Matcha Mug Cake

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I made you a matcha mug cake. It's not at all Irish, but at least it's green!

I was excited to make something green for St. Patty's Day, but I don't like to use artificial coloring in my food. Since I had my heart set on making a dessert, using spinach or kale as coloring agents didn't seem very appealing. Matcha was the perfect solution.

If you haven't discovered matcha yet, I highly recommend it! It's just very finely ground green tea leaves, so it has a bit of caffeine and all the great antioxidants contained in green tea. The flavor is hard to describe, but it's exotic and a bit earthy. Matcha is delicious on its own in desserts, but also pairs well with chocolate. I've made these mug cakes with and without chocolate chips and still can't decide which one I prefer.

I'm late to the mug-cake party, but now that I've started I can't be stopped. Less than ten minutes to a warm, freshly "baked" cake with a moist, tender crumb? Sign me up . . . over and over again. I made two or three of these on Saturday and two more on Sunday to perfect the recipe and try out all the variations. Then I woke up this morning with a bad case of the Mondays, and decided to make myself one for breakfast.

Someone hide the mugs--I think I'm addicted.

Matcha Mug Cake
Yield: 1 serving
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 2 minutes

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon butter, ghee, or coconut oil
1 teaspoon matcha
2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
1 tablespoon milk of choice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
Pinch of sea salt
1/4 cup lightly packed almond flour
1/8 teaspoon baking soda*
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar*
1 heaping tablespoon chocolate chips (optional)

Fresh strawberries, for serving

*Just use a 1/4 teaspoon measure and fill it about halfway.

Put the butter, ghee, or coconut oil in a large microwave safe mug. Microwave for 10-20 seconds, or just until the butter is melted. Stir in the matcha. Add the honey, milk, and vanilla and beat thoroughly with a fork. Crack the egg into the mug and beat again. Beat in the almond flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. It's okay if there are a few small lumps. If you are using chocolate chips, stir them in.

Microwave for about 2 minutes, or until the cake is set and pulling away from the sides of the mug, but still a little jiggly. Don't worry if the top is not completely dry.

Let cool for at least five minutes. Enjoy the cake directly from the mug, or loosen with a small spoon and unmold onto a plate. Top with a fresh strawberry if desired and serve warm.

Notes:

• If you don't like matcha or don't have any on hand, try a double chocolate mug cake! Omit the matcha and add 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of unsweetened cocoa powder when you add the almond flour. Also, make sure to use the chocolate chips. This mug cake may need an extra 10-20 seconds to cook.
• If you want to make more than one mug cake, microwave them one at a time.

Used in this recipe:

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