Healthy Single-Serving Matcha Microwave Cake with Matcha Protein Frosting (+ Video!)
Guys. Hold onto your pants because your life is about to change… you can make this Single-Serving Matcha Microwave Cake with Matcha Protein Frosting in less than 5 minutes flat! Oh yes, mah peeps. This super moist and fluffy, sweet and delicious cake can be ALL YOURS, no sharing required. Oh, and it’s healthy too! The entire recipe has just 180 calories and 3g of fat, plus a whopping 19g of satiating protein, 7g of filling fiber, and zero added sugar. *falls to knees and bows*
Thanks to Nuts.com for sponsoring this post, and thank YOU for supporting the brands that keep Desserts With Benefits going! All opinions are mine and mine alone.
I’ve been so exhausted lately thanks to my (heavier than usual) work load, lots of upcoming traveling (for work, not vacation, sadly), and me stressing over random “adulty” things (possibly need to get a new car as I’m driving my current one into the ground… trying to decide whether or not to renew my lease or move… taxes… bills… aaaaand starting my THIRD cookbook!). All this stress just makes me want something sweet in front of my face at. all. times.
And that’s where mug cakes come in. These super fast and easy cakes have saaaaved my liiiife. They’re sugar free, they’re gluten free, and high in protein and fiber. Perfect for when you’ve got a raging sweet tooth and want to satisfy it the healthy way.
But let’s talk cake. This Single-Serving Matcha Microwave Cake. It’s so dang fluffy, moist, and springy too — just like a cupcake — only green from the matcha. Oh, and much unlike a cupcake, this recipe doesn’t have any butter, oil, sugar, or flour. Yessir, you butta believe it. This cake is refined sugar free, low carb, low fat, high protein, high fiber, and gluten free.
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For the cake…
Instead of butter or oil, I used unsweetened applesauce.
Instead of sugar, I used organic stevia.
Instead of flour, I used Nuts.com Coconut Flour.
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For the frosting…
Instead of butter and cream cheese, I used Greek yogurt.
Instead of powdered sugar, I used vanilla protein powder.
And of course, for the beautiful green color and vibrant matcha flavor, I used Nuts.com Matcha Powder!
I love baking with coconut flour — and so many of you have asked me to bake with it more! — because it’s got a great flavor and can yield a super fluffy baked good. It’s also got a natural sweetness (without the added sugar), and is low carb, high fiber, and gluten free with a decent amount of protein.
And I KNOW y’all love matcha. Almost all of my matcha recipes have been pinned over 10k times! Like my Matcha Chia Seed Pudding, my Matcha Protein Bars, Raw Matcha Fudge, and Matcha Overnight Oats. Throughout the years that I’ve been blogging and developing recipes, I’ve made my way through quite a bit of matcha… I’ve tried probably over a dozen brands. While the flavor between all of them have been pretty consistent (strong, earthy, complex), what’s never consistent is the color. Some matcha yields a yellowish-green color, some yields a faded brownish-green, and sometimes you strike gold and get a bright and vibrant green!
I struck gold with Nuts.com’s Matcha Powder. Dang you guys, it’s SO GREEN. Thanks chlorophyll!
LOOK AT THE FLUFFINESS!
And to make this Matcha Microwave Cake even more decadent, I topped it off with a Matcha Protein Frosting. While the cake alone is already unique and delicious, like I said before, I’m a little stressed at the moment and wanted a little extra oomph. And when you add a lil’ frosting, you add a lil’ oomph.
And if frosting = oomph, then this Matcha Protein Frosting = A TON OF OOMPH OOMPH OOMPH!
Can you tell I love me some furrrosting. And healthy frosting? Give it all to me NOW. But for reals, gimme it ASAP 😉
Healthy Single-Serving Matcha Microwave Cake with Matcha Protein Frosting
Ingredients
Cake:
- 2 tbs Nuts.com Coconut Flour
- ½ tsp Nuts.com Matcha Powder
- ¼ tsp Double-Acting Baking Powder
- 2 packets Natural Sweetener (stevia, Truvia, etc.)
- tiny pinch of Salt
- 3 tbs Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
- 2 tbs Unsweetened Applesauce
- 1 Egg White
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 3 drops Almond Extract
Frosting:
- 2 tbs Vanilla Whey Protein Powder
- 2 packets Natural Sweetener
- ½ tsp Nuts.com Matcha Powder
- 2 tbs Plain, Nonfat Greek Yogurt
- ¼ tsp Vanilla Extract
- 5 drops Almond Extract
Instructions
FOR THE CAKE:
- In a bowl, whisk together the coconut flour, matcha powder, baking powder, sweetener, and salt.
- Whisk in the almond milk, applesauce, egg white, and extracts until completely smooth.
