Welcome to the Festival of Food Carnival. In celebration of the tradition of Easter chocolates, we’re sharing recipe ideas for healthier alternatives – sweets and treats featuring real cocoa. Hosted by Diary of a First Child and Hybrid Rasta Mama, you’re welcome to join us next time, or if you have a previously published recipe you’d like to share, add it to the linky below.

Well, confession time: this past week I’ve had a dangerous flirtation with some mug cakes.  Flirting that might have led to something more…something like eating a mug cake every night for the past 5 days…

I may be a dietitian, but I’m a human first, ok!  And I gave up alcohol for Lent, so that healthy evening treat has left a hole.

A hole that wants to be filled with chocolate cake.

To be fair, I have still eaten lots of fruits and veggies and been exercising every day, so I don’t think that this will have too many negative repercussions, but a calorie-laden sugar bomb is not an ideal finish to the day for anyone.  So I worked out a compromise, and came up with this recipe to make a chocolate mug cake that’s a bit healthier…enjoy, and let me know if you try it!

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 2 Tbsp quick cooking plain oats
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1.5 Tbsp cocoa
• 1 Tbsp chia seeds
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 Tbsp oil (I used olive oil)
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 3 Tbsp water
• (note: I didn’t have any on hand, but I strongly suspect a bit (~2tsp?) of applesauce would do nicely in addition here too!)

For the icing:

• 4 Tbsp part-skim ricotta cheese
• 4 tsp cocoa
• 2 tsp honey

Directions:

Mix all the dry ingredients for the cake part in a mug with a fork.  Add the oil, honey, and water, and stir until evenly blended.  Pop in the microwave for 2-3 minutes (depending on how strong your ‘wave is).  It’s done when it looks done..and is spongy but not gooey to a light touch.  Scrape around the sides with a knife, and immediately invert onto a plate.  For the “icing,” just mix the 3 ingredients listed until smooth, and schmear up that lil cake…you should only need about half (~2 Tbsp) of what you mixed.

The rest of the “icing” can be used as a hydrating facial! (Some sites claim that cocoa is good for protecting skin from sun and increasing blood flow, and honey has antiseptic properties.)  It rubs into skin really well, and serves as a nice cooling mask that smells delicious:

Enjoy with a fork.

See how jealous the little honey bear was that he didn’t get any?!

Please take a moment to visit the blogs of our other Festival of Food participants. The links in this list will be live by the end of the day, as participants are all in different time zones.

• Got children who won’t eat their fruit? On a healthy eating plan and yearning for something decadent? Mrs. Green’s decadent avocado smoothie recipe ticks ALL the boxes!You can also find Mrs. Green at Little Green Blog.
• Lindy at Poppy Soap Co. shares Delectable, Grain Free Chocolate Cookie Bites, a simple, savory cookie that you will not be able to resist. You can also find Lindy on Facebook.
• Luschka at Diary of a First Child shares her favourite vegan chocolate cake recipe, perfect for when you’ve run out of eggs. Add some coconut oil for a taste extravaganza.  You can also find Luschka on Facebook.
• Angela at EarthMamas World shares one of her families favorite desserts, chocolate chia pudding. It is as easy as it is delicious!  You can also find Angela on Facebook.
• Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama shares the Easiest, Tastiest 5-Ingredient Chocolate Cake! This recipe literally takes minutes to throw together and is Gluten, Grain, and Dairy Free . You can also find Jennifer on Facebook.
• Lauren at Hobo Mama has a simple cheater’s way to make this decadent-tasting but guilt-free Freestyle Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, and it dirties only one bowl and one spoon!You can also find Hobo Mama on Facebook.