{"id":3398,"date":"2011-10-12T16:37:38","date_gmt":"2011-10-12T14:37:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/?p=3398"},"modified":"2011-10-12T16:37:38","modified_gmt":"2011-10-12T14:37:38","slug":"no-oil-sugar-or-butter-microwave-chocolate-happy-birthday-cake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2011\/10\/12\/no-oil-sugar-or-butter-microwave-chocolate-happy-birthday-cake\/","title":{"rendered":"No oil, sugar, or butter Microwave Chocolate Happy Birthday Cake"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s tradition for me to post about the birthday cake I make myself on my birthday (that’s today).<\/p>\n

(For past birthdays, read about Drunken Devil’s food cupcakes<\/a>, Kitchen Sink cookies<\/a>, Chocolate Brownie cake with homemade caramel<\/a>, and a Chocolate and Coffee Mousse Cake<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n

\"No<\/a><\/p>\n

This year, things have changed a bit for me<\/strong>. If you’ve been reading along, you’ll remember I started a new site<\/a>,\u00a0Food Blogger on a Diet<\/a>,<\/strong> to talk about healthy living. It’s related to how I let my body degrade despite my good intentions. But good intentions only count if they’re accompanied by a lot of work. So, the past 7 months I’ve been exercising<\/a>, eating better<\/a>, and I’ve lost quite a bit of weight. 2011 has turned into a great year for me.<\/p>\n

I feel much better, and though I’m not avoiding sweets altogether (I need my gelato!), I tend not to keep much in the house as I find it greatly helps me appreciate those times when I do eat sweets, and reduce just-because-it’s-in-the-house eating. That, combined with the fact that I work from home<\/a> and don’t want an entire cake\/pie\/dessert best suited for 12-14 people sitting in my kitchen, means I wasn’t looking forward to this year’s birthday cake as much as before.<\/p>\n

Enter my little Le Creuset mini cocotte<\/a><\/strong>. I love this! And the blue color is so pretty. It makes me happy. And today it made me a little cake.<\/p>\n

\"Le<\/a><\/p>\n

There are so many things I love about this cake, and soon I’ll share a recipe, but I want to keep tweaking it. But what I can tell you about this cake are two great things: it has no oil, butter, or refined sugar in it. And I cooked it in the microwave. <\/strong><\/p>\n

I wasn’t intending on cooking it in the microwave but I wanted to experiment with the batter and it tasted just like I wanted, so why pre-heat the oven for 20 minutes and cook the cake for 10 when 2 minutes in the microwave does just fine?\u00a0<\/p>\n

If you feel like experimenting yourself, here’s a bit about this cake. It’s full of ingredients I already had lying around my house and am eating on a regular basis – greek yogurt (2% but I’m curious to try it again with 0%), cacao, almonds I ground up, honey, and even a splash of almond milk. I used 1\/2 an egg and just 2 T. of flour, though in a future version I’d like to eliminate the flour altogether. Add a pinch of baking soda, and it’s ready to go. After, I wanted to top it with something a little sweeter, and I made a quick chocolate ganache with honey instead of white sugar (and yes, a little butter).<\/p>\n

That was just perfect.<\/p>\n

If you could make a cake just for one, what would you put in it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"No<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It’s tradition for me to post about the birthday cake I make myself on my birthday (that’s today). (For past birthdays, read about Drunken Devil’s food cupcakes, Kitchen Sink cookies, Chocolate Brownie cake with homemade caramel, and a Chocolate and Coffee Mousse Cake) This year, things have changed a bit for me. If you’ve been…<\/p>\n

Read More »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[73,3,82],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-3398","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-chocolate","7":"category-food","8":"category-me","9":"entry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4uB1-SO","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5472,"url":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2014\/10\/28\/dark-chocolate-fondant-birthday-cake-recipe\/","url_meta":{"origin":3398,"position":0},"title":"Dark Chocolate Fondant Birthday Cake Recipe","author":"Sara, Ms. Adventures in Italy","date":"October 28, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"As I usually do, this year I baked myself a birthday cake. While the idea of someone else making me or buying me a cake for my birthday is exciting, baking my own birthday cake is\u00a0actually something I look forward to as it's something I can make completely selfishly and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Chocolate"","block_context":{"text":"Chocolate","link":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/category\/food\/chocolate\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Birthday Fondant Cake, Ms. Adventures in Italy by Sara Rosso","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/BirthdayFondantCake_SaraRosso.jpg?fit=1000%2C1000&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/BirthdayFondantCake_SaraRosso.jpg?fit=1000%2C1000&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/BirthdayFondantCake_SaraRosso.jpg?fit=1000%2C1000&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/BirthdayFondantCake_SaraRosso.jpg?fit=1000%2C1000&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2046,"url":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2009\/10\/12\/chocolate-brownie-birthday-cake-with-homemade-caramel-and-pistachios-recipe\/","url_meta":{"origin":3398,"position":1},"title":"Chocolate Brownie Birthday Cake with Homemade Caramel and Pistachios Recipe","author":"Sara, Ms. Adventures in Italy","date":"October 12, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"So if you've read about how celebrating birthdays in the US and Italy is different, you'll know that usually the birthday girl\/boy makes their own cake or brings food\/drink to celebrate a birthday with their colleagues*, I thought it only fair to give some presents to my readers, too! Remember\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Chocolate"","block_context":{"text":"Chocolate","link":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/category\/food\/chocolate\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Chocolate Brownie Cake with Homemade Caramel and Pistachios","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2527\/4004078338_88c305a163.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2681,"url":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2010\/10\/13\/classic-chocolate-mousse-and-espresso-coffee-chocolate-chip-mousse-cake-recipe\/","url_meta":{"origin":3398,"position":2},"title":"Classic Chocolate Mousse and Espresso Coffee Chocolate Chip Mousse Cake Recipe","author":"Sara, Ms. Adventures in Italy","date":"October 13, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday was my birthday. As you may have seen the past few years reading my site, in Italy it's custom for the birthday gal\/guy to bring treats & drinks into the office to share with colleagues. I usually bring something, and I enjoy a little indulgence in making something I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Chocolate"","block_context":{"text":"Chocolate","link":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/category\/food\/chocolate\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Classic Chocolate Mousse and Espresso Coffee Chocolate Chip Mousse Cake Recipe","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm5.static.flickr.com\/4153\/5077761933_87f731bcce.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1254,"url":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2009\/03\/31\/the-search-for-the-perfect-frosting-recipe\/","url_meta":{"origin":3398,"position":3},"title":"The Search for the Perfect Frosting Recipe","author":"Sara, Ms. Adventures in Italy","date":"March 31, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Make sure you get all the way to the bottom for a giveaway about your favorite cupcake and frosting flavors! I take it for granted that everyone has a favorite type of cake. 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I hadn't made cupcakes in Italy, for many reasons, least of all that I didn't have a muffin pan. After Nicole's cupcakes, I knew exactly what I wanted for my\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Chocolate"","block_context":{"text":"Chocolate","link":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/category\/food\/chocolate\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"My mini birthday cake","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2320\/1549750648_870ab68c37.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":391,"url":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2007\/10\/01\/la-torta-setteveli-seven-veils-cake\/","url_meta":{"origin":3398,"position":5},"title":"La Torta Setteveli “Seven Veils” Cake","author":"Sara, Ms. Adventures in Italy","date":"October 1, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"While I'm writing this, my hands are shaking and my heart is racing because it's a damned-if-you-do, and you're damned-if-you-don't. 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