BLACKBERRY LEMON PROTEIN MUG CAKE
This Blackberry Lemon Protein Mug Cake is absolutely scrumptious and ready in under 5 minutes! Even quicker and easier than pancakes! The sweet, tender crumb cake is bursting with sweet blackberries and topped with lemon zest, sweetened yogurt, and more warm berries. It makes the perfect dessert when you’re craving something fruity… but with 26 grams of protein, this cake also makes a delicious breakfast! Who could say no to cake for breakfast?!
Did you know? Just one cup of blackberries has a third of your daily requirement for Vitamin K. Vitamin K helps your blood clot and plays an integral role in bone formation. Heavy menstrual bleeding and easy bruising are signs of low Vitamin K. (source)
Protein recommendations
For a delicious protein boost, I used LIV Body’s Lean Vegan Protein in Blueberry Cobbler. This great-tasting protein is free of artificial additives with an added organic super foods blend, probiotics and enzymes. I notice an improvement in my digestion and energy levels when I take this protein daily. No bloating or gas from this stuff! You can use my discount code “NOEXCUSES” for 20% off all LIV Body products on their website: https://livbody.com/collections/all
If you don’t have this particular protein, this recipe will also work with whey concentrate, whey blend, soy protein, or casein protein. I do not recommend whey isolate outside of a blend because the cake may come out a little dry.
Flour substitutions
For the flour, I used a combination of gluten-free baking flour and almond flour for a nice tender crumb. If you don’t have gluten-free baking flour, you can use all-purpose flour, fine oat flour, cassava flour (Paleo), sweet white sorghum flour, or spelt flour.
If using coconut flour, reduce the amount to one and a half tablespoons. The almond flour can also be swapped out for one of the aforementioned flours, but I would add a teaspoon of melted buttery spread or oil for added moisture.
Sweetener substitutions
To add a little extra sweetness to this mug cake, I used my all-time favorite organic stevia blend. I have found that this blend has no weird aftertaste (compared to most others). It’s also twice as sweet as sugar so a little goes a long way. In other words, it’s cost-effective!
If substituting granulated erythritol, baking stevia, granulated monk fruit, coconut sugar, or any other sweetener that measures 1 to 1 like sugar, use one-quarter cup.
Other substitutions
The only other ingredients in the mug cake are unsweetened applesauce, egg white, unsweetened almond milk, and lemon juice. You can totally substitute one whole egg, a flax egg, or vegan egg replacer for the egg white.
The unsweetened applesauce can also be swapped out for yogurt, and the almond milk can be replaced with any milk you have on hand. I did add a little pure vanilla extract to the cake, but that’s optional!
The topping is simply warmed, sweetened blackberries and a little plain yogurt with a touch of sweetener and vanilla. A little lemon zest makes it fancy, but that’s optional. You can use dairy-free yogurt if needed.
Here’s the printable recipe for this Blackberry Lemon Protein Mug Cake – leave a comment below if you try it 🙂
This post contains affiliate links and is sponsored by LIV Body.
Blackberry Lemon Protein Mug Cake
Ingredients
- 20 g vanilla or blueberry protein powder* I used LIV Body Lean Vegan Protein in Blueberry Cobbler flavor, code NOEXCUSES for 20% off
- 2 tbsp. calorie-free sweetener* I used one that's twice as sweet as sugar
- 3 tbsp. gluten-free baking flour* or all-purpose or oat flour
- 1 tbsp. almond flour*
- 1/4 tsp. baking powder
- 2 tbsp. (1 large) egg white* or vegan egg replacer
- 2 tbsp. unsweetened applesauce* or yogurt
- 1 tbsp. unsweetened almond milk* or milk of choice
- 1 tsp. lemon juice optional
- 1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract optional
- 1/4 cup blackberries fresh or frozen
Toppings (optional)
- 2 tbsp. nonfat plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp. calorie-free sweetener* I used one that's twice as sweet as sugar
- 1/8 tsp. pure vanilla extract optional
- 1/4 cup warmed blackberries fresh or frozen
- 1 tsp. lemon zest optional
*See blog post above for substitutions.
Instructions
- Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl (through baking powder).
- Mix in wet ingredients (through vanilla extract).
- Gently fold in blackberries and set aside.
- Lightly spray an over-size mug with cooking spray and pour batter into mug.
- Microwave batter in mug for 2-3 minutes until set (time to cook depends on the wattage of your microwave – mine puts out 1000 watts and it took just over 2 minutes).
- Dump your "cake" onto a plate.
- If desired, add yogurt mixed with sweetener and vanilla, then top with microwaved blackberries (heat about 30 seconds). Enjoy!