This post may contain affiliate links. Click here for my affiliate disclosure. If you purchase items through my affiliate links, I receive a small commission but your price doesn't change.
The season for posting rich holiday recipes has come, eh? Oh no, not so fast! While I did post my fair share of rich recipes before Thanksgiving, and followed up with a Candy Cane Ice Cream last week, in “real life” I’m staying on the straight and narrow and focusing on lighter recipes for myself most of the time. (Um…that Candy Cane Ice Cream was actually a project from this summer, to tell you the truth!) I did work on some Christmas candy recipes for the blog last week and made a delicious Black Raspberry Cheesecake for my birthday on December 1st (recipe coming soon!), but those were the first rich desserts I’ve made in quite a few weeks! Over the past couple of months I’ve been putting together some puzzle pieces that have been helping me finally lose some weight, and part of the key has been cutting back on heavier fats like cream cheese and focusing on more foundational fats (like coconut oil and the fats from eggs and red meats). And I’ve been getting LOTS of E meals in! I have grown to crave E meals over S meals a lot of the time. This is what four years on the Trim Healthy Mama plan will do for you, folks. 😉 I am actually seeing results, and it’s exciting. In January I plan to write some blog posts about the things that have been clicking for me, so stay tuned and sign up via email to make sure you see those posts!
Speaking of which, I’ve made a pretty exciting change over here on the blog in the last week! Ever since I started this blog several years ago, I’ve been using a really dumpy (but free!) email service that wasn’t customizable at all. Last week I finally decided to bite the bullet and pay for a better email service that lets me customize what I send out. Instead of updates automatically going out every time I post a blog post, I will be able to hand-write and customize my blog subscription emails to all of you who are signed up. This is really cool because I plan to use this as a way to share more personal, “real” stuff with my email subscribers – peeks behind the scenes, excerpts from my personal life, etc. I like to be real! I’m going to be sharing some exciting announcements in the next few weeks and my email subscribers will see them first, so be sure to sign up via the header at the top of this blog or CLICK HERE to see a not-so-fancy sign-up form. It does the job.
Speaking of my fancy subscription widgets, Charlotte Boyer from Lotta’s Web has done a fantastic job of designing my logo and helping me customize my site over the past two years. I highly recommend her services if you need web design done!
Just get to the cake already, Bri.
All right, all right…hold your horses. What? You’re not here to hear about my latest website developments? But they’re so important! I digress.
This Chocolate Pudding Cake for One is part of my new Lean Mean Scheme. In other words, it’s one of the recipes that I’ve been consuming while losing weight. Oh yeah, you like the sound of that, right? I’ve been trying to incorporate lots of glucomannan into my diet lately. Glucomannan helps control the blood sugar and makes you feel fuller, and since this article does such a great job of explaining the science behind all this, I’m going to leave it at that. Not only does this Chocolate Pudding Cake contain a nice dose of glucomannan, but it’s also a THM Deep S recipe and gluten/dairy/nut free! Plus it tastes good.
I call it a pudding cake because I like to keep it on the slightly underdone side, leaving me with a soft chocolate cake that’s a little gooey in the middle. You can cook it all the way through if you like; personal preference. The dab of vanilla Carb Smart ice cream that you see in these pictures is not Deep S, but it was a nice addition. 😉 Mostly, it was to make the plain ol’ cake-in-a-bowl a little more photogenic. I ate lots of these cakes plain while perfecting the recipe.
I have an amazing vanilla version of this cake coming soon, so stay tuned! I also plan to do full-size cakes based off of these recipes sometime in the future. At least in time for my next cookbook!
You may also enjoy:
-
STARTING THM
-
my recipe index
-
recipe index by fuel type/allergy/theme
-
all my Deep S recipes
-
Superfood Single Brownie
As always, check out the Notes section of the recipe for extra info. Check out the links in and below the recipe to see the products I use and recommend. Some of the links included in the recipe and blog post are affiliate links, which means that if you make purchases through these links, I make a small commission to help defray the costs of running this blog (at no extra charge to you). Thanks for your help!
