If you know me, you’ll know that I got started in the kitchen by baking. It has always been something that intrigued me as a kid and I often would have the random urge to get in the kitchen and test a new recipe even if at that time I was just winging it!
With health and nutrition now being my main focus this includes the sweets and baked goods that I have as well! True, sugar is still sugar and a treat is always still a treat but some days that’s just what we need. I like to also acknowledge that there is a time and place for treats and goodies. They are such a huge part of celebrations, family gatherings and holidays and I firmly believe that there is a place for them in every lifestyle because of that. So yes, you can have your cake and eat it too! Or in this case, you can have your green smoothie, cake and eat both too!
That being said, there are some healthier swaps that we can make to boost the nutrition content and even lower the sugar levels within goodies. We can do this by making easy swaps for those refined white sugars and flours that are so easily void of nutritional content. These swaps include:
The texture of a cake with buttery, vanilla flavour & hints of caramel. SO good with vanilla ice cream!
This yummy Buttery Vanilla Mug Cake came about when a few of my good girlfriends and I ended up on a roll each making mug cakes during our weekly Sunday Zoom calls. They are super quick, easy and I love that you don’t end up with an entire cake! I mean, sure, in theory that sounds good but me + quarantine + a whole cake = trouble (ha!).
The only issue was that I wanted a recipe that included one-bowl and some of those healthier swaps above so that I could ensure this soul food was also checking the boxes for good mood food. For this recipe, I just had to add 2 of those swaps above to ensure this checked off all the boxes:
Swapped the usual refined, white sugar with coconut sugar.
Coconut sugar is a great 1:1 sugar substitute and although it is still processed to a degree it does contain a handful of minerals such as iron, zinc, potassium and calcium. If we’re going to be having sugar, why not sneak in a few extra nutrients while we’re at it? Not to mention coconut sugar maintains a lower rating on the Glycemic Index in comparison to white sugar. Meaning it won’t spike your blood sugar as intensely as its refined counterpart.
Swapped the refined, white flour for a mix of almond flour and brown rice flour.
I prefer these flours over refined, white flour largely because they have a much higher nutrient content in comparison and contribute to our intake of insoluble fiber. They also assist with a slower absorption of the coconut sugar giving us a less intense blood sugar rush.
I hope you give this one a try and love it as much as I do. If you do try the mug cakes, please comment below to let me know or tag me on instagram at #happyhealthcc. I’d love to see your creations!
Recipe: 2-Minute Buttery Vanilla Mug Cake
Gluten-free, dairy-free option
Serves 2
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 2 minutes
Yields 2 mugs or 1 big mug
Ingredients:
3 tbsp almond flour
1/2 tbsp brown rice flour
2-3 tbsp coconut sugar (depending on how sweet you like things)
1/8 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp cashew butter, softened
1 tbsp melted butter (measured melted)*
Vanilla ice cream (optional, but highly recommended)
To Make:
Notes:
*To make this dairy-free, you should be able to swap the butter with coconut oil.
**This recipe was updated on March 17, 2022.
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