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Short-Order Kitchen

Raspberry Lemon Mug Loaf

By Wes Ellis2 min read
A glazed citrus loaf cake topped with candied citrus slices, with cut slices on a plate behind it.
Recipe card
Servings
1
Prep
5 to 7 minutes
Cook
60 to 90 seconds
Method
Microwave
Difficulty
Easy
Jump to ingredients & directions ↓

Part 6 of the thread Microwave muffins and mug cakes

THE SHORT VERSION4 points
  • Lemon zest in the batter, raspberries folded in gently.
  • 60 to 90 seconds, then the toothpick test.
  • Cream cheese frosting, warmed 15 seconds and stirred smooth.
  • A loaf-shaped container makes it look the part.
THE RECIPE · RASPBERRY LEMON MUG LOAF

Ingredients

Loaf

Frosting

You'll need

  • Microwave-safe mug or small loaf-shaped dish
  • Small microwave-safe bowl
  • Zester or fine grater
  • Fork or small whisk

Directions

Loaf

  1. Grease the container. Stir the protein powder, milk, pancake mix and lemon zest together until smooth.
  2. Gently fold in the raspberries.
  3. Microwave on high for 60 to 90 seconds, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Let it cool slightly.

Frosting

  1. Microwave the cream cheese, sweetener and milk for about 15 seconds, then stir until smooth.
  2. Turn the loaf out onto a plate, or leave it in the dish, and spread the frosting over the top.
Notes Best the day it's made; frosted leftovers keep 1 to 2 days in the fridge and are fine cold or at room temperature. Roughly 285 calories and 40 g protein per serving, give or take.

wesellis.com/blog/raspberry-lemon-loaf/

Raspberry and lemon is one of those pairings that tastes like a bakery case. Tart berries, bright zestThe thin, colored outer layer of a citrus peel, grated off with a fine grater. It holds the fragrant oils, so it tastes more like lemon than the juice does. Stop before you hit the bitter white pith.More: Single-Serve Lemon Loaf, a smear of cream cheese frosting on top. It's a small thing, but it feels a lot fancier than something that came out of a microwave.

Fold, don't stir

Raspberries are fragile. Beat them into the batter and they fall apart, and the whole loaf turns pink and a bit soggy. Stir everything else smooth first, then fold the berries in with a few slow turns of the fork so they stay mostly whole. You want pockets of fruit, not raspberry batter.

A small loaf-shaped dish, if you have one, makes it look like an actual slice of lemon loaf when you turn it out. A mug works fine; it just looks like a mug cakeA single serving of cake batter cooked right in a mug or bowl in the microwave, usually in a minute or two. It won't brown like an oven cake, but it's done before you could preheat one.More: Protein Blueberry Muffins, Baked or Microwaved.

Tip

Zest the lemon straight over the bowl. The oils that spray off the peel are half the flavor, and they end up in the batter instead of on the counter.

The frosting trick

It's the same quick cream cheese frosting as the Carrot Cake Mug Muffin: 15 seconds in the microwave to soften, then a good stir. Let the loaf cool a bit first so the frosting sits on top instead of sliding off.

If you want lemon without the berries, the Single-Serve Lemon Loaf is the plain version. The Lemon Loaf and Shortcake Protein Shakes put the same flavors in a glass.

Note

Frozen raspberries work, but fold them in still frozen. Thawed ones collapse into mush the moment you touch them.

LINKED FROM4 notes

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