These Freezer Protein Mug Cakes are a weeknight dessert hero you didn’t know you needed until now! Do you remember when mug cakes took snack time by storm in the early 2010s? I always loved a good mug cake and have several recipes in the archives, but my issue with them was always that while convenient, making a higher protein one often requires measuring out more ingredients than I want to on a weeknight when I just want something sweet. Well, not anymore y’all.
I’ve been on a kick lately of meal prepping not just meals, but also desserts. I am almost always going to have a sweet craving after dinner, so having something ready to go that fits my macros is the easiest way for me to stay on track rather than going for whatever I can find to crush a craving. I’ve had the idea to try freezing protein mug cakes into cubes out for a while and I really didn’t expect it to work as well as it did. Trust me when I say you’ve got to try this one!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- These Freezer Protein Mug Cakes are the perfect make ahead dessert to crush a sweet craving anytime with almost zero effort!
- You can scale the size of the mug cake up or down – 1, 2, 3, or even 4 cubes – depending on your hunger levels and nutritional needs.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Here’s what you’ll need to make these Freezer Protein Mug Cakes:
- Oat flour – I haven’t tested this recipe with any other types of flour, so I can’t say for sure if any other ingredients would need to be adjusted to accommodate them.
- Whey and casein protein – I recommend using a mix of both for best results.
- Dutch cocoa – I prefer Dutch cocoa over regular unsweetened cocoa because it’s less bitter and lends a richer chocolate flavor in my opinion, but either will work.
- Chocolate chips – I prefer the mini ones here so they are easier to get even distribution of chocolate on top of the cubes, and therefore the mug cakes.
- Baking powder – Helps the mug cakes rise.
- Egg whites – Holds the cake together while adding more protein.
- Applesauce – Lends volume and moisture to the mug cakes without adding fat. I haven’t tried using Greek yogurt as a substitute for the applesauce, but it might work, though the texture could get weird after freezing.
- Butter – A little bit of butter adds enough fat to keep the mug cakes tender. Coconut oil would work as a substitute. Peanut butter could work as well, though I haven’t tried it.
- Vanilla
whey vs casein:
Why the Protein Matters
Too much whey can make baked goods gummy and too much casein can make them dry, but mixed together they balance each other out and give you the closest to “normal” baked goods texture.
If you want to mix your own, check out my post to find great tasting whey protein. I haven’t done much taste testing with casein, but I have purchased this brand several times. Some brands make a pre-mixed whey and casein blend that would work great here.
Shop for This Recipe
I prefer Souper Cubes 2 tbsp trays over most ice cube trays because they have space in between the molds so you don’t have to fight to remove the frozen cubes. If you’ve fought that battle with a regular silicone ice cube tray before, you know what I mean. The only downside is that 2 Souper Cube trays hold 20 cubes, but you really need space for 21 or 22. Silicone muffin cups are perfect for the extras!
I recommend using a 10-12oz cappuccino mug for best results. The mugs pictured in this post are from World Market, but are no longer available, so I linked something similar.
Freezer Protein Mug Cakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup oat flour, 120 grams
- 1 1/2 scoops chocolate whey protein, 50 grams
- 1 scoop vanilla casein protein, 33 grams
- 1/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, 56 grams
- 3 tbsp dutch cocoa, 15 grams
- 1/2 tbsp baking powder, 8 grams
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce, 244 grams
- 1 cup liquid egg whites, 8 fl oz
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted, 43 grams
- 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Add 1 cup oat flour, 1 1/2 scoops chocolate whey protein, 1 scoop vanilla casein protein, 3 tbsp dutch cocoa, 1/2 tbsp baking powder, and 1/4 tsp salt to a large bowl and mix until well combined.
- Add 1 cup unsweetened applesauce, 1 cup liquid egg whites, 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted, and 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract to the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined and divide into 21 (2) tbsp freezer cube molds.
- Add 1/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips on top of the batter and press gently into the top of the batter. Cover and freeze until solid.
- To cook, add three (2) tbsp cubes into a mug and microwave on high for about 1 minute and 30 seconds. The cook time may vary depending on your microwave – if the mug cake begins to sink back down into the mug after rising, stop cooking. Top with any desired toppings before serving.
Tips & Tricks
Nutrition Information