Looking for Christmas gifts? Give the gift of health and buy someone a cookbook and 2018 calendar full of healthy recipes from Yours Truly!
- 2 tsp. coconut oil (I use refined coconut oil to eliminate coconut flavor.)
- -
- 1 med. egg
- 2 T. water
- -
- 2 T. collagen
- 1½ T. cocoa powder
- 2½ tsp. THM Super Sweet Blend (or more, to taste)*
- ½ tsp. glucomannan
- ¼ tsp. baking powder
- Dash salt
- Melt the coconut oil in a ceramic bowl. (A small cereal bowl size works well.) I do this in the microwave.
- Add the egg and water and whisk.
- Add the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. (Feel free to add more sweetener!) The batter will be very liquidy.
- Microwave for a minute, then check and see if you want to nuke it any longer. At one minute, mine is a little underdone in the center, which I like. 1½ minutes cooks it all the way through so it's a regular chocolate cake and not a pudding cake any longer. Times may vary with each microwave, so find what you like.
- To stay in Deep S territory, top with a little unsweetened almond milk. For a regular THM S, top with a dap of Reddi-wip or some sugar-free ice cream. Since this cake contains protein, it can be used as breakfast or a snack on its own, but it also makes a great dessert after a meal.
-I do not recommend substituting whey protein powder for the collagen.
-I use Konjac Foods brand glucomannan, which isn't quite as strong as THM's glucomannan from what I've heard. In my ice cream recipes I often remind people to decrease the glucomannan amount if they're using a strong brand and notice a funny taste or texture. It shouldn't make as much of a difference in baked goods, but if you notice that something is off, try decreasing the gluccie. You may be able to substitute xanthan gum for the glucomannan, but I haven't tried that in this recipe. These pudding cakes are best warm since the gluccie will start to solidify when it cools.
-Not into microwaves? Bake it at 350* until the desired texture is reached.
You can pin this recipe here:
This recipe reminds me why I was so successful starting my THM journey 5 years ago.—so many great seeet treats. Briana, you win guilt-free decadence award. I started a fuel cycle today, so the chocolate mug cake was a great to reward myself for staying on plan.
First time commenter, although I’ve been a lurker fan for ages 🙂 This is a WOW recipe: deep S, includes protein, and tastes like a real chocolate treat! It did take time and effort to blend in all the collagen and gluccie, but the few little lumps I ended up with did seem to melt into the gorgeous baked chocolate mousse texture of the cake. I whisked the coconut oil, super sweet and egg together first, which really made it fluffy. I think I’ll experiment with trying to mix the batter in one of my small Vitamix cups next time. Anyway, long story short, I’m in love with this recipe and wanted to thank you for it, and all of your other excellent recipes, and your beautiful cookbooks which I use all the time.
I made this tonight and it was so good! I didn’t have collagen on hand, so after reading through comments I subbed 1T gelatin and 1T whey powder and it turned out great, no weird texture and perfectly cake-like. I just started a fuel cycle and can’t wait to have this as my deep s dessert tomorrow night! Thanks, Briana!
Thanks for letting me know what you used! I’m glad it worked out for you!
Thank you for this recipe! Just paired it with tummy tucking icecream for my last day of a 2 week fuel cycle and it was such a treat!!
In my search for high protein desserts/night snacks my kids will enjoy, this one was a winner! All four enjoyed it very much with a dab of whipped cream, some berries and a drizzle of chocolate sauce (there are a few ways to do this sugar free) to make it a “brownie sundae”. Mom is happy they aren’t full of sugar and I got enjoy one too. I did bake ours in muffin tins for about 15 minutes and I’d back it to 10 or 12 to get more of a lava cake effect. Quadrupling the recipe makes 6 muffin sized cakes. They needed to be scooped out with a spoon instead of just sliding out when made this way.
