I know…you’re all wondering….
What an elegant dessert….
a souffle, perhaps?
molten chocolate center?
did it take hours to make?
I am pleased to present to you, my Negative Calorie Chocolate Cake. Never before in the history of desserts has there ever been such an luscious cake that is this good for your inner chocoholic self.
Yes. you heard me right. Not just “low fat” “low calorie” or even “no calorie”
Its NEGATIVE CALORIE. Meaning, you earn credits for eating this dessert.
So, what makes this cake negative calorie? Well first off, I made it with:
and replace the 1/2 cup of oil with this:
and nuke for 5 minutes in one of these:
WTF?!?!? How dare she post a recipe on a food blog using Betty Crocker and a microwave?!? Isn’t she violating section 4.6.2 of the Food Blog Code of Conduct?
So, smack me silly with a violation, but I know that one night this week…oh…right around 9:00pm….when no one is watching…you are going to try this cake. You’re asking yourself if this Negative Calorie Chocolate Cake from Betty C. tastes as delicious, luscious, moist and rich as it looks. Here’s your answer:
Negative Calorie Chocolate Cake
I always make this with Betty Crocker Super Moist Cake Mix Dark Chocolate (the one with a Hershey’s logo on it). I’m sure it will taste just as good with other brands of cake mix, but this is my preference. The ingredients below are based on the back of the box (with the exception of the banana) If you use a different brand of cake mix, follow their instructions for ingredients, replacing the banana for the oil or butter. Of course, if you aren’t on a diet – ditch the banana idea and just use the oil/butter as the recipe calls for.
Note on the banana: It should be a super-ripe brownish banana…like in the photo above. If you don’t have a super ripe banana and can’t wait – just use the oil/butter…the recipe just won’t work well with a firm, yellow banana.
Note on the microwave times: Each microwave is different. Use the times I have below and test with toothpick. Just note your final time so that you won’t have to check for doneness next time.
Prep time: 3 minutes Cook time: 5-8 minutes (depends on how many you are making)
Serves: Depends on how hungry you are. Makes about 8 ramekins
1 box Betty Crocker SuperMoist Cake Mix (Dark Chocolate) – or your fav cake mix
1 very ripe banana, smushed well with a fork
3 eggs
1 1/3 cups water
Cooking spray to spray the ramekins
In big bowl: Smushed banana + eggs + water (whisk well)
Stir in cake mix (Stir vigorously for a couple of minutes until well mixed)
Pour into ramekins (sprayed lightly with cooking spray) until filled 2/3 full
Every microwave is different – here are some guidelines:
For 2 ramekins: microwave on MEDIUM-HIGH (I set my microwave on power strength 8 ) for 5 minutes
For 3-4 ramekins: 6 minutes
For 5-6 ramekins: 7 minutes
Check with toothpick to see if cake is done. Mushy cake mix stuck to toothpick? Add another 30 seconds. Cake crumbs on toothpick? Done.
Top with warm chocolate sauce and maybe a little drizzle of reduced pomegranate juice:
But..but…but….how do you get negative calories with that???
Ok. brace yourselves. Try to follow along now:
| Betty Crocker Calories per serving | 280 |
| Replace the oil with a banana | -40 |
| Saving oven energy and using microwave instead | -86 |
| Saving time (10 minutes in micro vs. 40 in the oven) | -43 |
| Not having to look up a fancy recipe | -05 |
| For using up the ripe smushy banana – instead of tossing it | -32 |
| For not having to use your electric mixer – mixing by hand burns calories | -47 |
| For pleasing your inner “Instant Grat-Brat” (I want cake NOW!) | -10 |
| For being so clever – who else would combine BettyC+banana+micro ? | -23 |
| For using something very healthy and full of antioxidants (reduced Pomegranate Juice) | -28 |
| For…um….just because I said so | -8 |
| Grand Total | -32 |
Can you see me on late-night infomercials pushing my Negative Calorie Chocolate Cake Diet???
Move over Atkins…here comes something steamy-er….
In case you don’t have ramekins, just pour in a 9×11-ish glass Pyrex pan (something microwave safe please) until batter reaches half way up the sides. Microwave for 11 minutes medium-high, check for doneness. Cut into nice squares and enjoy.
Other ideas that I haven’t tried yet:
-drop a big chunk-o-chocolate in the middle of batter in each ramekin (will it turn into a molten chocolate cake?)
-add raspberries to batter
-applesauce instead of banana? Reader Renee suggested adding 1T oil to applesauce to keep moist
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BONUS! And there’s more!
Look what happens when I take a white boy to a Chinese market! <== but please don’t click that if you’re a vegetarian
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Look who is making Negative Calorie Chocolate Cake!
Email me jaden (at) steamykitchen (dot) com – and I’ll add you to the list.
