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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.
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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
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
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Made one! Was fun and so tasty – perfect for a cold Autumn night by the fire ♡♡
Oh wow yes! That sounds amazing! Thank you Maria! xTieghan
This was delicious!! And yes you convinced me to have a mug cake – because before I saw this photo I wasn’t even thinking about it ? is it ok that I added skor bits on top for a bit of crunch?!? it was absolutely the most moist mug cake I have made! I’ve had many dry ones! Hubby and I downed it within minutes!
Hi Glo! That is so amazing to hear! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! xTieghan
oh. my.
this was SO good. and SO EASY! my family LOVED them!
I saw someone mention calories but I don’t see any listed on this recipe..? I’d love to know. (or maybe I don’t lol)
Hi Autumn! I did not provide the calories for this one! I would suggest using an online calculator! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Sorry, I just thought of something else. The coffee is a must, it just brings out such a rich flavor. I happen to love coffee, so I made just a little table spoon of expresso, I seriously might go home and make another mug tonight.
Wow yes!! I am so glad this turned out so well for you Cindy! Thank you! xTieghan
WOW!!! This recipe was so easy and so delicious! I made a couple of mugs on Friday night using honey and it turned out perfect. To my surprise, it was a little rich for me, I could only eat half of my cake. Thankfully, my husband was more than happy to finish the other half. Then, I made a mug on Saturday night using sugar. I appreciate the options in ingredients and both turned out delicious. I have been passing this recipe out to friends and coworkers, great job Tieghan, thank you!
Thank you so much Cindy!! I am so glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
After a couple of tries, I’m just not sure how to get this recipe to work. My first mug cake was rubbery and tasted salty with little chocolate flavor. I reviewed the recipe to ensure I didn’t miss/mess up anything then tried again, with less salt and 15 seconds less in the microwave. Not as rubbery but still lacking a good chocolate flavor. I guess I’ll just bake other desserts!
Hi Katelyn! I am really sorry to hear that! Is there anything you might be missing in the recipe? I would love to help! xTieghan
Sad to say this was a rare miss for us. Baked them in the oven since we have no microwave but I think the amount of coconut oil was too high as they came out oily and the taste of it pervaded the cakes- but also the chocolate flavor didn’t come out enough. It just didn’t feel very deep, if that makes sense. I used espresso powder instead of brewed coffee since I made these at night and didn’t want to put a pot on.. Maybe that’s where things went awry
Hi Caroline! I am sorry this did not turn out well for you! Please let me know if there is anything I can help you with! xTieghan
I followed the recipe, used canola oil, 2 T of sugar…1 minute 45 seconds – Perfect! I am amazed and so is my husband ❤️ We split one with ice cream. Will definitely make again. Thanks!
That is so great! Thank you so much for trying this one! xTieghan
I just made this recipe! And it was awesome! I tweaked it a bit bc I didn’t have flour or cocoa but I did have a chocolate box cake mix. I added 1/4 c + 2 tbs of cake mix and since it is already sweet didn’t add honey. After putting the chocolate chunks I added a bit of pecans! So good thank you for this idea!! <3
Hi Diana! I am really glad this one turned out so well for you! Also, love that you were able to alter it with what you have! Thank you! xTieghan
Theses were so salty. =( I’m going to try to cut the salt in half (if not more) to make them again.
Hi Sarah! I hope you enjoy these more with less salt! Please let me know if there is anything I can help with! xTieghan
My daughters and i made these tonight, super yummy and quick. We each made our own mug, but each ate only half. Thanks for the recupe!
Thank you for trying this one Heather! Also, so sweet to make with your daughters! I am glad you all enjoyed this and hope you are all staying well! xTieghan
Love this!!!! Thanks so much for sharing!
Thank you Carmen! That is so amazing to hear! xTieghan
Absolutely perfect!! I’m allergic to eggs and milk so made it vegan using a flax egg and plant milk (chose macadamia milk since I happened to have macadamia honey as well). Worked seamlessly, cooked for 2 minutes. Coffee is definitely the secret ingredient. So good!!
Amazing!! I am so glad this turned out so well for you Stefanie!! Thank you for trying this one! xTieghan
I really wanted to love this, but it came out rubbery and tasteless. I ended up throwing it away.
Oh no! I am really sorry to hear that Sarah. I would love to help if you could let me know if anything went wrong! xTieghan
What do you think about stirring a tablespoon of toasted pecans into the batter?
Ooo I think that would be delicious! Please let me know if you try it! I hope you love this recipe Rayann! xTieghan