I also mix the egg carefully with the oil to keep it from solidifying – I start whisking while adding the egg and water so the mixture doesn’t stay still and that’s been successful.
Thanks for the tips and telling us how you did it!
I have always resisted making any Microwaved Cakes or MIMs because I just don’t love food cooked in a microwave. My friend Candi, who is a professional baker and a winner on Cupcake Wars, did a Fuel Cycle last week and posted Briana’s Chocolate Pudding Cake for One TWICE and raved about it. Y’all, it’s so easy and absolutely delicious!! I took it regular S and topped with homemade Stevia-sweetened whipped cream and aside a cuppa hot tea. PERFECT Afternoon Tea Service and will definitely be one of my go-to quick desserts!!
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave that review, Corey! <3 I'm so glad you and Candi both enjoyed it!
Just tried this tonight as a Deep S snack on the first day of a Fuel Cycle. I used close to 2 Tablespoons of Gentle Sweet – it was really good! Thank you for a great Deep S Dessert!
Thanks for trying it, Sarah!
I’m a fan of both chocolate and single serve so have tried several. This one is my keeper! Thank you for a delicious as well as easy chocolate *cake.* it did hit the sweet spot!
Not sure what I did wrong. When I added the dry ingredients , the whole thing became too thick and lumpy. Had to keep adding water to mix everything together. Turned out hard after I took out of microwave…..threw it away!
I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you! If you didn’t make any substitutions, I’m not sure why it didn’t work out.
Only sub was egg in a carton versus regular egg. When The liquid egg hit the melted coconut oil, the oil geled up right away so I had to put back in microwave for a few second to melt it again. It seems like there is not enough liquid versus the amount of dry ingredients……
Hmm…I’m not sure. I’ve made it frequently and never had that problem, and I haven’t heard of that happening to anyone else either. Maybe try the real egg next time and see if that helps? Maybe the yolk will help keep things emulsified. 🙂 My batter is always more on the runny side. The recipe calls for 2 T water along with the egg (maybe using hot tap water will help keep your coconut oil melted), and the only flour is 2 T. collagen and 1 1/2 T. cocoa powder, neither of which are super dry flours.
Excellent for my sweet craving tonight! Thank you !
I am out of whole eggs. Do you think egg whites might work?
It probably won’t be quite as rich and yummy without the yolk, but you’re welcome to try! It should still be good.
I don’t have a microwave – can this be made in a toaster oven? If so, what temp and for how long? Thanks
I’m not that familiar with toaster ovens, so I’m not sure; but I usually recommend doing it at 350* in a regular oven until your desired doneness is reached. 🙂
If I only have large eggs, should I just not use it all? ?
Yeah, you might want to whisk it and only use about 2/3 of it so it’s not too eggy. 🙂 Or just try a whole one the first time and see how it is! (That’s probably what I’d do, since I’m lazy….)
I’m lazy, too!
By the looks of it, you’re anything but lazy ?
I made the chocolate pudding cake today tastes great! But it was flat. Hmmm. I followed the recipe and microwaved for 1 min. Any idea why?
By “flat” you mean it didn’t rise much? This is more of a pudding cake and has a different texture from a “regular” cake (it’s more moist and gooey), so it’s actually going to be flatter than a traditional light and fluffy cake. 🙂
Hi Briana! Just sending a thank you all your inspirational postings. Also about the ‘print’ icon. I have never been able to print using it. Is it indeed iPad friendly? Congratulations on your engagement :0) many blessings to you always! Marta
Hi Marta! I’m sorry you’re having troubles with the print button! I can’t seem to replicate the problem, but I don’t have an iPad so maybe that is the issue. I’m afraid I don’t know what to tell you, other than to try a different device and/or browser.
I want to make this; however, I only have gelatin and not collagen.
Will it still come out ok?