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I like your rationale for toting up the non-calories and loved, loved the visit to the Chinese market, too! A true bonus! I laughed out loud!
jaden, you are a baker!!!
You are *hilarious* Jaden! =) Hehehehehehee! Please keep the “negative calorie” recipes coming!
I can’t believe that lovely little cake came out of the microwave! Hilarious commentary. I so have to try this. It sounds like the perfect girlie girl “in a pinch” snack.
Holy moses – this is a freaking dessert! I was trying to figure out how to add SPAM to it, but I think I’ll just wait and catch the next one.
Joey- serve to your guests and don’t even tell them that you nuked it!
Gertrude- tell your husband its good for him
Leslie- i LOVE your blog too!
Chubby Panda- wait until I publish my negative calorie french fries
Elaine- I have a handy pocket calculator that I take shopping with me too
Zoomie- oh I’m happy that you enjoyed the market trip – it was fun giving the meat tour
BBO- i love u guys!
Mona- Thank you!
Caitlyn- I’m working on it!
Erin- yeah, perfect way to describe the cake “girlie girl in a pinch snack”
Spamfan- oh DON’T YOU DARE!!
what a gorgeous choc cake! yummy
That is one gorgeous looking cake … so very sinful yet not.
Hey, thanks for the POMWonderful plug…that’s one of our sister companies! Can’t wait to try this at home!!
No WAY. No WAY. I’m making this tomorrow. I’ll send you a picture.
This is great Jaden! I love your whole attitude about this cake! You took the cake mix out of the box, but you also used it THINKING outside the box as well! Very well done! I am sure lots of people will be trying your version of this cake. Personally I love the whole pomegranate drizzle! -
D’oh! If only I had a microwave, I would be ALL OVER THIS.
I haven’t tried this chocolate cake yet – but absolutely it will be one of my lists.
I did though make black forest chocolate cake from Pillsbury Devil cake. It turned out very good and simple!
Now you have me jonesing for chocloate cake you evil seductress you!
wohoooooooooo… my new diet food
LOL jaden, i am laughing like a mad woman sitting in my office and just imagine the look of my boss who sits right in front of me 
What a clever idea! This is just perfect when you need a quick, elegant dessert (or a fast midnight snack). I made it the other night with a little puddle of raspberry coulis. Quick. Easy. Delicious!
*psh* I love easy recipes. One of my most popular cupcake recipes was one using a can of chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, cinnamon, and a box of devil’s food cake mix. Fan-frickin tastic.
Garrett- HOLY BLOW MY TONGUE OFF!!! A whole can of chipotle+adobo????
Beautiful site, gorgeous pictures, clever and witty and I cannot wait to get home and do something with that dang brown banana that I wouldn’t let my daugther have this morning!
I’ll be back for more!
This is so fabulous what a great recipe!
Sounds very interesting You’ve a unique way of baking… I’m going to have to give this a whirl!
Hi… I stumbled upon your site and I tried making your negative chocolate cake…
except I didn’t have any chocolate cake… but I DID have Betty Crocker’s golden cake.
Soooo I threw that in a bowl with a smushed up banana, water, eggs and ….hmmm… I HAD to throw in something else to make up for the absolute lack of chocolate cake-ness… so I had a 1/2 an Aero chocolate bar (how that survived around here, I don’t know), that I broke up, and a handful of chocolate chips… and microwaved it, oh- for about 12 minutes- and voila! Chocolate Banana Microwave cake!
Next time I would add an additional banana, to make it more banana-y, if I was going to sitck with the golden flavor cake.
Thanks for the ideas– I can make up so many fast cake recipes like this!
I loved the idea of a banana chocolate cake and tried it last night with a standard pan instead of ramekins. Turned out delightful.
My grandson loved it too, the little monkey.
You can also drizzle Monavie on the cake. It is all natural, made up of 19 fruits including the acai berry. Tastes great!
Http://www.mymonavie.com/richardfamily
PS Cant wait to try the no knead bread
I ate 30 of these and I have disappeared. What do I do now?
I know who would love this recipe..my sisters, lol. If you ever wanna check out some more recipes you could try http://www.lovemyphilly.com has lots of cool recipes
Hmm.. This should make me feel better about that Steak and shredded cheese Baked Potato dinner I made today.. /)_(\
A cake with NEGATIVE calories that will make me feel so damn guilty, until I hit my head with the palm of my hand and say “Oh I forgot—negative calories..”
The photo looked so luscious, and the recipe so simple and fast, I had to try it. I needed some chocolate in the bakery case at my teahouse, but I couldn’t get anything from my caterers’ with no day’s notice. And I had a couple of very gone bananas. I used the Betty Crocker Dark Chocolate mix. Not having ramekins, I used stemmed water glasses, for a parfait sort of thing. I had some blackberry pie filling which I augmented with some Greek brandy…So, an inch of batter, a dollop of blackberry, a dollop of batter, and into the mike it went for 2 minutes. It was fun to watch it grow and try to take over the microwave.
