I’m an avid 8pm snacker. I love a little dessert before bed and this chocolate peanut butter protein cake fills that sweet tooth perfectly!
For some people, the taste of cocoa can be overwhelming but by using 1 part powdered peanut butter to the 1 part cocoa powder you end up with a great flavor balance between chocolate and peanut butter, plus it's a great way to add a touch more protein! I find the powdered peanut butter by the regular peanut butter in most grocery stores.
This cake is chocolatey, gooey in the middle and packed with protein!
I use unsweetened original almond milk as my liquid, it’s super low in calories and doesn’t add any fake flavoring but any milk works! I also love to top mine with a soft scoop of ice cream (some of my go tos are #halotop, #breyersdelights and Ben and Jerry’s #moophoria) but cool whip, whipped cream, yogurt or even keeping it as is, are other ways to enjoy this tasty treat!
To me, protein cake is an art form. It’s always delicious but it might take a few tries before you get it just right. Some people like it more gooey and others more solid. Some like it sweeter and others might opt for a salty mix in. I prefer mine a bit more gooey so I add some extra milk, it gives it that runny inside like a lava cake. If you prefer it to keep that cake consistency all the way through, air on the lesser side of the milk spectrum!
This recipe is great because you can customize it to your specific flavor preference!
Minute Protein Cake
1 serving | 1 minute
Ingredients:
1 scoop protein powder of choice (I’ve been using PEScience chocolate brownie batter, 33g/120 calories). I order mine on #amazon but the key is to look for one that's mainly protein, some have so many unneeded carbs from added sugar. This one is 24g of protein and 1g of carb. Other than that it's just trying different ones and seeing which you like best!
1/4-1/3 cup unsweetened original almond milk (I’ve found it depends on the protein powder how much milk you need, I also like a little extra milk to keep the middle of the cake more gooey and not fully formed, it’s like a warm melty lava cake... this is definitely a trial and error to find how you prefer your cake, my golden number to go with the PEscience protein powder and get that lava cake consistency is 90mL almond milk)
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp powdered peanutbutter
1/2 tsp baking powder
Optional: if you want it sweeter, add 1/2 tsp vanilla (personally I do not)
Optional mix ins: when I’m feeling really ~crazy~ I’ll drop in a few chocolate chips or mini Reese’s pieces after I’m done mixing the batter, they leave little pockets of melted chocolatey goodness throughout
There's so many different ways to make this cake your own, above are just a few of my favorites!
Directions:
Combine all dry ingredients in a microwave safe bowl.
Pour in milk and stir to combine.
Microwave 45 seconds-1 minute (timing depends on your microwave, how cooked you want it and how much milk you added. For the first time i would check it after 45 seconds and return to the microwave if you want it cooked more).
Top with your favorite toppings- whipped cream or halo top are my go to’s but I’ve also tried berries, pretzels and even a dollop of yogurt a time or two!
& finally... dig in!