I’m afraid I don’t know! Gelatin tends to have a stronger flavor than collagen, and I’m not sure that it will act like a flour the same way that collagen does. If you’re OK with experimenting, it would be worth a try though, and I’d love to hear how it turns out!
Thank you for this DELICIOUS recipe Briana! Today is day 1 of THM and I was so grateful to find an on plan dessert that would satisfy my craving and was super simple and fast to make! 🙂 Happy New Year!
You are very welcome, Valerie! Welcome!
Hi! A quick question… Do you have a basic sub for the collagen in this recipe?? Is it ok to skip it? I want to make it NOW and dont have that ingredient=/! Thank you!
No, I’m afraid it’s part of the flour/structure, so you can’t skip it. I tried whey protein as a sub but didn’t care for the taste or texture. I don’t know of anything else that will give the same light texture as the collagen does – I’m sorry!
I am pretty sure this is my most favorite thing ever! Thank you so much for such a fantastic recipe!
I loved this! I used the protein powder instead of collagen and it made it more dense and not so liquidy. Great recipe ❤️☺️❤️
I’m so glad you liked it, Sarah! I actually just tried it with protein powder myself and didn’t like it, so I’m going to make a note of that in the recipe. =P
I told my husband it was terrible, so I didn’t have to share. ?
This may be nit-picky, but could you possibly have your designer move the search bar to the top of your page? I use it often! 🙂 Thanks!
Thanks for the suggestion! I moved it up a few spots in the sidebar so hopefully it’s easier to spot now.
heyy happy birhtday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hope you had a wonderful day
Thank you, Heidi!
Lovely! I totally see the difference in your birthday pics. And that raspberry colour is gorgeous on you. I feel like you are a friend as well. I am one of those kinds that reads the forward in a cookbook. Twice! O ya ,you are my friend. Thanks for being you Briana. Happy Belated Birthday too.
Leslie in Canada
Thanks so much for your sweet comment, Leslie! Thanks for being my friend. 😉 (And for reading the foreward!)
I’m excited to hear about these lighter side recipes. I’m a fair bit older than you and already knew that I am not able to eat the heavy fats very much and get away with it. I am again experimenting with using a little more of the Deep S fats for a trial run to see how it goes. So, I’ll be giving this recipe a try ASAP! I do love a good E meal – apples, squash, sweet potatoes and oatmeal – yum! Like you, I love cottage cheese. I’m experimenting with cutting way back on the cottage cheese and yogurt (boo, my fave E proteins) to see if that helps, too.
You’re smart. 😉 Coconut oil is where it’s at, I’m telling you!
Just made this for a movie night treat. It’s so yummy!! Thank you!
I’m so glad you liked it, Erynn! Thanks for trying it!
Love the personal touch you’ve added to your emails!
I’ve been doing THM for over 2 1/2 years now and know I need to work on more deep S meals! This one had my name written all over it!
Made it tonight and baked in the oven at 350* for 15minutes… perfectly goey and cakey! Thanks!!!
Wonderful! So glad it worked in the oven! Thanks for letting me know.
We are die-hard chocolate lovers and this recipe is absolutely amazing!!! Yes, we’ve actually tried it already and will definitely make it many more times! Thanks so much!
That makes me happy to hear!! *happy dance*
I just saw this recipe and can I say just how much I love you for all the single serve, Deep S and light recipes?? You bet I will try this and tag you in instagram. THANK YOU!
Oh, please do! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipes!
Great new style! I love reading your emails/posts because you never fail to come across as “real” in every way. From pets wandering around to putting the food on the floor to get the right light for a photo, to sharing your family and your faith, (and especially the singing!) it’s always enjoyable to see what you have to say. I’m sure many of us feel as if we know you, too, as we follow your journeys. Oh, and amazing THM recipes, of course.
Thank you so much for your sweet comment, Amanda! I’m so glad you feel that it’s real – that’s my goal!