Simple Mug Cake Recipe

It's the middle of the week, you just finished dinner, and you're craving something sweet—ideally, something chocolate—but your dessert inventory is looking pretty sparse. Enter the mug cake. It's like a dream come true: warm, gooey chocolate cake in five minutes. This simple chocolate mug cake recipe from recipe developer and food blogger Sher Castellano is so easy to whip up, it's criminal. "I like a super dark and rich chocolate cake. And this one is the perfect single-sized serving," she says.

If you're a quasi-regular chef/baker, you likely have all the ingredients ready to go already. Did we mention it will be hot? And you can add toppings like whipped cream, chocolate chips, or vanilla ice cream?

This mug cake is the perfect treat for when you want dessert but don't want to go off the rails on a pint of ice cream or entire box of cookies—this is just one serving.

A mug cake is a catch-all for when you're dying for something sweet but don't necessarily have a ready-to-eat dessert handy. As previously mentioned, you likely already have all you need for this mug cake already available in your fridge and pantry. The ingredients include all-purpose flour (or gluten-free 1:1 flour), unsweetened cocoa powder, cane sugar, baking powder, milk, olive oil, and salt. 

If you don't have olive oil, you've still got options, but olive oil is still probably your best option. According to Castellano, "Canola oil will also work, but I prefer olive for its flavor." And in terms of milk, Castellano reports that any type of milk will work.

Part of the reason why this mug cake recipe is so easy is because the next step is just combining all the ingredients—there isn't anything you have mix with anything else prior to folding it in to yet another something. It's a pretty straightforward concoction. 

Before you bust out any mugs, though, whisk all of the mug cake ingredients together in a small bowl (but large enough that none of the ingredients splash out while you're whisking) so you can ensure they are thoroughly combined. Make sure there aren't any clumps and the batter is smooth. 

Okay, now it's time to utilize the ol' recipe namesake, the mug. Use cooking spray to lightly grease the mug, then pour the cake batter into the mug, scraping the sides of the bowl with a spatula to make sure you get all that good stuff in there. Microwave the mug for 90 seconds, then remove it. 

Per the instructions in this mug cake recipe, be very careful removing the mug from the microwave, as it will be hot. Also, keep in mind that the cake itself might need to cool for a few minutes—you don't want to burn your tongue out of the gate on that first bite.

As previously mentioned, make sure you let the mug cake cool a bit before digging in. It will be piping hot coming out of that microwave. You can, however, start to add toppings while it's cooling.

This mug cake recipe suggests you get creative with toppings. Anything from chocolate chips and cacao nibs to vanilla ice cream and/or whipped cream will work. Might we also suggest white chocolate chips or nuts (if you are a proponent of nuts in desserts, of course)? If you don't have any of this stuff at your disposal, rest assured this chocolate mug cake will also be extremely satisfying on its own.