Protein Powder Mug Cakes in Just 60 Seconds (Easily Customizable)

Sometimes you just want to eat cake, but making an entire cake just for yourself feels like a little much.

Enter: microwave mug cakes.

By mixing up just three simple ingredients inside of a coffee mug, you’ll have a moist, fluffy protein cake in just 60 seconds.

I mean, does it get any better than that?

Aside from these protein mug cakes taking no time at all, they are also extremely customizable. In this recipe, I’m going to break down three of my favorites, but as you’ll soon see, the only limit is your imagination.

The calories of your healthy protein powder mug cake will vary based on the specific ingredients you use, but if you follow this recipe exactly as written in the recipe card, each mug cake will be right around 250 calories with over 20 grams of protein.

I enjoy a protein bar or protein shake every once in a while, but there’s no more delicious way to get in your protein than with a single serving of protein cake.

 

Basic Ingredients Needed for Protein Mug Cakes

I’m all about creating simple recipes, and that’s why this easy protein mug cake recipe requires only THREE main ingredients.

Sure, you can make your own cake from scratch if you prefer. There are plenty of options out there utilizing almond flour, coconut flour, oat flour, etc, but I want a delicious cake in much less time.

I don’t want to measure out a ton of ingredients or mix up a large egg (or flax egg), I want to be able to feed my sweet tooth in 60 seconds flat.

That’s why we’re using actual cake mix for these.

I love using cake mix in a lot of my recipes because all of the flour, sweetener, and baking powder are mixed up for you, so the hard work is done. Plus, you can use ANY flavor you’d like.

Use vanilla or chocolate cake mix, gluten-free cake mix, funfetti, whatever you’d like!

Sure, using cake mix comes with slightly more calories than if you used something like almond flour or coconut flour to whip up your own healthy cake, but I’m willing to make that sacrifice.

The other main ingredient for this protein mug cake recipe is, of course, protein powder.

As with all of my high protein recipes, I use PEScience protein powder. PEScience protein is a blend of whey & casein, which I’ve found to be the best option for baking (especially when it comes to cakes).

I also created a vegan protein mug cake using the PEScience vegan protein powder, which I found to be even better than the dairy version!

I did not test other types of protein, but since it’s a relatively small amount, whey protein powder should also work here. Whey protein tends to be a bit drier overall, but it should still work if you have a favorite brand of protein powder you’d like to use.

The final ingredient for the protein powder mug cake is milk; I used Silk Protein, which is my favorite milk on the market.

This specific milk is thicker than something like unsweetened almond milk thanks to the addition of pea protein. I didn’t test this recipe with regular almond milk or oat milk, but they should also work perfectly fine.

When you see the nutrition facts listed below, just note that it is based on using Silk Protein. If you swap out unsweetened almond or cashew milk, the calories will be slightly lower.

 

How to Make Chocolate Protein Mug Cake

This double chocolate protein mug cake is my favorite to make, as it ends up tasting like a decadent brownie.

The cake on its own is delicious, but the high-protein chocolate frosting really takes it over the top.

Nutrition based on the ingredients I used: 255 Calories, 6g Fat, 33g Carbs, 22g Protein

Chocolate Cake Ingredients

• 30g Chocolate Cake Mix of Your Choice
• 15g (roughly half scoop) PEScience Chocolate Truffle Protein Powder
• 1/4 Cup Milk

Chocolate Frosting Ingredients

• 10g PEScience Chocolate Truffle Protein Powder
• 10g Powdered Sugar Substitute
• 5g Cocoa Powder
• 1 1/2 Tbsp Milk

All you have to do is mix up the chocolate cake mix and protein powder in your mug or small bowl, then slowly stir the milk into the dry ingredients until you have a smooth batter.

Microwave for 60 seconds, and you’re ready to go!

You can make a double chocolate chip mug cake by mixing some chocolate chips directly into the batter before microwaving, too.

The frosting itself is a very simple mixture, so it’s very important to use a chocolate protein powder that you actually enjoy the taste of.

The PEScience Chocolate Truffle protein powder is one that I swear by, and it makes this taste like a legitimate chocolate frosting. If you use a protein powder that you don’t love the taste of, you’ll likely not enjoy the taste of this chocolate frosting.

