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This easy chocolate mug cake recipe has no eggs and can be made for one or two (if you like to share). It is one of the easiest dessert recipes you’ll ever make and you’ll never make another mug cake again after you try my recipe!
Holy bananas, you guys. This chocolate mug cake recipe is one of your all’s favorite desserts to make. The simplest chocolate dessert yet incredibly moist, easy, and the best single-serving dessert out there (to share or not to share)! Mug cake for one or two and it is eggless and all made in the microwave!
You likely have ALL the ingredients in your pantry already. When you get that late night craving? Or want a small batch dessert (and not whip out a giant baking pan to make brownies to nip that craving)? This chocolate mug cake IS FOR YOU!! If you haven’t made this yet; you are 100% missing out.
What is a mug cake?
I still seem to get this question a lot and a mug cake is literally as it sounds. A cake in a cup! It’s great because you don’t need to whip out a bunch of tools to make this easy chocolate mug cake.
Why is this the BEST Easy Chocolate Mug Cake recipe out there!
Seriously though, you’re probably so over mug cake recipes and you’re probably rolling your eyes at me right now but STOP! I promise you this isn’t like any other mug cake out there. I’ve tried a bunch of mug cakes and I hated them.
I thought they were a really neat concept for a quick dessert fix but nothing would ever beat baking an entire cake or cupcake. I hated that all the mug cakes came out SPONGY and they had the grossest texture.
Last week, I was CRAVING chocolate like none other. It was a pretty dire situation. We didn’t have any desserts in the house because I hadn’t been baking and I didn’t want to run out to get anything so I thought I’d give a mug cake a shot.
It ended up turning into a recipe development hour because the first batch came out horrible. Like, I threw it in the trash can and it was just one lumpy sponge thing.
The second one was slightly better but still really bad. The third, I switched out some ingredients and added a little bit more of some and it came out how I wanted but I knew it could’ve been better so on the fourth try, I finally got it to work and the exact texture I wanted.
Ingredients you’ll need
For the exact measurements, please scroll down to the recipe card.
- All-purpose flour
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Baking powder – make sure to check the “best by” date for this. It’s an important factor.
- Sugar
- Salt
- Milk
- Oil
- Chocolate hazelnut spread
Substitutions and variations
- You can use dark cocoa powder if you desire but I actually have a dark chocolate mug cake recipe for that!
- I’ve heard of so many variations that folks have used for the chocolate hazelnut spread. Here are a few ideas:
- Mini chocolate chips
- Lindt truffle in the center
- Mini M&M’s or your favorite mini candy bar
- Caramel sauce
How to make chocolate mug cake
For complete instructions, visit the recipe card below.
Whisk together dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
Add the liquids. Next, add the liquids into the bowl and whisk until a batter-like consistency forms and there are no remaining dry ingredient lumps.
Pour into a mug. As it’s a microwave mug cake, make sure you are pouring the batter into a microwave-safe mug!
Time for add-ins! If you’re using the chocolate hazelnut spread, go ahead and add that right into the center! Same for other add-ins. You don’t have to push it down, the batter will cook around it and sink it down.
Microwave! Time cook it! Place the mug in the microwave and cook for 70 seconds (please see important notes below).
Tips for success
- Please note that ALL microwaves are different therefore can yield different results and can overcook this mug cake if you aren’t careful. My microwave is 950 watts and I cooked mine on 100% power for 70 seconds*. Knowing this information, it may help you better judge how long to cook yours for and at what power.
- Mug size makes a huge difference! If you’re using a larger mug that is taller then it will take longer to cook. If you’re using a larger but wider mug, it may take less time to cook. There isn’t a one size fits all for this, sadly. The cooking time is a general cook time that works best for most. Unfortunately, there are so many factors that can contribute to your particular mug cake.
Common questions
This chocolate mug cake is made without eggs. Why?
Okay, I get asked this a lot too and the reason why this mug cake is made without any eggs is because that is what makes it have a spongey texture!
If you think about it, it makes sense. Why would you put an entire egg into a mug cake when a regular full-sized cake often asks for one or two eggs? This isn’t a full-sized cake. And of course I’m not going to ask you to divide an egg in half. Just omit it! Best texture, ever!
Can I make this with self-raising flour?
You can, but I tested it with self-raising flour and it just came out spongey and not the texture I wanted.
I like my cakes light, fluffy, and moist and with the self-raising flour, it just didn’t yield the results I wanted.
There have been many people who have used self-raising flour in this recipe and didn’t notice a difference so if you’re up for the challenge, I say go for it.
Can this mug cake be made in the oven?
No, this was solely developed for the microwave. I have had readers who have baked this but I honestly don’t recall how it turned out and/or what temperature or time.