- Scoop batter into a mug and microwave on high for 2 minutes, or until the surface of the cake springs back when tapped. Let cool while you make the frosting.
FOR THE FROSTING:
- In a bowl, whisk together the protein powder, sweetener, and matcha powder.
- Whisk in the yogurt and extracts until completely smooth. Frost the cake (and add whatever extra toppings you like, such as mini chocolate chips, sliced almonds, fresh raspberries, etc.) then dig in!
Recipe Notes
A super fluffy and filling FROSTED cake with only 180 calories and 3g of fat, plus a whopping 19g of protein, 7g of fiber, and zero added sugar?!? Now that’s what I call a balanced breakfast! But this totally works as dessert too. And lunch. And a midday snack. And a nighttime snack… okay I’m done.
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Watch me make this Matcha Microwave Cake on camera!
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Have an awesome day y’all! Hopefully it includes this Matcha Microwave Cake. Because that’s what it means for me. Enjoy!
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With love and good eats,
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– Jess
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Indulge − no strings attached!
Just discovered your blog today, and I can’t wait to try out some of these recipes! I’ve already saved a bunch of them and it’s going to be hard to choose which one to try out first.. everything looks so good! Thank you for sharing them with the world! Happy birthday! 🙂
I like your fancy little moving graphic up there! And I bet you’re feet are proud that the ice cream served at ACL for your restaurant you work at was made by your hands. That’s something, right? Looking forward to hearing all about your CA trip!
Thank you! And YES, I’m so glad all that ice cream is complete 😀
There’s another event coming up that needs a ton more ice cream so it’s not done yet, but it will be soon!
-Jess
Happy birthday and welcome to SF!
Thanks Jennifer! I’m so not used to the chilly weather with a constant breeze, it’s a nice change 😀
-Jess
Happy Birthday! I love your blog and use the recipes often. Mug cakes made in the microwave are an idea from the goddesses. But what is matcha powder? Can I use any old protein powder or is it a specific kind of protein powder?
Thanks so much Kate!
Matcha is a type of green tea. It’s a high-quality, green, fine powder.
As for the protein powder, I think as long as it’s whey protein powder you should be fine 😀
-Jess
Single serving mug cakes are my weakness, and thankfully this recipe is super healthy! I love matcha, so this cake is right up my alley! Happy Birthday to you!
They’re my weakness too! They’re just too easy and tooooo darn good 😀
And thank you so much! ?
-Jess
Sorry this is late but HAPPY 23RD BIRTHDAY!!! <3 You're such an inspiration to me!
Thank you SO much Marina!! Have an awesome week 😀
-Jess
Mmm, that looks so yummy! I love how you pipe the cream because it looks soo DELISH! Also, happy belated birthday too. 😀 I hope you had an awesome day!!
Thanks so much Annie! 😀
-Jess
I doubled the recipe for this and divided them among 10 cupcake liners, and they’re baking in the oven as I’m typing this! I’ll definitely let you know the results. 😀
Oooo how creative! I hope the recipe turned out for you, and I hope you liked the cupcakes! 😀
-Jess
I don’t know I under baked them because the cupcakes were very, very fragile! I don’t know if I put too much liquid on the batter or not, but they’re nonetheless, very delicious! 😀 I finished the whole batch last week and will give this another shot some other time! 🙂
The cake itself wasn’t fragile for me at all, so I’m guessing the oven and microwave cook differently. I hope your next batch works a little better!! 😀
-Jess
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Any advice for those of us who don’t have a microwave?
I’d love to make this…thanks!
Ohhh I have another question:
The whey protein powder in the frosting, is that for thickening or just for a protein boost? In the past, I’ve found that only vegan proteins work as thickeners…I guess my other questions, then, are: is the coconut flour enough of a thickener and does the whey thicken the frosting or just boost the protein/added for flavour? Thanks and happy very late birthday.
I’m pretty sure this can be made in the oven as well! I’d recommend baking it at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for ~25-35 minutes, or until the surface springs back when tapped.
The protein powder in the frosting not only thickens the frosting, but adds a little boost of protein. I don’t think the coconut flour is enough to thicken, and adding more might make the frosting gritty.
Thank you so much Sophie! You’re awesome 😀
Thanks to recipes like yours I eat ‘cake’ all day long and looking in the best shape of my life. love your recipes
This looks heavenly I need it!
Anything make substitute for the yogurt?? And is your protein powder sweetened? Just wondering as I try to adjust this recipe for my dietary needs. 🙂
That was supposed to say “anything make a good sub for yogurt”…Sorry for typo
I haven’t tried subbing the yogurt in the frosting, but maybe you can try 1-3 tablespoons of milk/nondairy milk?
