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Craving chocolate cake? This easy chocolate mug cake is a fudgy single-serving dessert that you can make with ingredients you already have in the kitchen. It’s ready in the microwave in under 5 minutes!
This easy chocolate mug cake is the perfect single-serving indulgence. It’s soft and gooey, and it hits the mark whenever I’m craving something sweet but don’t feel like baking a whole cake. I’ve been making this recipe for years!
Why I Love This Chocolate Mug Cake
- Made in the microwave. Am I the only one who wishes I’d known about chocolate mug cakes back in college? A microwave mug cake is a great dessert if you’re living in a dorm, or any other situation where there’s no oven.
- Ready in minutes. Chocolate cake in 5 minutes or less? Yes, it’s possible, and no, there isn’t witchcraft involved. Mug cakes are an easy dessert that you can mix and cook all in the same mug.
- Sweet tooth satisfaction. Whether you’re satisfying a sudden craving for fudgy chocolate cake, or making a sweet treat for two on date night, mug cakes are the ultimate single-serving dessert.
Ingredients You’ll Need
This mug cake takes your typical chocolate cake ingredients and downsizes them to fit into your favorite coffee mug. I’ve included some notes here. You’ll find a printable ingredients list in the recipe card below.
- Dry Ingredients – Just like a regular cake, this mug cake calls for staples like all-purpose flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. You can use granulated sugar or light brown sugar.
- Cocoa Powder – Use any kind of cocoa powder you’d like. Dutch-processed cocoa powder will give the cake a more intense, fudgy flavor.
- Milk – This can be whole milk, 2% milk, or your choice of plant-based milk.
- Oil – I like to use vegetable oil in place of butter since it keeps the cake moist. Canola oil, sunflower oil, and avocado oil all work well here. Try olive oil for a mug cake version of a chocolate olive oil cake.
- Vanilla
- Powdered Sugar – For dusting over top. You can also frost your mug cake, top it with whipped cream, garnish it with fresh fruit, and more.
Why Doesn’t This Recipe Have an Egg?
If you’re familiar with baking cakes, you might be thinking, “But where are the eggs?” And there’s a pretty simple reason for it: because it’s difficult to divide an egg! Full-sized cake recipes that call for 2-3 eggs are made to serve upwards of 10 people. Mug cakes, on the other hand, are single serving and use such a small amount of batter that a whole egg would overpower it.
How to Make a Chocolate Mug Cake
Making a mug cake is ridiculously easy. Choosing a microwave-safe mug large enough to fit your ingredients is the most important thing. We don’t want any cake explosions! Then, make your chocolate cake in 3 easy steps:
- Mix your ingredients. Take out your mug and add your dry ingredients. Give those a whisk, and then stir in the wet ingredients.
- Cook. Now, you’ll “bake” your mug cake in the microwave for about 1 minute 45 seconds.
- Enjoy! Dust the finished mug cake with powdered sugar, and dig in.
Tips for the Perfect Mug Cake
- Mug size matters! If you use a mug that’s too small your cake will explode over the top of the container. I recommend a mug that’s at least 10oz.
- Avoid a rubbery mug cake. If your mug cake turns out dry or rubbery, it’s likely because it’s overcooked, or the ingredients weren’t measured properly. Just like a classic cake recipe, be careful not to overmeasure!
- Mix well, but don’t over-mix. It’s easy for dry bits of batter to get stuck in the edges of the mug, so make sure you scrape along the edges and mix everything together. Don’t over-mix though! As soon as you can’t see any dry ingredients, your mug cake is ready to pop into the microwave.
- How can I tell when it’s done? Not all microwaves heat the same, and not all mugs are the same size, so it can be a bit tricky to tell when a microwaveable mug cake is done cooking. The cake should be soft and moist, but not wet on top, and it should feel spongey when you press on it. It will also spring back slightly when you gently press it with your finger. (Careful, it will be hot.)
- Use a toothpick. Another way to check that your mug cake is done is to stick a toothpick into the middle, and see if it comes out clean. If there aren’t any streaks of batter, it’s a sign that your cake is cooked.
Variation Ideas
- Add chocolate chips. Whenever I’m feeling extra indulgent, I’ll stir a tablespoon or two of chocolate chips into the mug cake batter. The chocolate melts and gets all gooey in the heat. Yum!
- Peanut butter chips. You could also stir in a tablespoon or two of peanut butter chips, which will give you little pockets of PB goodness in your cake.
Ways to Eat Your Mug Cake
The beautiful thing about a chocolate mug cake, besides the fact that I can make one in minutes, is that I’m always finding fun garnishes! Powdered sugar is a classic. Sometimes, I’ll dollop over cherry pie filling (like I do for my chocolate cherry cake). Other times, I’ll top my mug cake with ice cream and fudge sauce, brownie-sundae style.
This strawberry sauce is another favorite. You can top this cake with fresh berries, whipped cream, or chocolate shavings.
FAQs
No, this recipe was developed to cook in the microwave.
I haven’t tested this recipe with self-rising flour so I can’t recommend it.
Can I Store Extras?
- Fridge. Mug cakes are pretty much designed to be eaten in one sitting, but if the indulgence is too much, you can store leftovers in the fridge. Wrap the mug tightly in plastic wrap and enjoy the cake within 2-3 days.
- Freeze. If you’re planning to freeze your mug cake, make sure to prepare it in a microwave-safe AND freezer-safe mug. Double-wrap the cake in plastic wrap or foil and freeze it for up to 2 months. Defrost the cake in the fridge or at room temperature before serving.
More Single-Serving Desserts
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Chocolate Mug Cake
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon water
- ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a microwave safe mug, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Stir in milk, oil, water, and vanilla extract.
- Cook in the microwave for 1 minute 45 seconds, or until the cake is cooked in the middle. Pull out the mug and let it rest for a couple of minutes. (see notes)
- Dust with powdered sugar and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
Happy Birthday to your beautiful little angel! Such a perfect shot…what a treasure!
Such a beautiful child. 🙂 Love the pics.
Happy Birthday to your little beauty! I love that she picked the oreo cookie. I think thats hilarious. Me, I wouldn’t (couldn’t) turn down these adorable little cakes!
Happy birthday to your little babe! Kids are so funny, I think boys are the same way. They want oreo cookies in the face of delicious homemade desserts! Your cakes and photos look beautiful.
I hope Ana has a fun time at her birthday party today 🙂 I can’t wait to see what you did for it! And how did you ever come up with this recipe, Kate? It’s genius!
Ohhhhhh! Happy be-lated birthday to your precious little princess. I know how you feel. My life only really blossomed after I had my children. She is a gorgeous little angel. Hope she had a wonderful time on her birthday. I love the chocolate mug cake. YUM! : )
Aw, she’s beautiful just like her Momma. I was teary eyed reading this.
As for the recipe, bravo, it’s gorgeous. Such a great idea.
Happy Birthday Ana!! They grow up so fast don’t they Kate?!? My little guy would probably have gone for the oreo too… haha!
I guess my microwave must be more powerful than yours…after 2 minutes at high, the cake had exploded all over the mug, down onto the base of the microwave and had gotten a bit overcooked. Next time, I’ll reduce the power and probably mix everything together first, then pour into two mugs instead of one.
Otherwise, nice, quick recipe to satisfy a craving..thanks for sharing!
Oh no! I’m sorry that happened, Julie. :((((( The microwave should be set on high, which is I believe 1000 watts.
Your daughter is just beautiful! Love how she wanted the oreo instead, too funny:-) The cake looks perfect! Hugs, Terra