Gluten Free Chocolate Cake in Under 10 Minutes

I have a few moments while my jelly jars are being sterilized to pop this one down.

Maybe I'm evil for making this recipe. Hopefully it doesn't lead to many pounds gained from lack of self-control (and I can relate to that), but it turned out so lovely and tasty.  I'm not a gluten-free girl by any stretch of the imagination, but even I liked this.

Every 2 weeks I teach a history co-op for middle school aged kids in my homeschool group. I was getting ready for the co-op one morning, when one of the mom's husband stopped by and asked if he could throw a quick surprise birthday party for his wife. How sweet!!

Here's the crux, one of our 5 families is totally gluten-free, and I hate leaving people out. I didn't want to burden the husband, who was being so nice, so I threw on my super-quick thinking "thinking cap" and came up with a solution.

A few years ago, a friend posted to her blog a recipe for chocolate cake in a mug - a quick combination of ingredients you could microwave in a coffee mug and would produce a chocolate cake. It was horrid!! I've rarely tasted anything worse. But I figure the concept has been hashed out a few times since then.

I searched for a recipe, not a gluten free one - I knew that would be a waste of time - and found one that had descent reviews.  I needed to increase the serving size to 3, but I didn't want to use more eggs (that was the main problem with the first one - tasted too eggy). Yet to increase the serving, I needed more flour and thus the binding agent needed to be increased (I subbed the milk with coconut milk, which is much creamier). 

This is the can of coconut milk I bought at Whole Foods. But any Asian type grocery will have coconut  milk. I had to open the whole top after the milk congealed in the fridge!

What I threw together in 5 minutes with what I had around the house was so tasty, I wanted to share it. So many people are having to go gluten-free, and that shouldn't stop someone from spontaneous indulgence!

Gluten-Free Microwave Chocolate Cake Recipe
Yields 3 servings

Ingredients
4 TBSP butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/3 c coconut milk (can use regular milk too, but it will affect the flavor)
2/3 cup gluten free flour (I used Bob's Red Mill AP GF Flour, but really any kind would work - I'm trying 100% garbanzo flour next time)
3/4 tsp Xanthan gum
3 TBSP cocoa powder
1/4 + 1/8 tsp baking powder
pinch salt

Directions:
Spray a medium microwave-safe bowl with non-stick spray and set aside. I used a 6" by 6" square glass casserole pan.

In a small mixing bowl or large cereal bow, combine the butter, sugar, egg, vanilla extract, and milk. Use a wire whisk to mix together until fully mixed.

In a small plastic container that can be lidded, combine the flour, xanthan gum, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Make sure your dry ingredients are all at room temp, otherwise it affects the way it mixes and you won't get a smooth consistency. If you don't have time to let it set out and get room temp, microwave it on low (as low as the microwave can go) for 30 seconds to 2 minutes.

Pop the lid on the container and shake until well mixed. Add to the creamy mixture and blend with whisk until smooth. Pour into greased bowl and smooth with spoon until even.

Cook in the microwave on high for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes, or until cake springs back when touched.

Let it cool five minutes, then serve. It doesn't even need icing. You can top it with whipped cream or drizzle some melted semi-sweet chocolate chips on top. Or treat it like a brownie and top it straight from the micro with vanilla ice cream! Very tasty, even for the non-gluten-free folk! You won't miss the gluten, and it's a high protein low carb (let's just ignore that pesky fat) snack using the garbanzo bean flour.