Recipe reproduced with permission from Glenda Bishop. Glenda is a Registered Nutritionist, wellness coach, neuroscientist and educator.

Everyone needs a treat every now and again, even this Registered Nutritionist. In fact, since going low FODMAP I’ve felt the desire for homemade treats even more strongly because I’m rarely able to buy a treat when I’m out at a café or restaurant. But baking at home can create a problem. That’s because on a low FODMAP diet, portion control is very important for symptom management, so going back for seconds can sometimes become an issue. And really, who can stop at once piece of any decent baked good?

The way around this is to make something that is perfectly portioned so there’s no chance of seconds. Individual mug cakes are a great way to do this. That way you get to have your cake, but there aren’t any extra pieces lying around and tempting you to eat more.

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When I first started looking for mug cakes to adapt to be low FODMAP, I stumbled across Kate Scarlata’s Low FODMAP Brownie in a minute. It was beautifully portion-controlled, quick and easy to make, and it was chocolatey goodness. Except for one little thing… I’ve never been much of a brownie fan. Sure, I’ll eat them and enjoy them, but given the choice I’d rather eat chocolate cake. So using Kate’s recipe as inspiration, I happily started developing my own recipe to create a cakey combination that I loved.

I will freely admit that when I was developing this recipe, I did overindulge and made the chocolate mug cake on a daily basis. But it was fairly early on in my low FODMAP journey and I had been feeling quite deprived for a while, so I consider that to be a normal reaction. But after several days of cake, or maybe closer to a week, that feeling of deprivation went away and now I only make it every few weeks or so when I feel like something a little special after dinner.

Apart from the fact that this recipe makes a delicious low FODMAP chocolate cake, the best thing about it is that it’s ridiculously simple to make. Grab a microwave safe tea cup, put the dry ingredients into the mug and mix with a small spoon. Then add the liquid ingredients and mix to form a batter. Then microwave. Then eat. This is one example of where life (and cooking) does not have to be hard!

Chocolate Mug Cake

Makes: 1 perfectly portioned chocolate cake

Serving size: 1 mug cake

Special equipment: microwave and a microwave-safe mug that holds 250ml (or 1 cup)

Ingredients

· 2 tbsp low FODMAP gluten-free flour

· 1 tbsp brown sugar

· 1 tbsp desiccated coconut

· 1 tbsp chopped walnuts

· 2 tsp cocoa

· 1/8 tsp gluten-free baking powder

· 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

· 2 tbsp almond milk (or other low FODMAP milk, see notes)

Instructions

1. Put the flour, sugar, coconut, walnuts, cocoa and baking powder into the mug. Mix thoroughly with a small spoon.

2. Add the oil and milk to the mug and mix with the spoon to form a batter.

3. Put the mug in the microwave and cook on high for 1 minute. Note that cooking times will vary depending on the power of your microwave, so if the cake seems too soft or uncooked, microwave for another 10-15 seconds and check it again.

4. The cake will be VERY hot when it comes out of the microwave, so you will need to let it cool for a few minutes. I like to eat my chocolate mug cake with fresh strawberries or frozen berries that I’ve defrosted in the microwave while waiting for the mug cake to cool.

Ingredient Notes*:

Based on the recommended portion sizes of individual ingredients in the Monash University Low FODMAP Diet app at the time of publication, this recipe should be low FODMAP provided that the recommended serving size for this recipe is not exceeded.

· Almond milk is low FODMAP, but you could also use lactose-free milk, soy protein milk or hemp milk, depending on your personal food tolerances.

· Make sure that the cocoa is pure and doesn’t contain any extra ingredients other than cocoa.

· Don’t be concerned by the extra virgin olive oil – you won’t be able to taste it in the cooked cake because of the cocoa. But you could switch to a different oil if you prefer.

This recipe is naturally gluten-free and dairy-free. However, if you have an allergy to any of these items, or have coeliac disease, please check the labels on any purchased ingredients to ensure they are safe for your requirements.*Based on current data obtained from the Monash University Low FODMAP Diet app

Rachel is a university qualified Clinical Nutritionist based in Balmain. She is also the busy working mum of two teenagers, so is practical and realistic with her advice . Rachel offers private consultations to improve your family's health and well-being. You can find her on Facebook and Instagram for more healthy tips and tricks.

If you'd like help implementing a low FODMAP diet I can help you. Find out more about my services here. If you’re after more delicious low FODMAP recipes go here.

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