Chocolate Mug Cake (Vegan and Gluten-Free)

One quick bake that satiates the sweet cravings and that too without much guilt, is a Gluten-Free Chocolate Mug Cake. The ease and quick gratification that comes with the mug cake makes it the ultimate comfort dessert.





Waking up to a foggy morning in early November is quite unusual in the hills. Retreating monsoon this year was overly long and hence the fog and early winters. The fog keeps floating from bottom to top and sometimes in reverse pattern and sometimes seems to be swallowing up the complete village that disappears in its white arms. And in between the foggy spell, it also clears up almost magically and the golden Sun seeps into our world making it warm and pleasant.


Yesterday, it cleared up later in the morning. We went out to collect the ripe corns from the field. Slightly ahead, close to the orchard,  on a stump, we spotted a Blue Capped Rock thrush. 



It swooped down for insects and came back to its perch repeatedly. 
On sensing our presence, she flew up and perched on the branch of the pear tree.


On cold evenings, one yearns for something sweet and hot after an early dinner. A hot dessert really fits the bill. One quick bake that satiates the sweet cravings and that too without much guilt, is a Gluten-Free Chocolate Mug Cake. Easy and quick to bake, chocolate mug cake is quite regular on our menu. The ease and quick gratification that comes with the mug cake makes it the ultimate comfort dessert.


I have worked on this recipe several times and discovered that of all the gluten-free flours, water chestnut flour tastes the best. We sourced some water chestnut flour from our grocer in the foothills.  Water chestnut flour has a subtly sweet taste and it goes very well with chocolate.
If you are not a great stickler for a gluten-free version,  you may take a blend of all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour or just all-purpose flour. I have added coconut milk for a vegan version. Whole milk also works well.


Do add dark chocolate chunks generously to the batter to get molten chocolate in every bite. It feels like lava cake in a mug. You may serve plain, with ganache, with ice cream or with a generous sprinkle of cocoa or drinking Chocolate.


I have baked this mug cake in my oven. I do not have a microwave. If you have a microwave, cook for two minutes or 30 seconds extra.




Chocolate Mug Cake (Vegan and Gluten-Free)

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons water chestnut flour (or, all-purpose flour or, a blend of all-purpose flour and wholewheat flour if not baking gluten-free)
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
  • 2 tablespoons unrefined cane sugar (adjust according to taste)
  • 1 tablespoon peanut butter (optional)
  • 3 tablespoons oil (any neutral oil)
  • 1/3 cup coconut milk (or, fresh whole milk if not baking vegan)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2-3 tablespoons dark chocolate chunks (break the dark chocolate into small pieces) or chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees C.
  2. Take all the dry ingredients in a large mug. Whisk with a fork.
  3. Add remaining ingredients (except chocolate chunks/chips) and stir well with a fork so that there are no lumps and you get a thick cake batter.
  4. Add chocolate chunks/chips.
  5. Bake in the middle rack for 12 minutes. Shift the mug to the lower rack and cook for 5 minutes.
  6. Enjoy warm mug cake plain or with a drizzle of ganache.

Note:  Bake in a large mug or else the batter will overflow.







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