There’s nothing better than a treat that comes together in a few minutes, like this mug cake recipe. It only requires a handful of ingredients, and you can make it in a few minutes. That’s the joy of making a cake in a mug! It’s quick, easy, and delicious. Everything is mixed in your mug, so there isn’t too much to clean up.
Warm, cozy, and tender, this mug cake will satisfy any sweet tooth. Top it off with some whipped cream, powdered sugar, or ice cream, and it’ll hit the spot every time. If you want another quick dessert recipe, then try my brownie in a mug recipe or cookie in a mug recipe!
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Flour — you only need simple all-purpose flour to make this single-serving cake in a mug.
Cocoa powder — for a delicious chocolate flavor, use 100% cocoa for the cake batter.
Baking powder — make sure the baking powder is fresh to ensure the cake in the mug rises.
Milk — I use whole milk for the best flavor.
Vanilla — if you have the time, I recommend trying my homemade vanilla extract recipe.
Chocolate chips — I use semisweet chocolate chips for the mug cake batter, but you can also use mint chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, etc.
How to Make a Mug Cake
1. In a large microwave-safe mug, stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
2. Add the milk, oil, and vanilla.
3. Stir until well combined and smooth.
4. Stir in most of the chocolate chips.
5. Sprinkle the top with the remaining chips.
6. Microwave on high for 60 to 90 seconds or until the cake is puffed and the center looks dry. Let the cake in the mug cool for a few minutes before eating.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- Make sure to measure your flour correctly. If you add too much flour to the recipe, you will have a dry cake. I highly recommend always using a scale to measure. However, if you don’t have a scale, be sure to fluff your flour with a spoon and then spoon it into your cups before leveling it off with a knife. This method is the best way to measure flour without overpacking the measuring cup.
- A shorter, wider mug is ideal as it allows for more even cooking. I recommend a heavy ceramic mug with no metal. If your mug is too small, the batter may overflow.
- Just like a regular cake, avoid overmixing the batter, or you’ll end up with a dense, tough mug cake.
- The strength of microwaves can vary, so the first time you make this easy mug cake recipe, you’ll need to experiment between 60 to 90 seconds. The thickness of your mug will also contribute to how long it’ll take for it to cook.
- Some delicious variations you can make to this recipe are stirring in a spoonful of cream cheese, caramel, peanut butter, Nutella, or Biscoff into the batter before baking or serving it with a spoonful on top.
Frequently Asked Questions
I find that adding an entire egg to a mug cake will lead to a spongey texture. One egg is too much for a small cake in a mug, and scaling an egg down adds more work than necessary. It’s easier to simply omit using an egg for a cake in a mug. You won’t even miss it!
You can! If you’d like to double the recipe, I suggest using two mugs to ensure the mug cakes will cook evenly. Place them in the microwave one at a time, or they’ll cook unevenly.
Yes! Since this recipe does not contain eggs, you can simply swap the milk for a dairy-free option, such as almond milk, to make the cake vegan-friendly.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Mug Cake recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Mug Cake
Video
Equipment
- Large coffee mug
Ingredients
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour (30g)
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- ¼ cup whole milk (60ml)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (5mL)
- 2 tablespoons semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a large microwave-safe mug, stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the milk, oil, and vanilla and stir until well combined and smooth. Stir in most of the chocolate chips, and sprinkle the top with the remaining chips.
- Microwave on high for 60 to 90 seconds or until the cake is puffed and the center looks dry. Let cool for a few minutes before eating.
Notes
- Make sure to measure your flour correctly. If you add too much flour to the recipe, you will have a dry mug cake. I highly recommend always using a scale to measure. However, if you don’t have a scale, be sure to fluff your flour with a spoon and then spoon it into your cups before leveling it off with a knife. This method is the best way to measure flour without overpacking the measuring cup.
- A shorter, wider mug is ideal as it allows for more even cooking. I recommend a heavy ceramic mug with no metal. If your mug is too small, the batter may overflow.
- Just like a regular cake, avoid overmixing the batter, or you’ll end up with a dense, tough cake.
- The strength of microwaves can vary, so the first time you make this recipe, you’ll need to experiment between 60 to 90 seconds. The thickness of your mug will also contribute to how long it’ll take for it to cook.
- Some delicious variations you can make to this mug cake are stirring in a spoonful of cream cheese, caramel, peanut butter, Nutella, or Biscoff into the batter before baking or serving it with a spoonful on top.
Kayla says
I made this for my roommate and she loved it! I tried a lil bit oh my gosh it was so good! Tasted fudgy and just like cake, not spongy or dry at all.
Samantha says
Loved it! I haven’t had much luck with mug cake, they tend to turn out gross. Luckily I thought of you and checked to see if you had a recipe. And yay you did. It was perfect. I cooked it for 2min 5secs. I have a 700watt microwave. Thanks so much. Can never go wrong with your recipes
Mel says
This turned out amazingly perfect. I LOVE chocolate so I had to try this. The recipe is easy to follow, the cook time fast. The end product was light and delicious , I’m probably going to eat this every week. Thank you, THANK YOU for posting this.
Deb Bergstrand says
Ack!! I forgot to rate the recipe. So sorry.
Deb Bergstrand says
This cake is delicious! Any suggestions for a vanilla version?
I love your recipes and videos. Most of all, thank you for introducing me to Italian meringue buttercream. It has made me want to make special layer cakes for every occasion! Great fun and so yummy!!
jkanell says
I need to make a vanilla version asap!