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Because it’s Friday and we need our fix…5 Minute Molten Chocolate Mug Cake. You don’t need to be a skilled baker to bake up these deliciously EASY chocolate mug cakes. This deep-dish style cake in a mug requires just one coffee mug, simple pantry staple ingredients, and takes almost no effort or time to make. There are hints of vanilla, swirls of melted chocolate, and every bite is truly delicious. Enjoy this personal-sized cake warm, right out of the microwave, with a scoop of ice cream.
The entire world is baking right now, it’s impressive and exciting. I love so much that you all are making the best of this time at home…and baking up a storm. I’ve said it before, but it’s so fun to see all the HBH recipes being made. And the desserts are without a doubt the most popular.
But the thing that I’ve come to realize? Some of us don’t need a strawberry cobbler that serves eight people. Or a three-layer cake that feeds a twenty-person birthday party. Or two dozen homemade Somoas cookies. Nope, most of us don’t need all those servings. Though I personally love a little leftover dessert…you know for late-night snacking and TV watching.
Sometimes, like on Friday or Saturday night, we just need a rich, heavy on the chocolate, warm, and melty piece of chocolate cake…with a scoop of ice cream too.
Yes, sometimes that is just what we all need most.
Enter these cute little warm chocolate-filled mug cakes. They require no oven and instead are baked in the microwave and ready in just about five minutes.
Truth is, I’m not usually someone who uses the microwave. In fact, for many years I actually didn’t have a microwave in my house. I don’t often find many uses for it, but sometimes it’s a handy kitchen appliance. And you know something? It does have the ability to create a delicious chocolate mug cake within just 5 minute’s time. If there was ever a reason to own a microwave, this cake recipe is it.
The quick details.
This cake comes together in five minutes tops, so the details are pretty darn quick.
Start with your wet ingredients. I like to use coconut oil as the oil for these cakes. Melt it in the microwave in the mug you plan to “bake” your cake in. Once melted, whisk in a single egg, a few tablespoons of milk, a splash of vanilla, and honey…to sweeten things up. I personally like to use honey as my sweetener as I’ve found it creates a perfectly soft, tender, and moist cake. But maple syrup or granulated sugar work well too.
Once the wet ingredients are combined. Stir in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and a pinch of salt. At this point, the cake is almost ready for “baking”.
But I have a couple secrets.
First, coffee. Now, if you don’t enjoy coffee you can use an equal amount of water, but I will say that you really don’t taste the coffee. It only highlights the flavors of the chocolate and creates a slightly “gooey” cake. You want to swirl the coffee into the batter, not fully incorporating it. This is key and keeps the cake from drying out.
Second, chocolate chunks…and a generous helping too. The chunks are a must and act as the “molten” layer to these mug cakes. You will add them to the center of the batter. As the cake bakes, the chocolate sinks in, melting as it sinks. It leaves you with a puddle of warm melted chocolate at the bottom of your cake. With every bite, a little of that melted chocolate is scooped up with the cake.
And it is delicious.
Key for success.
Eat this warm, right after cooking. This isn’t a cake you want to eat leftover, it’s meant as a quick chocolate fix. It should be eaten right away and preferably with ice cream on top.
Nothing is better than warm cake with vanilla ice cream. SO. GOOD.
I will say that that every microwave is different, so the cooking time is a little tricky. That said, I tested this on two different microwaves and found two minutes to be just the right amount of time. You may need to adjust slightly by fifteen seconds, give or take.
So with all that, have I convinced you that you need a chocolate mug cake in your life tonight?
This is the best afternoon pick me up…warm after dinner dessert…or late-night snack with a side of TV watching. Hey, don’t judge, this is life in quarantine. It’s weird, and the normal “rules” of life just don’t apply. So enjoy your cake…any time of day you like!
See you all tomorrow for another Cocktail Saturday.
Looking for other quick desserts? Bake these up!
Crinkle Top Chocolate Peanut Butter Skillet Blondies
Coconut Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread
5 ingredient Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Cookies
watch the how to video:
5 Minute Molten Chocolate Mug Cake
Servings: 1 large mug
Calories Per Serving: 1080 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil (or olive oil/canola oil)
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-4 tablespoons honey, maple syrup, or granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon brewed coffee
- 1 ounce semi-sweet chocolate chunks, very roughly chopped
Instructions
- 1. Melt the coconut oil in a (10-12 ounce) microwave-safe mug. Whisk in the egg, milk, vanilla, and honey until combined. Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt, stirring until just combined. 2. Spoon the coffee into the center of the batter and gently swirl it in. Do not fully incorporate the coffee. Place the chocolate chunks in the center of the batter. 3. Microwave on full power for 1 minute 45 second to 2 minutes (I always do 2 minutes). Dig your spoon deep into the cake to spoon up melted chocolate with every bite. Serve with ice cream. ENJOY.
Notes
To Oven Bake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 2 cup oven safe ramekin/mug or 2 muffin tins. Add the batter and bake 22-25 minutes.
Microwave: every microwave is very different, so results may vary slightly. I have a 1200 watt microwave and found 2 minutes to be the perfect cooking time. You may need to cook 1 minute 45 seconds or 2 minutes 15 seconds. Start with 2 minutes.
Coffee: if you prefer to not use coffee, use an equal amount of warm water.
