Indulge in a delicious treat with this high-protein apple mug cake! Made with real apples, vegan protein powder, and rich coconut milk, this apple pie mug cake is a single-serve treat that whips up in just two minutes!
Use up those extra apples on the counter and whip up this protein mug cake.
This recipe has all the comforting flavor of apple cinnamon with all the fuel of protein (learn more about how to increase your protein intake).
Curl up with a mug for just yourself or make multiple servings for family movie night (top them with whipped cream or even vanilla ice cream!).
Either way, this healthy microwave apple cake recipe is one you’ll want to keep on hand- this carrot mug cake is wonderful too!
As a Certified Nutrition Coach, I love that this protein mug cake recipe is:
- High in protein (15 grams)
- Comforting
- Totally paleo (dairy-free, gluten-free, grain-free, vegan)
- Rich thanks to the coconut milk
- Easy as it comes together in just two minutes.
It’s the perfect way to curb a sweet tooth craving for pie but without all the calories and sugar. Kinda like this pumpkin protein mug cake.
Ingredients You Need
Skip the brown sugar and salted butter and use up the gluten-free pantry staples you have on hand with this delicious apple mug cake recipe (and these other protein mug cake recipes)!
Almond flour: skip the traditional flour and go for almond flour here! Though your mug cake won’t “fluff” up as well as it does with regular flour, you’ll have much more healthy fats. Just make sure to use almond flour and not ground almonds (learn the difference between almond flour and almond meal).
Coconut flour: though you don’t need much it does help to make the apple mug cake less wet.
Coconut flour: this helps hold the cake batter together and thicken it up a bit so that it's not soupy.
Vegan vanilla protein powder: the kind of protein powder you choose can and will impact both the texture and the flavor of the apple mug cake. For best results opt for Naked Nutrition Pea Protein. Learn more about how to choose a protein powder.
Baking powder: this helps the mug cake rise slightly. Too much baking powder though and it'll deflate, so make sure to measure.
Apple: you can peel the apple ahead of time if you don’t want the texture. Or, leave the peel on when you grate it. Both options work.
Maple syrup: the classic flavor combo of cinnamon, maple syrup, and apple is what makes this protein apple mug cake the perfect dessert to cozy up with.
Cinnamon: any ground cinnamon will work, the fresher it is the better.
Coconut milk: make sure to use full-fat coconut milk from a can. Just drain the water and use the thick white, cream part.
How To Make Apple Mug Cake
Making a mug cake is as simple as can be with just three easy steps!
- Add all ingredients into a regular-sized mug.
- Mix the cake batter really well to ensure the powders are combined.
- Microwave for 75 seconds and let cool slightly before eating.
Step By Step Photos
Important Teaching Tips & Substitutions
You do need a vegan protein powder for this protein mug cake recipe to work. Vegan protein powder absorbs more liquid than whey protein- that's what makes this mug cake and recipe like a single serving protein cookie work.
That said, this recipe was made with a pea protein powder blend. If you’re using a fermented pea protein, you’ll want to add 1 tablespoon of almond milk (more liquid) to the recipe.
If you like texture, grate the apple normally. If you want it to blend better, finely grate the apple and make sure to peel is first. Use up an extra you have by making paleo apple muffins
This apple pie mug cake isn’t a fluffy-cake type recipe. Because it’s paleo, it’s much more like an apple crisp. However, it’s extremely rich, sweet, and cozy.
Topping The Mug Cake
The best part about mug cake recipes is that you can make them as indulgent or simple as you wish.
The majority of the time, I just pop on some coconut whipped cream.
However, if you want an apple mug cake that's more indulgent, here are some wicked toppings that we love are:
- Dairy-free caramel sauce
- Drizzled almond butter
- ·Toasted pecans
Choosing A Protein Powder
These mug cake was made specifically with Naked Nutrition's Vanilla Pea Protein Powder.
This protein powder is amazing for anyone who is looking for pure, simple, protein. Learn more about the benefits of a high protein diet and why you want to amp it up!
It has just three ingredients: pea protein, coconut sugar, and natural flavor.
No additives, funny names, or “flavors” are added.
… and this protein powder makes just about any smoothie taste freaking awesome.
25 grams of protein in just 140 calories. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Grab some Naked Nutrition now.
Frequently Asked Questions
Making a protein apple mug cake is super simple. All you need to do is whisk together the ingredients in a microwave-safe mug and heat for 60-90 seconds until cooked through.
Mug cakes taste best when freshly made. Since it only takes 75 seconds to whip up, wait until you plan in eating it before whipping it up.
They do! Depending on your baking powder ratios, they may rise and deflate slightly. Because there is no flour in this apple pie mug cake, the baking powder helps the apple mug cake rise and stay at that height.
Other High Protein Mug Cakes
Fast, crave-worthy snacks that hit your protein goals (without tracking or extra cooking time).
Healthy Apple Cinnamon Mug Cake
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tbs almond flour
- 0.5 tbs coconut flour
- 2.5 tbs vegan vanilla protein powder
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ Apple grated ⅓ cup
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tbs maple syrup
- 1.5 tbs full fat coconut milk
Instructions
- Add all ingredients into a microwave-safe mug.
- Mix the cake batter really well to ensure the powders are combined.
- Microwave for 75 seconds and let cool slightly before eating.
Notes
Disclaimer:
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data"
Sarah says
SO easy to make and tastes like fall in a cup. I love that it has that extra protein bump and so fun that I can make a quick single serving whenever I want to indulge.
fitasamamabear says
Fall in a cup- so accurate!
Allie says
My husband has the biggest sweet tooth and I made one of these for each of us earlier this week and it was so good!! I had some vanilla ice cream I put on top too. He loveeeddd it!! Def will make this more this fall.
fitasamamabear says
Mmm vanilla ice cream on it would be amazing!
Sharon says
This was the answer for my sweet tooth today. I added a few toasted pecans to the apple mug cake as you suggested - yum! Easy and healthy.
fitasamamabear says
Mmm toasted pecans make everything better
Jade says
Made this in less than 5 minutes with ingredients already in my pantry. So good and easy!
fitasamamabear says
That's the best!!
Katrin says
I absolutely loved the flavours of this mug cake and really enjoyed the texture. I used a sugar-free syrup instead of the maple and it worked well. I'll be making this again soon!
fitasamamabear says
Glad you enjoyed it! It's such an easy craving buster!