2 cups/mugs or ramekins that hold between 200-250 mls/ 7-8 fl oz
Ingredients
35gramsAlmond flour3 Australian tablespoons
½teaspoonbaking powder
15gramsdutch processed cocoa/cocoa or cacao powder1.5 Australian tablespoons
2tablespoonsmonk fruit sweetener or to taste
a pinch of salt
1egg
½teaspooncoffee dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot wateroptional but not really optional!
40mlsExtra Virgin Olive Oil- EVOO2 Australian tablespoons. Melted butter can be substituted.
2tablespoonschoc chips or 2 squares of Lindt dark chocolate cut into chips-optional but not optional!I like to to use 85% couverture because it's lower in sugar
Optional Richer than Rich Chocolate Sauce
2tablespoonspure/heavy cream heated to just below boiling point
½teaspoonsweetener of choiceor to taste
20gramsdark chocolate chocolate cut in to chunks2 squares of Lindt-I like to use 85% couverture
Mix the almond flour, baking powder, Dutch cocoa/cocoa/cacao, sweetener, salt and baking powder in a small bowl until well combined. Sift if necessary to remove lumps.
Dissolve the coffee in the hot water. Add the coffee mixture, EVOO-oil, vanilla extract and egg to the dry ingredients and stir until really well combined. Fold through the chocolate chips if you are want them stirred through the batter. Pour into 2 mugs or 2 ramekins (that hold at least 200 ml/7 oz) and smooth out the tops. Alternatively sprinkle choc chips on top of the smoothed out batter.
Microwave your cakes on high for about 90 seconds or until just firm, taking care not to overcook. The cakes should still be a moist and it will continue to cook once out of the microwave. If you overcook your cake it will dry out. Allow to sit for a couple of minutes in the cup/ramekin before serving. You can tip them out of the mug/ramekin or you can serve your cakes as they are, in the mug or ramekin.
Serve with whipped cream or whipped coconut cream for paleo. You can also drizzle with some additional richer than rich chocolate sauce (recipe below) to lux it up a little but the cake tastes fabulous on it's own as well.
OVEN INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C and bake for about 12-15 minutes, or until just firm.
OPTIONAL RICHER THAN RICH CHOCOLATE SAUCE
Gently heat the cream in the microwave to just below boiling point. Remove from heat and add the sweetener, butter and the dark chocolate chips stirring until the sauce emulsifies.
Stir until the chocolate melts and sauce is smooth. Add additional cream to thin the sauce out if desired. Pour over your mug cake and top with a dollop of freshly whipped cream.
Notes
Your cake should still be a little moist when it comes out of the microwave. Your cake will continue to cook when out of the microwave so resist the urge to cook for longer or you could dry your cake out.If you want to turn your cake out onto a plate, allow it to cool a little so the cake doesn't fall apart and scrape down the sides of the mug/ramekin before tipping out. My preference is to eat it from the mug as you can serve the cake when it is more moist. If this recipe is slightly under cooked it still tastes fabulous but make sure you serve it in the mug/ramekin as it might not retain its shape.As an alternative to choc chips if using Lindt/chocolate squares, you can just push a square of chocolate into each cake just below the surface of the batter and smooth off the top before baking. Be prepared for a little fudgy chocolate heaven. You can also sprinkle some or all of the chocolate chips on top of the batter once poured into the mug or ramekin, just before cooking, instead of stirring through. Note that one Lindt square is about 10 gms/1/3 ozFor a paleo option use a psyllium egg and coconut sugar for the sweetener. Top the cake with whipped coconut cream. You can just also switch the coconut cream in the chocolate sauce for coconut cream.You can make a psyllium "egg" by combining 1 teaspoon of psyllium with 3 tablespoons water. Stir together really well and set aside for 10-15 minutes until the mix is thick and gelatinous. Use it to replace eggs as a binder in baking at a 1:1 ratio.Note that an Australian tablespoon measures 20 mls and this is what is used for the metric measurements. A US tablespoon measures about 15 mls. Conversions have been done for US customary measures to suit the recipe and may be in tablespoons or oz.