This always turns out great for us! I love that there is no refined sugar. With the centre being gooey chocolate, you definitely don’t need the cake super sweet! I make ours with gluten free flour and bake it in the oven. Great to curb a chocolate craving
Hey Jenna,
I am so glad to hear that this recipe was tasty for you and appreciate you giving it a try! xxT
If you want a light and fluffy cake this is not the recipe. Calls for WAY too much oil and a whole egg with only 4 tablespoons of flour and 2 tablespoons of sugar. It tasted ok, but I’m sure with the right ratio, it would be 10x better.
Hey Jordyn,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed!! xx
Pregnant and wanted something chocolate to go with my vanilla ice cream but needed more than just chocolate syrup… this cake + ice cream + caramel & chocolate syrup hit the spot! Like others mentioned, don’t expect this to have the same texture as an oven baked cake. I used canola oil instead of coconut (like the flavor better in baking), 2 tbsp honey & 2 tbsp maple syrup instead of 4 of one or the other, and chocolate chips since I didn’t have chunks.
Hey Stephanie,
I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xxT
I used canola oil and granulated sugar and added peanut butter chips along with chocolate chips. Also used cold coffee. I cooked it for 2 min and dusted the top with powdered sugar and homemade whipped cream. It turned out great! My husband loved it! Don’t expect the texture to be just like an oven baked cake. It’s perfect when you are craving a dessert late at night! So fast and easy!
Hi Daisy,
Happy Sunday!! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it!! ? xx
Terrible, terrible, messy and eggy. Will never make again.
Hey there,
So sorry to hear the recipe was not enjoyed:) xTieghan
Just YUM!
Hey there,
Happy Wednesday!! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
These are SO good, definitely great if you’re hungry and craving something chocolatey. The variety of textures is so good. However keep in mind it will continue to ‘bake’ in cup so I’d start with 30 seconds on microwave and increase by 15 seconds since it’s definitely easy to overcook. Amazing treat tho and the best microwave cake I’ve ever tried!!
Hey there,
Thanks for your feedback! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it:) Have the best week! xxT
People need to be realistic. It’s a 5 minute cake in a mug made in the microwave. I’ve tried quite a few like this and this is the best one so far. Easily tweakable (a tad salty for me) but 100% edible and hits that quick chocolate craving. Mine was pretty molten, which I liked. I used coconut oil but next time I will use another variety. I also used honey but I’ll use sugar next time. Great recipe, thank you for sharing.
Hey Heather,
Awesome! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan
Just made this-
Yes, you need to eat it immediately. It gets a gummy texture from being microwaved. The ice cream helps to combat the texture issue. I personally don’t love coconut oil. The flavor it imparts wasn’t tasty to me. In addition to the texture and taste issues, I thought the serving size was huge. The should be shared by two people.
Hi Terri,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, sorry it wasn’t enjoyed. xTieghan
In going to try it again before I give a real rating, but I don’t know that there’s gonna be anything you use an entire egg in that you microwave for two minutes. Do you think it’s an altitude thing? I’m going to try for less time and see if that helps.
Hey Stacey,
Yes, all microwaves are different so you can add more time or reduce it to your liking. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Awful eggy mess.
Hi Crystal,
So sorry you did not enjoyed the recipe, please let me know if I can help in anyway! xTieghan
I did the recipe, thank you. Like other said, there’s something about the texture, but I thought it may be the my inexperience or even the fact that some wet ingredients like oil, egg, milk may end up unmixing from each other if we let the misture rest a little due to different densities, but that must be part of the process. Notes: I didn’t have fillings like chocolate, I used corn oil instead of coconut oil because I did not have those and used like 1 and a half of tablespoons of chocolate powder and a half of cocoa powder. To be more accurate on the rating I would give 3,8 out of 5.
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try!!
Really wanted to love this, but the texture was off for me. It was quite rubbery and it’s possible I did something wrong (maybe 1:45 was too long?) but I’ve made mug cakes before and they are normally much fluffier! Not much flavor for so many ingredients and not great texture unfortunately.
Hi Lisa,
So sorry to hear this! Was there anything you adjusted in the recipe? I would try microwaving for less time next time around! I hope this helps! xTieghan
We’ve been experimenting with mug cake recipes lately and this one is by far the best! We used a milk chocolate lindor truffle but followed instructions precisely. For a 5 minute cake, it amazing!
Hi Amy,
Awesome!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was a winner! xTieghan
Love the flavor but mine came out very spongey/eggy. Any idea what I could have done wrong to get this texture?
Hey Marianne,
So sorry to hear this! Was there anything you may have adjusted in the recipe? Let me know how I can help! xTieghan
Well, I had high hopes for National Chocolate Day. Sadly, they were dashed. I am a huge fan of HBH recipes, but not this one As others said they are too salty and not sweet enough. I used 3 T. sugar, but next time no salt and 4 T. maybe of maple syrup The texture was good, though. I’ll try again, soon.
Hey Gail, I’m so sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy this recipe! Thank you for the feedback! xTieghan
I absolutely love this quick dessert recipe. Thanks!!
It worked and it’s delish! Feels like a science experiment ?
Hey Desiree,
Awesome!! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! Have a great weekend:) xTieghan
Don’t waste your ingredients on this recipe. It’s the worst thing I’ve ever tasted. None of the chocolate was “lava” it just soaked into the sponge. And really no flavour other than eggy sponge. I’d find another recipe.
Sorry you didn’t enjoy this recipe Madison, please let me know if I can help in anyway! xTieghan
Great recipe for an easy after dinner treat! Didn’t add the coffee as I don’t like coffee, still worked out well 🙂