One of my favorite treats growing up was a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie from Subway of all places. Eventually, I realized that each cookie has 220 calories and like 20 grams of sugar. And of course I was capitalizing on their 3 for 99 cents deal. Whew! Past times like these are a big inspiration for recipes on this blog. This protein mug cake, for instance, packs a healthy dose of nostalgia and comfort without all the calories and sugar.
Not to mention, the 28 grams of protein and high volume ingredients create a super filling and satisfying treat. I don’t know about you, but I could probably eat 100 Subway white chocolate macadamia nut cookies in one sitting.
Staying full, satisfying cravings, and reaching higher protein intakes for fitness goals and supporting lean body mass are always primary goals with recipes on Mugs for Muscles.
Protein Mug Cake Ingredients
With only 6 ingredients, I don’t have many notes for you.
You can use any protein powder for this protein mug cake, but I used a whey concentrate blend from Dymatize. I’ve found the ultra lean powders like whey isolate have a tendency to get dry or tough in mug cakes. And plant-based powders can be a bit granular or dense. If you’re using a different protein powder, you may want to add a bit more fat via butter or faux fat like unsweetened apple sauce to accommodate. You could also swap the almond milk for a milk with some fat content. (i.e. cow’s milk, coconut milk)
For the coconut flour, you can swap an all purpose flour or similar flour at a 3:1 ratio. You’ll add some calories and carbs so keep that in mind with your calories and macros.
As you’ll see in the recipe notes, a shallow bowl or mug tends to work better than a tall mug for even cooking in mug cakes. If you’re cooking in a tall mug, keep an eye out for overflow and finish it off in intervals. Once it’s cooked through, you can flip a tall mug cake out the same way if you’d like. Check out the Crunch Berries Protein Mug Cake for an example of this.
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Protein Mug Cake

A high protein treat for the white chocolate macadamia nut fan.
Ingredients
- 1 scoop (34g) Protein Powder, vanilla
- 2 Tbsp (14g) Coconut Flour
- 1 Tbsp (14g) Light Butter
- 1/2 C (120mL) Unsweetened Almond Milk
- 1/2 Tbsp (7g) White Chocolate Chips
- 1 Tbsp (7g) Macadamia Nuts, pieces or halves work best
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients in a mug or bowl. Stir well. (For best results, transfer to a mug or bowl sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.)
- Microwave for 90-105 seconds, watching for overflow depending on the size of your mug or bowl. If the mug cake is close to overflowing, finish the remaining cook time in 5-second intervals.
Notes
- Cooking in a shallow bowl seems to work best since the chocolate chips and nuts sink to the bottom during cooking.
- If you’d like the best of both worlds, add ½ the chocolate chips and nuts to the mixture and save ½ for adding to the top.
- To make yours look like the intro photo you see, run a knife around the cake's edges and flip the cake onto a plate after cooking. Top with chocolate chips and macadamia nuts. Microwave for an additional 20-30 seconds if the bottom of the cake is still a bit moist.
Nutrition Information
Yield
1Serving Size
1 Mug CakeAmount Per Serving Calories 340Total Fat 18gUnsaturated Fat 0gCarbohydrates 17gProtein 28g
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Sammi Seger
Sunday 17th of February 2019
This recipie came out alright! The flavor was good but I didn’t get the same fluffiness as expected. 1. I replaced with regular flour. (Might need to adjust). 2. I recommend adding 1/2 white chocolate chips because mine all fell to bottom. Very tasty regardless!
Tarren
Wednesday 7th of November 2018
This was super easy and tasted great!! I used chocolate flavored protein powder and subbed chocolate chips for the white chocolate!