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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!
Wow! Yum!
I omitted the spread and dropped mint chips in it and drizzled some chocolate sauce once it was done! Just what I needed right then and there;)
Usually recipes which call for cocoa powder also include twice as much sugar, so I had misgivings about this recipe, but I tried it, and it took an extra minute and a half to cook and it was bitter. I think different brands of cocoa may have very different levels of bitterness, and yours must be mild. I use a very dark Dutch cocoa, and it needs more sugar. Otherwise it was good.
I used hersheys and mine turned out great….i now when ever Im going to,make it i say im going to go make my tiny cake!!! Lol i love this recipe
Holy crap thats delicious!!!! Lol i put a teaspoon of peanut butter in the middle of the batter then once it was done i,put a teaspoon of chocolate icing while it was hot so it melted a bit and it is wonderful!!! Thank you sharing this
Made this cake tonight and it was wonderful. I substituted melted butter for oil because I always do. Made it in one giant mug and microwaved for ~2:30, it was perfect! Also topped it with handmade caramel ice cream because why not?! Thanks for the great recipe, I’ll be sure to use more in the future!
(Side note: I’m a professional pastry cook and highly recommend this recipe. Sorry if that sounds narcissistic at all, just want to give an excellent blog extra backing!)
Thank you! Not narcissistic at all. It’s actually flattering to hear this from a pro! :)
I checked the recipe several times– I was not wrong, but the batter was extremely runny and there was so much of it that I had to put it in a medium sized bowl! Unsurprisingly, I had to cook this for almost 3 minutes. I didn’t make any substitutions and the cake turned out almost playdoh-y in texture and didn’t taste very good either. Please check your recipe proportions again? What a waste of ingredients :(
Hi, I’m sorry yours didn’t turn out. I’m confident in my recipe proportions. I’ve tested this recipe four times and have made it consistently ever since. If you check out the other comments, it has worked for others too. I’m sorry yours didn’t turn out as expected. If yours was so runny, it’s because you didn’t have enough flour or you over-measured the liquid ingredients. I hope this helps a little!
It’s most likely your batter to cup ratio was off. The first one I made was perfect! The second one I used a smaller cup and it was runny. Still ate it.
Mine was also super runny! And it was very bitter tasting. I wonder what would happen if I left it in the microwave a little longer. And next time I will definitely add 3 tablespoons of sugar, possibly four.
Outstanding recipe. I made this five times this evening (for different people) and it was perfect each time. I went ahead and did it in 30 second spurts because every microwave is different and each of these mug cakes was fudgy and chocolately and awesome. We used 3T of sugar and a few chocolate chips. Fabulous and easy!
It was very delicious! Instead of, hazelnut spread that I didn’t have, I melted chocolate chipets and even stuck a few into the cake batter! Def making it again!
This cake had no flavor except bitterness. Very disappointing.
I bet you used baking soda and not baking powder if it was bitter.
Really quick and simple. Was lookinh fr a quick indulgence, and here my hunt ended :-) this is my first attempt at mug cake. I have a question, Can melted butter be used instead of veg oil, and how can we use wheat flour instead of all purpose flour. How different the receipt would be for a full size cake.
Yes, melted butter can be used. I don’t suggest using wheat flour and I haven’t done this for a full size cake so I’m sorry, I can’t help on that aspect.
you might try half whole wheat pastry flour and half cake flour. that should work just find. i will try it later this week ;)
i bet you could use half whole wheat pastry flour and half cake flour. i hop[e to try it later this week ;)
Sorry but this came out really bad. 3 tbsp sugar is a must… And I don’t reach much sugar. Also, it was way too moist (read: runny). Kind of undercooked as well so I tossed it in the microwave again for a minute. Added chocolate chips and replaced hazelnut spread with peanut butter. Not gonna try this again.
You did something wrong…because ive made this two more times since the other night and its fantastic…..idk wbat you may or may not have done….but i made sure to use an actual wisk and i did wisk it for a bit to make absolutely sure every little teeeeny clump was mixed thoroughly…not to be mean but i do not see how anyone could mess this up..
Like she stated as well every microwave is different..that might be the culprit…to bad i can’t actually watch you make to see what the problem could possibly be because this recipe is soo simple i just don’t see how it could have not turned out….
I agree 100% with Martina. I have made this so many times since I discovered the simple recipe about 6 months ago. I have made little changes at times and they did not effect the over-all result. I don’t use hazelnut spread, I sprinkle in about a table spoon chocolate or peanut morsels. Slightly push them down into batter. Key word: slightly. Even my teen age daughter makes them. So you must be doing something wrong. Again not intended to be a mean comment. You’re either using too much of a liquid product, or not enough of a powdered item. Check your measurements. Had someone use a 1/3 cup instead of 1/4 cup – made it very dry. Used baking soda instead of baking powder. So you can see baking accidents are easy to make. One of the biggest is not using the proper microwave wattage. Anything under 1100 watts will not cook this mug cake properly. Hence runny, soggy cake. I would encourage you to give it another try, just double check your measurements and your ingredients. And that 1100 watts microwave. You’ll be happy you did!!
I am not a sophisticated cook\baker but I wonder if outdated baking powder or accidentally using baking soda would contribute to the runniness and texture issues.
I imagine a low-powered microwave would contribute too. Based on the comment of needing another minute to cook.
I have to wait to get baking powder – I looked at mine and it was 10+ years past its date. :)
Are you in a high altitude. I tried it twice and it didn’t work at all but my problem is probably the high altitude.
My boyfriend ate the gooey mush anyway so no harm done :)
I made this tonight, omitting the hazelnut spread (because I didn’t have any). I also used a gluten free flour blend. It turned out great! Thanks!!!