Chocolate Mug Cake
This Chocolate Mug Cake is incredibly easy to make with just a few simple ingredients and made right in the microwave. Perfect for an easy chocolate dessert!
One of the most common recipe requests I receive is for small batch desserts. Over the years, I’ve shared a few of my favorites like my small-batch chocolate chip cookies and small-batch peanut butter cookies. But today I wanted to share one that’s even easier — this simple chocolate mug cake recipe.
Unlike most of my other small-batch desserts, this microwave mug cake doesn’t require an oven. All you have to do is mix up the batter, pour it into a mug, and pop it into the microwave for a little over a minute. That’s it!
Another great thing about this recipe is that it doesn’t require any eggs and uses simple ingredients, most of which you probably already have on hand. This simple cake is perfect on its own, but I love to add a scoop of ice cream on top. I’ve included a few different topping options you can try with this cake too!
Recipe Ingredients
When I say this recipe is simple, I really mean it! Here’s what we’ll need to make this microwave cake in a cup:
- All-purpose flour: Be sure to spoon and level the flour when measuring it, otherwise you’ll wind up with a dense microwave mug cake.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: You can use either natural unsweetened cocoa powder or dutch-processed cocoa powder. I’ve tried it with both and they each work just fine!
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens the microwave cake without making it too sweet.
- Baking powder: Helps the cake rise as it cooks.
- Salt: You only need a tiny pinch to enhance the chocolate flavor.
- Milk: I always use whole milk because it’s what I keep on hand and gives baked goods a richer taste. That being said, 2%, 1%, skim, or even almond milk would work fine too.
- Oil: You can use canola, vegetable, or melted coconut oil.
- Vanilla extract: Use pure vanilla extract, if possible.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips: I love the extra chocolate flavor they add, so I highly recommend using some if you have them on hand.
How to Make a Mug Cake
To start, you’ll need at least a 12-ounce mug. I suggest spraying the mug with nonstick cooking spray or greasing it with some butter so the cake doesn’t stick.
Then, you’ll whisk together the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, granulated sugar, baking powder, and a tiny pinch of salt. Next, add the milk, oil, and vanilla extract and stir until just combined.
Once you’ve mixed up the cake batter, you’ll pour it into your greased mug. At this point, you can add some chocolate chips for a chocolate chip mug cake. This step is optional, but I love them!
Lastly, you’ll want to microwave the cake until the center is just set. Mine is usually perfect right at 1 minute and 15 seconds, but the cooking time will vary slightly depending on the mug you use and your microwave.
I also suggest keeping an eye on the mug cake as it’s cooking and stopping the microwave as soon as the center looks done. I’ve found that even an extra 15 seconds in the microwave can lead to a cake that’s really dry.
FAQ’s
How Long Do You Need To Cook It?
The cook time will vary slightly based on the mug that you use and your microwave. I use a 12-ounce mug and a 1200-watt microwave and find that 1 minute and 15 seconds is the perfect amount of time.
What Are Some Different Topping Options?
If you really want to take this recipe to the next level, here are some different topping options that would pair great with this cake!
- Salted Caramel Sauce
- Homemade Whipped Cream
- Vanilla Ice Cream
- Dulce de Leche
- Nutella
Baking Tips
- Make sure to use a mug that is big enough as the batter will rise quite a bit in the microwave. I suggest using at least a 12-ounce mug for this recipe.
- When measuring your flour, make sure to spoon it into the measuring cup and level it off with the back of a knife.
- Keep a close eye on the cake as it’s in the microwave and cook it until the center is just set. I find that 1 minute and 15 seconds is perfect, but the amount of time may vary slightly for you.
More Small Batch Desserts to Try!
- Small Batch Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Small Batch Peanut Butter Cookies
- Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate Mug Cake
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (31 grams) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 2 tablespoons (10 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons (40 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- Tiny pinch of salt
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) milk
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) oil (canola, vegetable, or melted coconut oil)
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon (14 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Grease a 12-ounce (or larger) mug with nonstick cooking spray or butter. Set aside.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Add the milk, oil, and pure vanilla extract and continue mixing until fully combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared mug and sprinkle the chocolate chips on top.
