5-Minute Chocolate Mug Cake
This Chocolate Mug Cake is a 5-minute dessert that’s rich, chocolaty, and perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. It’s the best treat when you’re craving something sweet.
Chocolate Mug Cake Recipe
Friends, we’re turning to our microwaves today in pursuit of dessert. In this case, a simple chocolate mug cake that takes all of five minutes to make. It’s decadent, it’s rich, and it’s my favorite short-cut dessert recipe when I get a sudden onset chocolate craving.
- It’s so easy – just mix up a few pantry ingredients.
- It takes less than 2 minutes to cook in the microwave!
- This recipe makes a generously-sized mug cake – enough for two to share, but I will not judge if you decide to keep it all to yourself. I’ve done it, and I always feel pretty darn good when I do.
- It’s great plain, but a small scoop of ice cream takes it over the top. It melts into the warm cake, so every bite is a little gooey chocolate bite of heaven.
I first made this mug cake back in 2016 after trying a recipe from the now-defunct magazine, Lucky Peach. Since then, I’ve made it countless times with some tweaks here and there until I landed on this version I’m sharing today.
Ingredients
- Melted butter cooled to room temperature
- Egg
- Heavy cream
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Chocolate chips – I like dark chocolate chips or semi-sweet chocolate chips.
Mug Tip: A 12 to 14-ounce microwave-safe mug is a good size to use for this recipe. If you go any smaller, the cake batter may spill over the top while the cake cooks.
How to Make It
Combine all of the wet ingredients in the mug. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until the batter is combined.
Mix in the chocolate chips and then place the mug in the microwave. Cook the cake for up to two minutes. The best way to do this is to cook it for one minute and 30 seconds and then check it. If it’s not done, add up to one minute more. The cake is done when the top is set and springs back when you lightly press it.
The cake will puff up a lot when it’s cooking, but it will sink a bit as it cools. I like to let it cool for a few minutes before enjoying it.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t overmix the batter. Just stir until it comes together, and be sure to scrape the sides of the mug so all of the flour and cocoa powder are mixed in.
- I highly recommend the chocolate chips – they create melty chocolate pockets in the cake. But, to switch it up, you can swap half of the chocolate chips with some chopped nuts like walnuts or pecans. They add a nice crunchy texture in the cake.
- I’ve made this mug cake in a few different microwaves, and, for me, it usually takes 2 minutes. Every microwave is different, so I recommend that you start at one minute and 30 seconds and then cook it in 30-second increments, checking it each time.
- This chocolate mug cake has a dense texture, but it shouldn’t be rubbery. If it’s rubbery, that means it was overcooked. That’s why you should cook it in increments after the first minute and 30 seconds – it can go from done to overdone pretty quickly.
- Topping ideas: I love it with some ice cream, but it’s also great with some whipped cream, caramel sauce, or chocolate sauce.
I hope you give this one a try! Your sweet tooth will thank you ♥️
Happy microwaving,
More Easy Dessert Recipes
- Flourless Chocolate Cake
- Cookies and Cream Cookies
- Slow Cooker Chocolate Lava Cake
- Mocha Pudding Cake
- Nutella Pudding
📣 Do you love this recipe? I would love to know! Leave a comment below the recipe, along with your recipe star rating.
Chocolate Mug Cake
This Chocolate Mug Cake is “baked” in a mug in the microwave so that means there are just 5 minutes between you and a big spoonful of this chocolaty-rich dessert! This recipe makes one large mug cake that can easily serve two people.
- Prep Time: 3 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings (1 large mug cake)
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Microwave
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened baking cocoa
- 3 tablespoons semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Vanilla ice cream, optional for serving
Instructions
- Combine the butter, cream, and egg in a 12-ounce microwave-safe mug until well combined.
- Add the flour, sugar, and cocoa and stir until just combined. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the mug so all of the dry ingredients are incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- This cake usually takes two minutes to cook in the microwave, but I recommend starting at one minute and checking it every 30 seconds until it’s fully cooked. The cake is done when the top is cooked, and the cake has started to pull away from the sides of the mug. The cake should spring back when you lightly press on the top.
- Remove the mug from the microwave and let it sit for a few minutes to cool. Serve it warm with the ice cream, if using.
Notes
Mug: Be sure to use a microwave-safe mug that is at least 12 ounces. If it’s smaller than that, the batter may spill over the sides while it cooks.
Cooking tip: This cake has a dense texture, but it shouldn’t be rubbery. If it is, that means it was overcooked. So, be sure to cook the cake in increments as instructed and check on it. It can easily overcook if you don’t.
I highly recommend serving it warm with little ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream. The topping melts into the cake and creates a more gooey texture.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 of the cake
- Calories: 384
- Sugar: 25.1g
- Sodium: 41.5mg
- Fat: 24.8g
- Saturated Fat: 14.7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6.7g
- Trans Fat: 0.1g
- Carbohydrates: 38.6g
- Fiber: 3.4g
- Protein: 7.3g
- Cholesterol: 136.2mg
The nutrition is an estimate only. It was calculated using Nutrifox, an online nutrition calculator.
Recipe, photos, and post updated from the archives. First published in July 2016.
I just made this again for me and my daughter. It’s our favourite mug cake recipe. Turns out perfect every time! Great recipe, thanks so much!
SOOOOOO GOOOOOOODDDDD!!!!! I really loved this recipe. But I think I microwaved it too long because it was spongey, not gooey.
Hi Olivia – the cake isn’t really gooey, it’s definitely more of a cake texture. If it was too spongey maybe try cooking it a little less.
I’m not sure what I did wrong but this did not turn out good for me. The butter was in chunks and I think I microwaved it too long. But I will try again! I am determined to get this right!
Hi Taylor – did you melt the butter first?
Yes I did
Made this tonight and did quite a bit of tweaks. I did not have heavy cream so I did a 2 tbs butter and 1 tbs milk combo to substitute it which made my cake a bit too salty (my bad). I think I should’ve done 2 tbs milk and 1 tbs butter instead. Overall, it was okay. Could’ve been better (maybe) if I had the heavy cream.
Could we use vanilla extract?
Yes you can 🙂
I just wanted to ask if you could use a oven instead of a microwave
And what can can you use for a substitute for eggs?
I haven’t tested this one in the oven but I have a chocolate pudding cake that makes two servings you might like plus it doesn’t have eggs. https://www.girlgonegourmet.com/mocha-pudding-cake/
This is delicious! Thanks for this recipe x
So glad you enjoyed it!
Tried this over the weekend and WOW! So good and so easy to make. I will definitely make this again … probably sooner than later.
Delicious! I made it as is the first time. Second time I used 3 stevia packets instead of sugar and slightly under a tablespoon of coconut flour in place of the all purpose, everything else the same. Cook time was about the same, wasn’t quite as sweet and just a bit different consistency but overall turned out tasty that way too! Just in case anyone else is looking for a slightly healthier option!
Thanks so much for sharing your adjustments!