a chocolate lava cake (with all the trimmings) and eat it too! 

*Also found at RunningwithSpoon's and VegetarianMama's link party!*

What's your favorite kind of cake? What dessert do you crave most often? Comment below!