Chocolate cake in a mug

Name: Chocolate cake in a mug
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 2 min
Total time: 4 min
Ingredients: 26 grams all-purpose flour; 10 grams Cacao Barry extra brute cocoa powder; 30 grams light brown sugar; 1/4 tsp baking powder; 1 pinch Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt; 46 grams whole milk (3.25 % fat); 14 grams canola oil; 2 drops pure vanilla extract; 10 dark chocolate chips; 1 scoop Vanilla bean ice cream; 15 mL chocolate syrup

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Learn how to make a chocolate mug cake. The beauty of this easy recipe is that the ingredients are weighed and mixed directly in the mug that you will use to "baked" it in the microwave! So easy!

Chocolate mug cake topped with ice cream and chocolate sauce.

What this is and why bother

Sometimes, on a Friday night, all you want is chocolate cake. Unfortunately, most of the time, we lack the energy to turn on the oven and get baking, especially at the end of the week. Cue the mug cake.

Mug cakes are exactly what the name suggests: a cake baked in a mug. The beauty of the mug cake is that it serves one person and the ingredients are mixed directly in the mug, and microwaved to bake. So instead of dirtying a bunch of mixing bowls and having to preheat an oven, you could be eating a chocolate cake within 5 minutes!

Ingredients to make a chocolate mug cake measured and ready to be mixed in a mug before microwaving.

The ingredients you need

Like any chocolate cake, the ingredients are pretty standard and you probably have them all in your pantry and fridge!

all-purpose flour to bind all the ingredients together and make this a cake (as opposed to a brownie)
cocoa powder, I use Cacao Barry Extra Brute cocoa powder, which is a dark Dutch-processed cocoa powder with a deep chocolate flavour
sugar, granulated sugar or brown sugar will work here, but I find brown sugar adds a little extra flavour, which is important when microwaving foods because they don't have time to caramelize at all
baking powder is very important here to help the cake rise quickly in the microwave
salt, preferably Diamond Crystal fine kosher but even table salt will work here because it's just a pinch
milk, preferably whole milk with 3.25 % fat
neutral oil, like canola oil, is used instead of butter to make mixing easier. Another option would be to melt the same quantity of butter in the mug first in the microwave before adding the other ingredients
vanilla is optional so you can make this recipe without it, but I find just a couple drops add a little more depth of flavour to this recipe
chocolate chips because extra chocolate is a good thing! They should not burn in the time it takes to microwave the mug cake. Use whatever chocolate chips you prefer. Peanut butter chips could be very interesting here!

I like to top mug cakes with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce or sprinkles. You don't have to, but it transforms this into a really awesome dessert!

Mixing ingredients for a chocolate cake in a mug with a fork.

Making a chocolate mug cake without eggs

If you're wondering how to make a mug cake from scratch, rest assured, it is VERY easy. This is a quick and easy recipe for chocolate cake that serves one person and that is ready in under 10 minutes (of which half of that time it has to rest on the counter so that you don't burn your mouth off).

This mug cake has no eggs, which is one of secrets to how to make a mug cake because if the recipe did have eggs, you'd have to fumble with splitting an egg to make your recipe work. Instead, this recipe relies on a chemical leavener, specifically baking powder for its rising power, which is a substitute for eggs.

We aren't using baking soda in this mug cake recipe because the ingredients don't include an acid source to initiate a reaction that will help the cakes rise. In fact, baking soda in this recipe may lead to an off flavour if it has nothing to react with and for this reason, we rely solely on baking powder for the rise.

Let's not forget the other factor in the recipe that helps the cake rise: evaporation! The water (milk ) in this recipe will evaporate, transforming into a gas that will rise up.

Chocolate mug cake batter topped with chocolate chips before baking in the microwave.

Chocolate cake for one with chocolate chips after baking in the microwave in a mug.

Special tools and equipment

Obviously the other important element to this recipe is the microwave oven. Sure, you could bake this recipe in a regular home oven or even a toaster oven, but that would take longer and we want cake fast!

The other important piece is the mug. Choose the right mug: the mug must be microwave safe and it should have a volume of about 250 mL (1 cup), otherwise, there's a risk that the cake batter will spill over as it rises in the microwave.

Chocolate mug cake topped with ice cream and chocolate syrup.

How to make it

This chocolate cake is very easy. All the ingredients are measured directly into a mug and mixed with a fork. The cake is microwaved instead of baked in the oven, so it cooks really quickly (takes 75 seconds in my microwave). When it's ready to eat, it's still warm, and the chocolate chips are all gooey and melty. This is the perfect solution to a Friday night craving for chocolate cake.

If you don't have a microwave, you have options to bake the mug cake in the oven. You could bake this in a toaster oven (or a conventional oven). Just make sure your mug is oven-safe. Or use a ramekin with a volume of at least 250 mL (1 cup).

Learn how to make chocolate mug cake from scratch without eggs in the microwave with this easy recipe. It's quick and easy and serves one!

How to tell if it's cooked

The only trouble I've had with mug cakes cooked in the microwave is checking if they are done baking/cooking. When you microwave a mug cake, you can watch the progress through the window, but after about 60 seconds, the window of the microwave fogs up from the evaporation and steam generated as the cake cooks. This means, you can't see what's happening or rely on visual cues.

The only thing you can do is pause the microwave to check if your cake is done baking. Then use a cake tester inserted into the centre of the cake, all the way to the bottom, to make sure it comes out clean. Unfortunately, this can lead to the cake on the bottom becoming gummy if it's under-baked because the cake collapses back down. Trial and error with your microwave will help you figure out what is the perfect cook time for your mug cakes. In my microwave, it takes 90 seconds on high power.

Toppings

Once your mug cake is done cooking in the microwave, I highly suggest topping it with:

ice cream, either vanilla ice cream or cookie ice cream
a dollop of whipped cream
crème anglaise, would make an awesome dessert sauce for this
chocolate syrup (I used Hershey's chocolate syrup for the photos) or a warm homemade chocolate fudge sauce like the one in this banana split cake would be great. Chocolate ganache would also be awesome!
sprinkles are always a good option too!

Frequently asked questions

Can I make a mug cake without a microwave?

Yes, you can! If you don't have a microwave, find a very small cake pan or use a large oven-safe ramekin that is at least 250 mL or 1 cup. Some mugs will go in the oven, like enamelware mugs and ceramic mugs, but you'll have to check with the manufacturer.
Bake the mug cake in a preheated oven set to 325ºF or even 350 ºF. It will take under 20 minutes. You can use a conventional oven or a toaster oven. Remember to check if the cake is done baking before taking it out! Use a cake tester or an instant read thermometer.

Can I make this without vanilla?

Vanilla is optional in this chocolate mug cake recipe. It's just a flavour enhancer here and in most chocolate cakes, you can get away without it. Substitutions include a few drops of rum or bourbon, which would be a good option. Otherwise just skip it. If you want to flavour the chocolate cake in other ways, try a sprinkling of cinnamon or you could even try a little espresso powder. These two can be mixed with the other dry ingredients.

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