People say this fudgy chocolate mug cake recipe is the best mug cake they’ve ever tried. And you can make it in the microwave or oven!
The best chocolate cake in a mug
This is the chocolate mug cake recipe for chocolate lovers.
Rich, decadent, and delicious, the recipe has over two thousand positive reviews from readers who’ve made the chocolate cake and absolutely love it.
So if you’ve been disappointed with other chocolate mug cake recipes in the past, definitely be sure to give this one a try, because it will not disappoint!
Readers also love this Brownie in a Mug
Microwave chocolate mug cake recipe
I could tell you that I labored in front of a hot oven all day baking this cake.
But the reality is that the chocolate mug cake took only one minute.
Yes, really.
And it is made with pantry staple ingredients you can always keep on hand, with no eggs required.
Any time you are craving chocolate, now all you have to do is head to the kitchen and whip up this easy chocolate dessert in the microwave.
You can even portion out the dry ingredients ahead of time and store the chocolate cake mix in small Ziploc bags so the recipe will be even quicker to make when you’re ready to eat.
It’s like chocolate cake meal prep!
For a larger version, try this Vegan Chocolate Cake
Chocolate mug cake flavors
Chocolate Peanut Butter: Omit the oil in the recipe below, and stir in one or two tablespoons of peanut butter (or almond butter) in its place.
Nutella Mug Cake: Instead of oil, add a tablespoon of your favorite chocolate hazelnut spread. I like this Homemade Nutella Recipe. Top with more Nutella!
Chocolate Peppermint: Stir a fourth teaspoon of pure peppermint extract into the liquid ingredients before stirring everything together to form a batter.
Dark Chocolate Coconut: Use coconut oil, and top the finished mug cake with dark chocolate chips, shredded coconut, and a scoop of Coconut Ice Cream.
Mocha Mug Cake: Stir half a teaspoon of instant coffee granules, regular or decaf, in with the cake’s dry ingredients.
Chocolate Orange: Add one teaspoon of orange zest to the mug before stirring.
What is your dream single serving mug cake flavor? If there are any other ideas you’d like to see that I do not have listed above, definitely let me know!
Frosting options
Feel free to decorate your single serving chocolate cake with shredded coconut, chopped walnuts or pecans, mini chocolate chips, hot fudge sauce or caramel sauce.
I used this homemade Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting.
Or you can frost the cake however you wish, such as with store bought or homemade vanilla or chocolate frosting, powdered sugar or melted chocolate, sliced bananas, strawberries, cherries, blueberries, or raspberry jam.
It’s also wonderful topped with Coconut Whipped Cream or Almond Milk Ice Cream.
Chocolate mug cake recipe video
Above, watch the step-by-step video
How to make a chocolate mug cake
Step One: Start by combining all of the dry ingredients in a cereal bowl or small dish. Stir very well, to ensure the salt and baking powder are evenly distributed.
Step Two: Add liquid, stir to form a chocolate cake batter, and pour the batter into a microwave or oven safe dish, ramekin, or coffee mug.
Especially if you are not planning to eat the cake straight out of the mug, be sure to grease the dish well before adding the batter.
Step Three: Microwave for thirty to forty seconds. Mine is always fluffy and cooked through after this time, but you may need to cook longer depending on your microwave’s wattage.
Or bake the mug cake in the oven for fourteen minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out mostly clean.
Step Four: Frost the top of the chocolatey dessert and enjoy. To store leftovers… Wait, what leftovers?
Mug cake recipe ingredients
Here’s what you need to make the single serving recipe: cocoa, flour, sweetener, salt, baking powder, milk of choice, pure vanilla extract, and oil or banana.
Cocoa powder – Use regular unsweetened cocoa powder for the first tablespoon of cocoa. Dutch cocoa powder, hot chocolate mix, or additional regular unsweetened cocoa can be used for the two teaspoons.
Flour – The recipe works well with white flour, oat flour, all purpose gluten free flour, or spelt flour (my personal preference). I have not tried it with any other options such as whole wheat flour or pastry flour.
A keto mug cake version with almond flour is also included in the recipe box below.
Sweetener – This can be granulated sugar or unrefined coconut sugar or a liquid option like pure maple syrup or honey.
For a sugar free mug cake, use xylitol or granulated erythritol. Stevia technically works, but the flavor and texture are better if you go with one of the other options listed here.
Fat source – I think the cake tastes best made with coconut oil. My second favorite choice is peanut butter or almond butter. Vegetable oil is also fine to use.
If you want a low fat or fat free mug cake, many readers have written in to say it works to substitute applesauce, Greek yogurt, sweet potato, pumpkin, or mashed banana. I much prefer the taste with some fat added, but that is a personal taste preference.
Vegan chocolate mug cake
The mug cake is already naturally eggless, which means it is super easy to create a dairy free and vegan version.