Spread the frosting on top, and enjoy the chocolatey goodness.

 

How to Make Vanilla Protein Mug Cake

If you want to whip up a birthday cake for one, this vanilla mug cake is for you.

Nutrition based on the ingredients I used: 270 Calories, 6g Fat, 30g Carbs, 25g Protein

Vanilla Cake Ingredients

• 30g White or Yellow Cake Mix
• 15g (roughly half scoop) PEScience Vanilla Protein Powder
• 1/4 Cup Milk

Vanilla Frosting Ingredients

• 10g PEScience Vanilla Protein Powder
• 10g Powdered Sugar Substitute
• 25g Plain Nonfat Greek Yogurt
• Rainbow Sprinkles

Make the vanilla mug cake by mixing the cake mix and protein powder together in a mug or bowl, then slowly stirring in the milk until smooth.

You can add sprinkles, chocolate chips, or anything else you like directly into the batter.

Microwave for 60 seconds.

Add all of the frosting ingredients together in a bowl and mix until smooth. I didn’t measure the amount of sprinkles I used, but it was just a small spoonful.

Note that I used Greek yogurt in the vanilla icing to create a thicker consistency (like Dunkaroo dip). Without the Greek yogurt, this frosting would be too loose. We don’t have that issue with the chocolate frosting because cocoa powder is very absorbent, but it’s important to note for the vanilla version.

Spread the frosting right on top, add some additional sprinkles, and dig in.

 

How to Make Vegan Protein Mug Cake

I did not think I’d love the vegan version of this mug cake, because plant-based protein powder is very hit-or-miss for me. But, this created such a moist, tender cake that I absolutely loved!

I decided to make a chocolate peanut butter version, but you can easily swap out the flavors here.

Nutrition based on the ingredients I used: 265 Calories, 6g Fat, 35g Carbs, 19g Protein

Vegan Cake Ingredients

• 30g Chocolate Cake Mix (most cake mix options are dairy-free, but check the box to be sure)
• 15g (roughly half scoop) PEScience Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Powder
• 1/4 Cup + 1 Tbsp (5 Tbsp Total) Non-Dairy Milk

Dairy Free Peanut Butter Frosting Ingredients

• 10g Powdered Peanut Butter
• 10g Powdered Sugar Substitute
• 2 tsp Plant-Based Milk
• Optional: melted dark chocolate for swirl

Follow the same instructions for the other mug cakes by mixing all of the ingredients together in a mug or small bowl, but use one extra tablespoon of milk.

Vegan protein is very absorbent, so it requires a little bit of extra liquid to get the desired consistency.

Microwave for 60 seconds.

Mix up the ingredients for the peanut butter frosting in a small bowl and spread it over the top of the cake. I melted down a small amount of dark chocolate chips and swirled that into the frosting, which is optional, but highly recommended.

You can also spread regular peanut butter (or other nut butter) on top as a frosting, but I used powdered peanut butter to keep the calories lower.

I was shocked at just how moist the final vegan mug cake actually was, but it came out great!

 

How to Prevent a Mess in the Microwave

A quick PSA on mug cakes in general: they WILL rise in the microwave!

If you use a small mug, there’s a good chance that the mug cake will spill over the sides and create a total mess.

Make sure you choose a microwave-safe mug or bowl that will allow the mug cake to double in size!

I like using a small bowl for my mug cakes (I know, that shouldn’t be called a mug cake then I suppose) because I’ve found it works the best to account for rising.

In the microwave, you’ll see the cake double in size. In my version above, the cake came to the very top edge of the bowl while cooking. But, once the time is up, it will come back down a bit.

Make sure you account for the rising! If you use a small mug and fill it up all the way with batter, you will have some cleaning up to you.

You’ve been warned.

 

More Simple Recipes with Cake Mix

Using cake mix is one of my favorite baking tricks to cut down on prep time. Plus, it’s absolutely delicious.

I’ve used cake mix in lots of recipes for this blog, and here are some of my favorites:

• Fluffy Protein Pancakes with Only 3 Ingredients
• High-Protein Oreo Cupcakes
• Crispy Protein Churro Donuts
• Healthy Microwave Crumb Cake
• Protein McGriddles (these use Kodiak Cake mix, but I’ll count that as a cake mix)

 

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