5-Minute Molten Chocolate Mug Cake

Molten chocolate mug cake and ice cream for one. Need I say more? This mug cake recipe is a five-minute-microwave hero when a chocolate craving hits. 

Molten Chocolate Mug Cake

I don’t often have a reason to bake a cake and even if I think, “well, I don’t need a reason!” baking a big cake for myself is just a bad idea. It means I will either eat the entire thing or end up throwing most of it away. Depending on the outcome, it’s either an exercise in excessiveness or wastefulness and so there hasn’t been a lot of homemade cakes in my life.

And then I talked to my best friend who told me people use their microwaves to cook things. Not just to reheat leftovers, or nuke a frozen meal, but real cooking where you combine raw ingredients, toss them in the microwave, and, voila, dinner or dessert (or both!) is served. It was a revelation.

Turns out, my microwave could deliver what I thought was out of reach: a single-serve mug cake that’s fast and easy. Plus, there’s no risk of a chocolate overdose followed by the day-after self-hate that goes with a regular-sized cake. The moderation is built right in.

A Mug and a Microwave

It really is as simple as combining a few ingredients in a mug and popping it in the microwave, but if you need a visual reference you must watch this Lucky Peach video. Not so much for the detailed steps, but more for the quirkiness of it that might make you smile. I adapted this same recipe here  – I switched a few things up like cream for milk, butter for oil, and a nice dollop of ice cream to finish it off.

Decadence, it seems, is the order of the day.

Some Things You’ll Need

• A microwave-safe mug
• Melted butter
• An egg
• Heavy cream
• All-purpose flour
• Granulated sugar and unsweetened baking cocoa
• Vanilla
• Chocolate chips

More Easy Desserts

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Salty Sweet Oatmeal Bites These salty-sweet oatmeal bites, made with oatmeal, pretzels, coconut, and peanut butter, are a tip of the hat to classic no-bake cookies.

Molten Chocolate Mug Cake

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★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

• Author: April @ Girl Gone Gourmet
• Prep Time: 3 minutes
• Cook Time: 2 minutes
• Total Time: 5 minutes
• Yield: 1
• Category: Desserts

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Description

As the name of this recipe suggests, this single-serve cake is “baked” in a mug in the microwave meaning there are just five minutes between you and a big spoonful of this chocolaty rich dessert. Adapted from Lucky Peach, my version amps up the decadence with some butter, cream, and a generous dollop of vanilla bean ice cream to top it off.

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Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened baking cocoa
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 pinch of salt
• 3 tablespoons semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup vanilla bean ice cream (optional)

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Instructions

1. Combine the butter, egg, and cream together in a coffee mug until well combined. Add the flour and sugar and keep stirring. Add the cocoa, vanilla, and salt and stir until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
2. Place the mug in a microwave and cook for 2 minutes. Remove the mug from the microwave and let it sit for a few minutes to cool.
3. Top the cake with the ice cream, grab a spoon, and dig in.