Now, you may find this strange, but I don’t actually like chocolate. Really. Milk chocolate gives me a headache, fudge will make me nauseous. So, I had to use others as guinea pigs. And the verdict was: tough, and not all that tasty. Particularly when it got cold. Which is kind of what I expected…microwaving cake!! (Moreover, I am one of those people who reads labels, so I almost never use cake mixes. Do you guys read those things?! Yikes!) I don’t know whether it was because the cake-parfaits were cooled and maybe you folks ate them still hot, but cold they were very lifeless. ‘Minded me of brown foam insulation.
Oh, how I wanted it to be fabulous! But it wasn’t. Alas.
Alia- It didn’t work for you because there is a general rule in the universe about people who dislike chocolate trying to make chocolate desserts. Pisses off the chocolate gods, you know?
That must be it — but the tea gods still love me!
You should make a video tutorial of this recipe and post it on makemysupper.com. People would love to see how you make this cake!
this is the only time that I’ve ever seen (not just a negative calorie chocolate cake, which is also a first) someone accidentally put “its,” when they should’ve had “it’s.”
It’s like I’m living in Crazy-ville. but…seriously….thanks for the recipe.
Shawn-
Chinglish, baby…I speak Chinglish.
jaden
and it’s hot.
sorry….I’m the grammar nazi….
I tried this just now and gave them to my mom, sister, bro, and bro in law! I left 2 for me and my husband! it’s so easy to make and so cool! I love the part wherein the cakes go up and down in the microwave! thanks a lot for sharing the recipe! I’ll definitely serve this this coming xmas!
…this was sooo good – I used half a smushed up banana and a whole egg and about 1/3 cup cake mix with bittersweet chocolate chunks….I didn’t do separate ramekins…just mixed it in a small pyrex bowl and nuked it in the same. This was very yummy!!! No fuss, no mess, quick chocolate fix
(can we take off 20 more calories for using just one bowl 
About that link to the market w/white boy…
How is pork uterus cooked/served? Or should that be uteri?
Curiously yours,
Gwen the pork eater
There is one more thing you can do with the Betty Crocker batter and it works best when your using their brownie mix. My girlfriend Daphne will split the batter make a small batch of brownies with one half but with the other half she nukes it for 45 to 60 seconds and pours the subsequent hot fudge it creates over vanilla ice cream OMG!
Oh definately going on my must try list!!! Sounds yummy!!!
wow, this was surprisingly good, and so easy! I started making it before I realized I only had one egg! it worked just fine with the one though, I also used milk instead of water, and just a tablespoon of unsweetened applesauce along with the banana. My question is, can you freeze it? I made it just for two people so there was so much left that I didn’t want to bake up just yet, I’m going to try and freeze one of the ramekins and put the rest in the refrigerator (will probably make them tomorrow) so hopefully they will turn out! thanks!
Oh great! I’m glad you liked it. I’ve not tried freezing, so let me know how it comes out!
xo, jaden
So before I tell all my friends – can you CONFIRM that this cake when you say is a NEGATIVE calorie cake – to me when you say negative calories – it means that the MORE you EAT – the MORE you LOOSE – dont’ want to appear as a laughing stock ….thanks !
Stumbled across this while searching for a box cake recipe–read all the way down, had some good laughs, and then discovered—you are the funny lady who writes a column where I live! I’m always reading it to my hubby. I love it! Keep on makin’ us laugh!
Wow this is amazing and if its this low in calories my food blog would love it! Perhaps you should stop by and have a look? Any advice you can give me would be great!
LOL! I love your math. It does look pretty good, though!
An alternative I loved was using canned pumpkin pie filling, mixing with cake mix and no other ingredients, and baking for around half the time on the package (maybe nuking will work?)
Either way: Heavenly.
So…I was just looking up a recipe for cooking a tender steak and stumbled upon this hillarious bit of genius! I’ll most likely try this “negative calorie” recipe but will definately remember the laugh I’ve gotten from visiting this site tonight.
Great! Now you have made me go out and buy a boxed cake with hydrogenated oils in it. White flour is a no no. I threw my microwave out 6 years ago. How do you suggest cooking it to keep it moist without using the dangerous microwave. I have nothing else on my mind for the last 48 hours but the picture of that cake. DCL
omg, looks delicious. and easy! Do you have any idea how much chocolate cake mix, eggs, and banana would be needed for just two ramikins. I’d love to be able to take a spoonful of mix + the appropriate amount of the remaining ingredients and just make 2 ramekins full. Instant portion control for a young couple!
no, sorry I don’t!
you can mix the entire batch, scoop out what you want in your ramekin and rest of batter in refrigerator.
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