The protein powder I use is sweetened with stevia 😀
-Jess
Omg I’m so glad I’ve just found your blog, I am so going to try these! As if your only 23, I didn’t know my head from my arse when I was that age, let alone create stunning recipes-your page looks Amazing, my kids are going to think I’m the bees knees!! 😉
Happy belated birthday Jessica!! Hope you have a lovely birthday…Can’t wait to try this recipe..I just tried your chocolate buckwheat pancakes recipe with much success!! Thanks 🙂
This was good, thank you, but I had to make some changes because the batter was so thin. You mug looks small, did you divide your batter between a few mugs? I put mine in a HUGE mug and I’m glad I did. This was enough for at least 3 mug cakes, maybe four if you use smaller mugs. It only took 2 mins in the microwave. I also had to add more flour bc the batter was so thin, I’d cut the milk down to 1/8-1/4 cup next time. I will also double the green tea next time because I couldn’t taste the green tea.
The mug I used in the pictures is actually a very large mug, probably 16oz or so? In a smaller mug you’ll need to microwave it for less time.
Did you make any ingredient substitutions? The batter should not be thin at all… coconut flour is SUPER absorbent.
And what kind of matcha did you use? Or did you use green tea? Green tea and matcha are different — matcha has a stronger flavor than tea and provides a better color 🙂
Best,
-Jess
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Hi Jessica!
This looks delish! A quick question, I’m a complete beginner in baking and am quite overwhelmed with the variety of piping nozzles out there. Could you give any advice on the type/ size I could get to decorate both cakes and cupcakes?
Thanks a mil!
I like using large piping tips. For this particular frosting, I used the #846 tip from this set: http://amzn.to/2oSidRJ (I almost exclusively use this tip!)
For cookies and smaller items, I use smaller tips, like this set: http://amzn.to/2o7BC1c
Hope this helps! 🙂
Brilliant! Thank you for your help!
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Is the whey in the frosting simply for protein or to thicken? I don’t think isolate thickens…
The whey definitely helps thicken the frosting. I haven’t used isolate here so I can’t be sure about that one…
Happy Republic Day to you & your family.
Wow amazing. Its color is very attractive. Thanks for sharing this wonderful cake.
Hi Jess,
I don’t cook with a microwave.
How can I make this using the oven?
Love your recipes!
Thanks
Karen
You can always use an oven instead but I haven’t tried it for this particular recipe. I’d recommend baking at 350 degrees F for ~25 minutes (more or less), or until the surface of the cake springs back when tapped 🙂
I love mug cakes! So quick and easy! This looks great 🙂
I love these quick treats for my late night dessert craving and this has to be on top of my list because of its beautiful color. Love the frosting and the Matcha microwave cake and the best part is it has not added sugar!
Looks so easy and so good not to mention looks also cute. I need to make this soon have most of the ingredients I will let you know how it went.
Microwave cakes are so much fun. What a great way to whip up a dessert whenever you like. I have some matcha….and I think I need to give this a try soon.
Despite being a cake decorator one of my favorite things to eat is microwave cake! I love cakes warm with ice cream so this would be an absolute treat for me.. Sounds incredible.
Belated birthday wishes to you. This matcha cake looks like the perfect (and healthy) way to celebrate the day. Cake looks so moist and that color is just amazing.
I’m sorry to hear you’re under stress. Hopefully things will let up for you. Now, the matcha mug cake looks so daggone good. I would love to have a mug of it now!! I’ll be trying out the recipe soon.
Your matcha cake looks so light and fluffy! I love that it is single serve too.
What a pretty delicious green mug cake. I never had matcha anything. I’ve seen ton of matcha recipes that I want to try so I saved them. I’ll have to save this one too.
I like you single serving matcha cake, that too in microwave. I will make it for myself during the weekdays after sending hubby and kids to office and school.I have matcha in hand. Let you know how it turned out.
I adore single serving cake mug recipes! It is such a great way to make just enough cake! Not to mention this healthier version is a great way to feel less guilty!
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Just made this and it was long overdue! It was absolutely amazing and the perfect midnight dessert. Thank you! 😊
Awwww thank you so so much! Glad you liked the cake! Midnight sounds like the perfect time to enjoy this 😉
-Jess
Hello, Can’t wait to try to this recipe. I don’t normally like protein powder of any kind. Can you suggest a substitute. Much appreciated!
The frosting needs the protein powder to thicken, otherwise it’ll be liquidy and goopy. You can try this recipe instead, and just add some matcha to it! 🙂
https://dessertswithbenefits.com/gluten-free-zucchini-bread/
Thanks for the response!
A question: since macha powder is made from green tee leaves, does it contain caffeine to which I am allergic?
Yes, matcha contains caffeine. It’s green tea, which has caffeine. I wouldn’t recommend this recipe for you if you’re allergic.
If I don’t have applesauce what els can I use ?
Truly appreciate the way you made this delicious and wonderful recipe. Everything is so nicely described that really helped me.