Chocolate Mug Cake
A single-serving chocolate cake mixed and cooked in the mug, ready in under ten minutes with pantry ingredients.
- Measurements grams + cups
- Cuisine American
Why You'll Like This Recipe
- Mixed in the mug, so there is one thing to wash.
- Scaled for one person, which means no leftover cake sitting on the counter.
- Start to finish in under ten minutes, most of which is the standing time at the end.
Recipe
Chocolate Mug Cake
One mug, one spoon, chocolate cake in under ten minutes.
Ingredients
Ingredients scaled. The method below still refers to the original quantities.
Instructions
- Step 1. Use a microwave-safe mug that holds at least 350 mL / 12 oz. The batter roughly doubles as it cooks, and a smaller mug will overflow.
- Step 2. Stir the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt together in the mug until evenly combined and no pockets of cocoa remain.
- Step 3. Add the milk, oil and vanilla and stir until smooth, scraping into the bottom corners where dry flour collects.
- Step 4. Drop in the chocolate chips, if using.
- Step 5. Microwave on high for 60 seconds, then look at the centre.
- Step 6. Continue in 10-second bursts only until the top is just set and no longer wet-looking. Most microwaves need 70 to 90 seconds in total.
- Step 7. Let it stand for 1 minute before eating. It continues cooking in the mug and it will be extremely hot.
Notes
- Stop as soon as the top looks set. Overcooking is the single reason mug cakes turn rubbery, and the difference between good and bouncy is about fifteen seconds.
- Microwave power varies enormously. Treat 60 seconds as a first check rather than a cooking time, and learn what yours needs.
- Scrape the bottom corners when mixing. Dry flour hides there and bakes into a chalky pocket you find on the last mouthful.
Chocolate Mug Cake — Simple Table Recipes · https://simpletablerecipes.com/recipes/chocolate-mug-cake/
Ingredient Notes
- Cocoa powder
- The entire chocolate flavour comes from here, so use one you like. Natural and Dutch-process both work — Dutch-process is darker and milder, natural is sharper and fruitier.
- Neutral oil
- Oil rather than butter, and not only for convenience. Oil stays liquid at every temperature, which keeps the crumb moist in a cake that goes from raw to done in ninety seconds.
- Baking powder
- A quarter teaspoon is enough. More does not make a lighter cake — it makes one that climbs out of the mug and then collapses.
Equipment
- Microwave-safe mug holding at least 350 mL / 12 oz
- Fork or small whisk
- Measuring spoons
Substitutions
- Milk
- Any dairy or plant milk works. Oat and soy behave closest to dairy; water alone works but gives a plainer, drier crumb.
- All-purpose flour
- A cup-for-cup gluten-free blend works. Let the mixed batter sit for 2 minutes before microwaving so the flour hydrates.
- Chocolate chips
- A spoonful of peanut butter or hazelnut spread dropped into the centre of the batter before cooking gives a molten middle instead.
Storage
Storing: Best eaten immediately. A mug cake left to sit firms considerably as it cools and does not reheat well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my mug cake rubbery?
It cooked too long. Microwaves heat the whole batter at once rather than from the outside in, so the window between set and overdone is only a few seconds. Stop as soon as the top loses its wet shine.
Why did my mug cake overflow?
The mug was too small. The batter roughly doubles in the first thirty seconds. Use one that holds at least 350 mL / 12 oz and fill it no more than halfway.
Can I make a mug cake without eggs?
This recipe has none. At single-serving scale an egg is too much structure for the quantity of flour, and it is what makes many mug cakes turn out dense and omelette-like.
Can I bake this in the oven instead?
Yes. Pour into a small oven-safe ramekin and bake at 180 C / 350 F for 12 to 15 minutes, until a skewer comes out with a few moist crumbs.
Why is my mug cake dry?
Overcooking, or too much flour. Spoon the flour into the measure rather than scooping with it, which compacts it and can add a third more than intended.
Can I double it in one mug?
Better not. Doubled batter in one mug cooks unevenly, leaving a wet middle and rubbery edges. Make two mugs and cook them one at a time.
Did you make this?
Let other people know how it went. One tap, nothing to fill in.
Thanks — that helps.