- Transfer the mug with the batter to the microwave and microwave for 60-90 seconds or until the center of the cake is just set.
- Carefully remove from the microwave (the mug will be hot!) and allow to cool slightly, then top with your favorite toppings, and enjoy!
I just want to recommend trying this recipe with whole wheat flour instead of AP, I’ve made it this way a few times and love the texture it i you ves the bake. I really appreciate how easy this recipe is to adapt to fit your own preferences.
How many calories – with no toppings
I’m not sure on the nutritional information, but you can plug everything into an online calculator to get an estimate.
So Delicious and very fun to make with my kids. MY husband thought it was a bit too sweet but I thought it was wonderful.
overall this is a good recipe for mug cake, a lot of the ones I’ve made didn’t taste very pleasant so this one is good. Its nearing Christmas so i swapped coco powder for a hot chocolate mix and used less sugar. I also added in crushed candy canes, it tasted good and was nice and festive 😀
holy cow, this recipe is incredible. first mug cake I’ve ever had. satisfy the craving for making a whole cake.
Perfect! And easy to make vegan 🙂
Very good and easy. Perfect for kids who want to bake.
My husband is diabetic so I used Allulose sugar (same amount) in this recipe for a birthday treat. He gave it two thumbs up!!
This is the best chocolate mug cake recipe I have tried, and I have tried A lot! For me, I think it’s the process of mixing the batter in a separate bowl, then adding to the mug. Most recipes have you mix all in the mug then microwave. I have found that some of the ingredients, namely the baking powder, are sitting at the bottom of the mug, waiting for you to take a mouthful, which doesn’t taste nice at all. This way, of mixing all separately, then putting in the mug, ensures that all ingredients are combined. I added some chocolate chips on top, and added some more after it came out hot from the microwave. Super good and not dry.
I made this for valentines day-delicious!
This is definitely the best recipe I’ve ever tried. Until I followed yours, I didn’t like mug cakes at all because I thought the problem was the microwave (the texture was always weird) but now I know it was just about the recipes ❤️
Great quick and easy recipe! I put a spoon of blueberry marmalade in the middle and it turned out perfect
Best one I’ve found 100% 10/10
Hi! I have loved your carrot cake and tried this mugcake today. It took quite a while like 25 min, to bake, i am surprised at the one minute time you have mentioned… Please confirm the time once again for me. Thanks.
Did you bake it in the oven? This recipe is meant to be made in the microwave and only takes about one minute.
Ah! True… I bakes in Oven. Thanks for clarifying. ☺
This is an easy, flavorful, and decadent treat. I make it often for my family and have added protein powder to give it a bit of a healthy twist. I have to admit this recipe is the best!
I’m an avid baker and was skeptical about mug cakes being any good, but wow this came out delicious! The only issue I ran into is cooking time. I cooked mine for 90 sec but the sides of the cake were still gooey. I was afraid to overbake it and didn’t add anymore time. Maybe my mug was too thick and didn’t conduct heat well. I’ll experiment with another mug. Will definitely make this again. Thank you for the recipe.
Made this again, used a different mug and still ended up with slightly gooey sides. I ended up cooking this one for nearly 2 minutes (1000W microwave) and it seemed to help. I recommend mini chocolate chips, if you’re adding any. Fold some in the batter and the rest on top. This is a thin batter and regular chips will sink to the bottom.
I want to be able to make a large batch of the dry mix so I can even more quickly make a mug as needed. How can I scale this so I can have a mason jar size of dry ingredients already mixed up to make a mug at a whim?
I haven’t tried it, so it’s hard to say. Mason jars also come in a variety of different sizes, so it really depends on the size of your jar too.
Tastes fantastic! I used Trader Joe’s gluten free flour, Ghirardelli unsweetened cocoa powder, and almond milk and it tasted wonderful. I didn’t find mine too sweet at all. Thanks for the recipe! Yum.
If I wanted to use heavy whipping cream instead of whole milk, should I use less of it? Or the same weight?
I’m not sure that heavy cream would be a good substitute for the milk in this recipe.
Thanks for giving measurements in grams. Any baking is much easier if ingredients are weighted. It’s faster and more accurate than spooning and leveling.
Delicious, quick and satisfying that chocolate craving!!