If you love mug cakes, you may like these different variations on my chocolate mug cake:
- Dark chocolate mug cake
- Very vanilla mug cake
- Peanut butter chocolate mug cake
- Espresso chocolate mug cake
- Pumpkin spice mug cake
- Salted caramel apple spice mug cake
The Best Chocolate Mug Cake
Ingredients
- ¼ cup (31 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoon granulated sugar, (you can add 1 tbsp. more if you like it a bit sweeter)
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup (59 ml) + 1 tbsp. milk
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon hazelnut chocolate spread or mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.1/4 cup (31 g) all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/4 teaspoon (¼ teaspoon) baking powder, 2 tablespoon granulated sugar, 1/8 teaspoon (⅛ teaspoon) kosher salt
- Whisk in the milk and vegetable oil until all ingredients are combined and batter has no clumps.1/4 cup (59 ml) + 1 tbsp. milk, 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- Pour batter into a microwave-safe mug. Mine was a 14-ounce mug. You want enough head space for the cake to rise without pouring over.
- Add hazelnut chocolate spread in the middle of the batter or mini chocolate chips. Just drop it in the middle, no need to push it down and sink it in the batter. It does that on its own when it cooks! :)1 tablespoon hazelnut chocolate spread or mini chocolate chips
- Place a paper towel into the microwave and set the mug on top (this is to catch any batter if your mug cake overflows).
- Microwave mug cake for 70 seconds on high (PLEASE READ NOTES CAREFULLY BELOW)
- Carefully remove from microwave and enjoy!
Prepare to be disappointed. Recipe says 1 min to cook, but when you actually read through it says 70 seconds. Don’t waste my time
i’m sorry that 10 extra seconds difference from what the recipe card allows me to type in is such a critical matter for you. you literally just wasted your own time by leaving this useless comment and trolling. if you actually used a recipe card plugin before (obviously you haven’t), you would know that it only allows you to input hours and minutes, not seconds, so i just rounded down as it made more sense than rounding to 2 minutes.
@Julie Chiou, I for one appreciate your clapbacks, some peoples’ comments are just rubbish and uncalled for. BTW made the mug cake the other night for me and my boyfriend – it’ll become a staple in our house. BF was skeptical at first but quickly converted. Thank you!!!
haha thank you – at some point i just gotta stop being nice when people aren’t nice to me, ya know?! i’m glad you and your bf enjoyed it!!
@Julie Chiou,
I think he was making fun of the other commenters who were leaving ridiculous and unfair reviews, (particularly the one who said they wasted 2.5 minutes making it) since he gave the recipe 5 stars. It totally seemed like a joke to mock them. I think maybe a couple emojis on their end, or adding an indication they were joking somehow would have been helpful, though! I can totally understand how the humor may have been missed since you were (totally understandably!) put on the defensive due to some really unnecessarily unkind reviews. People also need to understand this is a MUG CAKE recipe, it’s not meant to be fancy. And it’s a bomb mug cake indeed! So good! 😋
ahh, thanks for your perspective on it and appreciate you taking the time to write and make this recipe!
@Andrea, I appreciate her responses too! Don’t take people’s crap!! Especially all the work that goes into providing FREE RECIPES!!! I love a strong person that can define their boundaries and defend themselves. But the person you were responding to above was clearly mocking those people, as he gave it 5 stars. I thought it was hilarious. Maybe shoulda added a wink or something though. This is recipe was awesome, just got done devouring mine. Happy baking!
That was insane. Only mug cake I’ve ever enjoyed! Fantastic.
Omg I’ve been trying to find a mug cake recipe that works well with Kamut flour and THIS IS IT. Oh my gosh SO GOOD. I wouldn’t change ANYTHING.
Absolutely loved. My 10 year old son and I were craving a little something sweet. I love that it’s easy and basic ingredients. It came out perfect. We will definitely be making this again. My son gave this a 10/10. Thank you!!
If you use a fourth cup of vanilla creamer instead of milk it tastes awesome
This was really awesome, I love that there was no egg. My microwave and voltage are different, had to cook a little longer. But I love it. Thank you very much
Delicious! I’m so glad I found this recipe. My pants not so much…
Only one recommendation, I think 1/8 tsp baking soda is enough. It’s slightly less fluffy and more like chocolate pudding which I think is better.
@Lauren, baking powder…not baking soda.
Fantastic recipe! The cake is incredibly moist and decadent. Just make sure you use the right kind of coco powder (made a huge difference) and set the timer as a little less than the recipe, just in case, so it doesn’t overtake.
I tried this and it wasn’t great, the texture was gross and it tasted weird, I followed the direction and ingredients properly and it still wasn’t good, do not try if you are sensitive to texture and or have a weak stomach cause this made me feel sick after a few minutes and I only ate a few bites.
Awesome recipe especially when you add the chocolate spread