Quick, easy, and packed with protein, this delicious chocolate protein mug cake will satisfy your sweet cravings in just 15 minutes. Perfect for a post-workout treat or a late-night snack, this moist and fluffy cake is a chocolate lover’s dream. 

Quick and Easy Chocolate Protein Mug Cake: The Perfect Sweet Snack for Any Craving

I know you know those times that randomly hit when you are craving something (a snack) that’s NOT yogurt, or a bar, or fruit, or anything savory… you want something that has protein in it, but you’re not quite hungry enough to eat a full meal. Heck, maybe you’ve just eaten a meal and now the sweet tooth is popping its head out of the cracks. 

This protein mug cake is the answer! It’s quick to whip up and takes only 60 seconds of cooking time in the microwave! After a lot of trial and error, I landed the nail on the head to achieve the perfect ratio of cooked and gooey, chocolatey goodness! It has bits of melted chocolate in it and hits the spot for a warm, protein-packed, chocolate snack/ dessert! 

Choosing the Right Cocoa Powder for the Best Chocolate Protein Mug Cake:

As I said, I made this recipe many times in attempts to perfect it! The one thing I noticed during the first handful of attempts was that it kept turning out light brown in color (and I was aiming for a rich dark brown color). Mainly because I knew that the result I was aiming for would yield the most chocolate flavour. And no matter how much I increased the amount of cocoa powder in the recipe, it still wasn’t enough to achieve the results I was aiming for… 

And then I made ONE simple swop and realised the world of difference this one ingredient makes. I swopped the cocoa powder I had been using and opted for a different brand and OH MY GOODNESS! Even though all of the other measurements were kept the exact same, this one change resulted in a completely different mug cake (different in thee best was possible)! 

The moral of the story is: that the cocoa powder that you use matters! 

What to look out for when choosing a cocoa powder: 

• Unsweetened cocoa powder 
• 70% or higher cocoa content
• Although this one is hard to look out for when the cocoa powder is still sealed, the darker the powder the better! The lighter ones didn’t quite do the trick for me. 

What Are the Benefits of Adding Protein Powder to a Mug Cake?

Adding protein powder to a mug cake has a few key benefits such as: Increasing your overall protein intake, which makes it a great post-workout snack if that’s something you’re looking for. Additionally, protein is an essential macronutrient. It helps to keep you fuller for longer (which can help to reduce cravings and prevent overeating). It is also important for muscle growth, repair, and many other overall bodily functions.

Can I Make a Vegan Chocolate Protein Mug Cake?

Absolutely! To make this chocolate protein mug cake vegan friendly you can make the following alterations: 

• Use a plant-based chocolate protein powder.
• Use natural sweeteners like maple or agave syrup.
• Substitute the low-fat milk with almond milk, soy milk, or any other plant-based milk of your choice.
• Instead of using a block of milk chocolate, opt for a block of dairy-free chocolate (many dark chocolates are naturally vegan). 

This protein mug cake recipe has no egg in it, so you won’t need to make any alterations to substitute for one.

Chocolate Protein Mug Cake Macros: 

Calories – 241

Protein – 17g

Carbs – 34.8g

Fats – 4.6g

Ingredients:

Self-Raising Flour + Baking Powder: Self-Raising Flour alone doesn’t give the mug cake enough rise, so it doesn’t end up as ‘cakey’ as we want it. It’s important to use both self-raising flour as well as baking powder to achieve the perfect cakey texture.

Sweetener: You can substitute the sweetener with equal ratios of any other granulated sugar or liquid sweetener (maple or agave syrup). Adjust quantities to suit your preferences.

Chocolate Protein Powder: Chocolate-flavored protein enhances the chocolate flavor while boosting the protein content of the mug cake. You can use any type of protein you wish.

Cocoa Powder: As I mentioned previously, the type of cocoa powder you use will massively impact the final product. Opt for a dark, rich cocoa powder.

Low-Fat Milk: Substitute with full cream or plant-based milk.

Warm Water: Use warm water to help the coffee granules dissolve. This ensures the coffee is distributed evenly throughout the batter. The same goes for the water in the “sauce”. It helps to prevent lumps of cocoa or protein powder from forming.

Instant Coffee Granules & Salt: You can’t taste the coffee in the mug cake (depending on the strength of instant coffee you use of course). Both the coffee granules and the salt help to bring out the chocolate flavor more. 

Block of Chocolate: This one block of chocolate makes a world of difference in the mug cake! If there’s anything you DON’T leave out, let it be this. You can use a block of chopped milk or dark chocolate.

Directions & Tips:

The reason I advise you to use more than one small bowl for this recipe is because: 

• We want a layer of chopped chocolate in the MIDDLE of the mug cake. This ensures that melted chocolate disperses throughout the cake instead of only on the top layer.
• Making sure the coffee granules dissolve before adding them to the dry ingredients ensures the coffee disperses evenly throughout the batter. This way you will not bite into any undissolved coffee and it will allow the coffee to do what we want it to do: bring out the chocolate flavour! 
• We need to mix the chocolate sauce separately and pour it over the batter before placing it into the microwave. It shouldn’t be mixed into the batter.

Step 1:

Place all of the dry ingredients into a bowl and mix them together so that they are incorporated. 

Step 2:

In a separate bowl: Mix the milk, warm water, and coffee granules together until all of the granules are dissolved. 

Step 3:

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir well until everything is combined. Set aside. 

Step 4:

To the same small bowl that you mixed the wet ingredients in, add warm water (not hot!), milk, cocoa powder, protein powder and salt. Mix well so that little to no lumps remain. 

Step 5: 

Spoon half of the cake batter into a mug or microwave safe bowl. Roughly chop one block of chocolate and sprinkle the chopped chocolate over the batter. Add the remaining batter on top of the chocolate. 

Step 6: 

Pour the chocolate sauce over all of the batter and place the mug cake into the microwave for 60 seconds (1 minute). Remove from the microwave and enjoy warm.  

If you try this recipe, let me know what you think in the comments below!