Just use a plant based milk, such as coconut milk, soy milk, or almond milk. If topping with chocolate chips, ice cream, or frosting, choose vegan options for those as well.
For a gluten free chocolate mug cake, use either oat flour or gluten free all purpose flour. If you experiment with any other gluten free flours, let me know how it goes.
You may also like these Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate Mug Cake
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 2 tsp Dutch cocoa powder or additional regular
- 3 tbsp flour spelt, white, oat, or all purpose gluten free (or try this Keto Mug Cake Recipe)
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp sweetener of choice
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 2 1/2 tsp oil or nut butter (While I much prefer the version with fat, many commenters say they love substituting applesauce or mashed banana here)
- 3 tbsp milk of choice
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- How to make a chocolate mug cake recipe: Combine dry ingredients and mix very, very well. Add liquid, stir, then transfer to a little dish, ramekin, or even a coffee mug. Either microwave 30-60 seconds (time will depend on your microwave's wattage) OR cook in a preheated 350 F oven for about 14 minutes. If you don’t want to eat it straight out of the dish, be sure to spray your dish first and then wait for the mug cake to cool before trying to remove it. Frosting ideas are listed above in the post!View Nutrition Facts
Video
Notes
Easy Chocolate Dessert Recipes
Hi Katie,
I think you do such a wonderful job developing recipes. I’ve referred others to your blog! Tonight, my significant other asked, “do we have any more chocolate cake?” He was referring to you 100-calorie chocolate cake, which I made earlier this week. Neither of us is vegan or follow a particular diet, but he absolutely loves that cake, and so do I. Unfortunately, his “pieces” leave little for anyone else… Hence, his question tonight. So, I decided to make your 1-minute mug cake, but before I began he asked, “do you think you could make 2?” I decided to double your recipe, and baked 4 cupcakes at 350 degrees for 14 minutes. They turned out very well, and my significant other definitely enjoyed them. I thought I’d pass this along. In summary, I made 4 cupcakes by doubling your 1-minute chocolate mug cake. I used regular, white AP flour, white sugar, oil (because he prefers it), and skim milk. Very nice recipe. Thank you!
Really enjoyed this recipe! I’ve tried numerous mug cake recipes but have never found one that was actually moist!! Until now. I added a spoonful of nutella in place of 1 teaspoon of sugar, a teaspoon of instant coffee, and walnuts. Definitely saving this one.
The calories in your nutrition data are WAY off. I tried plugging this recipe list into two different recipe nutrition calculators. Happy Forks says it has 325 calories per mug cake (and 23 grams of sugar) and Verywell say it has 331 calories (and 22 grams of sugar), far more than the 180 calories and 8 grams of sugar you said you calculated when using sugar and oil in the recipe, as I did here. Here’s the ingredient list I put into the calculators:
1 2/3 tbsp cocoa powder
3 tbsp wheat flour
1/8 tsp salt
1 2/3 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp vegetable oil
3 tbsp 2% milk
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
That said, this recipe turned out marvelously. However, I (and likely many others here) would not have made it to begin with if I’d known it was that many calories–there were other mug cake recipes not touting themselves as “healthy” that I would have tried first if I were looking for one that was delicious without regard for nutritional considerations. It was because it was so delicious that I decided to double-check the nutrition for myself. Please be more careful with your calculations. Not everyone has the time to check such things for themselves, and for some with serious health issues like diabetes, the extremely incorrect nutritional information could have serious consequences.
2% milk is not vegan and therefore wouldn’t be used in calculations. And the lowest calorie ingredients would be used, such as stevia. For more on how nutrition facts are calculated on Katie’s site: https://lett-trim.today/faq-page/recipe-questions-and-troubleshooting/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> Hope that helps!
I was looking for keto-friendly, clicked the link in your other mug recipe that suggested I come here for nut-free, and see this, which is NOT keto-friendly: spelt, white, oat, or gf ap flour
Heading back to the recipe with the nuts LOL
I made the regular version. It was good but next time I will mix the dry ingredients first because it had a slight baking powder taste. Thanks for the easy recipe !
I just made this and it’s delicious! Genius! If I wanted to replace the cocoa powder for matcha powder, would the amount be the same?
I’ve made this recipe twice and although it tastes delicious, the suggested baking time has been way off for me. Both times it took about 23 minutes in the oven in a ramekin.
I’ve been curious to try the microwave version, but cautious given this confounding experience with timing.
Super tasty though when iced with pb banana icing….
I used coconut oil and ground up Oates for flour. Delicious! But your nutrition facts are way off. This can’t be 180 calories. 2 tbs of oil are 235 alone.
Two teaspoons, not tbsp 😉
how can i make this without a microwave? the time doesn’t matter.
never mind katie, i had overlooked about baking it in the oven for 14 minutes. 🙂