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    Home » Recipes » Trifle & Glass Desserts

    5-Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

    Published: Mar 5, 2022 · Modified: Jan 18, 2023 by Shiran · This post may contain affiliate links · 19 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    This fudgy, individually portioned chocolate mug cake is incredibly rich and chocolatey. It takes 5 minutes to make and requires very few ingredients! Get your spoon ready for this ultimate chocolate mug cake recipe that’s guaranteed to satisfy your sweet tooth.

    Fudgy individual mug cake that is ready to eat in 5 minutes!

    Who doesn’t love simple desserts that take minutes to make? This chocolate mug cake recipe is perfect for those late night chocolate cravings or when you just don’t feel like doing any real baking. Throw a few simple ingredients together and within 5 minutes, you have gooey, fudgy, delicious chocolate cake. Get ready to indulge!

    I’ll be the first to agree that microwave cakes usually aren’t that tasty, so it was a challenge for me to come up with a recipe that I really love. In this recipe, I use melted chocolate and butter which, in my opinion, yield better results than most other recipes that call for cocoa powder.

    Get ready for an amazing chocolate cake!

    How to make chocolate mug cake

    The secret to this cake is under-cooking it, which yields an incredible gooey cake. Here’s how to make it perfect:

    1. Melt chocolate and butter together. Do this in a heatproof bowl in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between each until the two are melted together.
    2. Add sugar, egg and flour. Gently whisk in the sugar, followed by 1 egg, and lastly, the flour. Be careful not to overmix.
    3. Microwave. Pour the batter into a large mug and microwave for 1 minute. What’s really gonna make or break this cake is the cooking duration and heat level. Microwave heat is strong and uneven, so it’s not always easy to know when the cake is done and not overbaked. If your microwave cooks really hot or uneven, start with microwaving the cake for 30 seconds, and then increase the time if needed.

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    Fudgy individual mug cake that is ready to eat in 5 minutes!

    Tips for making perfect chocolate mug cake

    • Use good quality chocolate. Chocolate is the star ingredient here, so the better quality chocolate you use, the better your mug cake will taste.
    • Don’t overmix your matter. Overmixing will make your mug cake denser, and we want it as fudgy as possible. Simply mix the ingredients until they are fully incorporated.
    • Undercook your cake. This cake is meant to be molten and fudgy, so be careful not to overmicrowave it, which will cause it to dry out. You’ll know it’s done when the cake has risen and solidified slightly but still has spots of shine.
    • Feel free to add garnishes. Of course, this cake tastes amazing on it’s own. But when I really want to indulge, I top it with whipped cream or no-churn vanilla ice cream (or both)!

    More super quick recipes

    • No-Bake Nutella Peanut Butter Bites: Rich, creamy, and delicious.
    • Rocky Road: A homemade candy bar with lots of texture and flavor.
    • Chocolate Biscoff Truffles: The perfect on-the-go sweet treat.
    • Peanut Butter Fudge: Nothing beats this heavenly creamy peanut butter fudge.
    Fudgy individual mug cake that is ready to eat in 5 minutes!
    4.8 from 10 votes
    Print

    Chocolate Mug Cake

    Fudgy, rich, and decadent chocolate mug cake ready in just 5 minutes.

    Prep Time 4 minutes
    Cook Time 1 minute
    Total Time 5 minutes
    YIELD 1 serving

    Ingredients

    • 42g (1.5 oz.) dark chocolate, coarsely chopped (or ¼ cup chocolate chips or chunks)
    • 3 tablespoons (40g) unsalted butter
    • 3 tablespoons (40g) granulated sugar
    • 1 large egg
    • 2 tablespoons (18g) all-purpose flour

    Instructions

    1. Place chocolate and butter in a small heatproof bowl, then set in the microwave and heat for 30 seconds. Take it out and stir, then continue to microwave in 20-second intervals, stirring between each interval until melted and smooth.
    2. Add sugar to the bowl and mix until combined. Add egg and whisk vigorously until completely smooth. Lastly, add flour and mix just until combined and lump-free, but don’t over mix.
    3. Scrape batter into your favorite mug (the mug should be bigger in capacity than the batter to avoid overflowing). Microwave for 1 minute at 700-750 W. If it’s undercooked, heat for a few seconds longer. I like it when it’s not fully cooked and there are still molten parts. Let stand for 2 minutes, then dig in.

    More Trifle & Glass Desserts

    • Homemade chocolate pudding made with cocoa and chocolate.
      Creamy Chocolate Pudding
    • Tapioca pudding made with mangoes and coconut milk, sweetened with honey.
      Small Batch Mango Sago (Tapioca Pudding)
    • eggless chocolate mousse cups
      Creamy Chocolate Mousse (Eggless)
    • Chocolate graves made with italian panna cotta, ganache, and cookie crumbs.
      Chocolate Panna Cotta for Halloween

    Reader Interactions

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Emma says

      January 05, 2016 at 11:54 pm

      Thanks for this! I’ve been looking for a mug cake for ages but most I’ve seen don’t look as lovely as this one.

      Reply
      • Shiran says

        January 07, 2016 at 10:02 am

        Thank you so much, Emma! 🙂

        Reply
      • Max says

        November 16, 2021 at 10:22 pm

        SO GOOD thank you so much

        Reply
    2. Laila says

      January 06, 2016 at 9:31 pm

      Haha, this is so cute. It’s like the perfect indulgence for a lonely Friday night or something. Of which I have too many. Now I know what to do 😉

      Reply
      • Shiran says

        January 07, 2016 at 10:01 am

        It’s the perfect friend for those lonely nights! 🙂

        Reply
    3. Nbh says

      July 05, 2019 at 6:16 pm

      I’ve tried tons of mug cakes and this is THE BEST I have ever found! And I love how few ingredients it requires! Thank you for sharing

      Reply
    4. Misha says

      August 08, 2019 at 10:06 am

      So happy that I have found such an amazing blog with lots of yummy recipes.

      Reply
    5. Taliesha says

      May 24, 2020 at 7:23 am

      This recipe didnt even taste like cake its more like a pudding

      Reply
    6. Mia says

      September 17, 2020 at 4:47 pm

      It was AMAZING! I had no trouble making it at all!

      Reply
    7. Vishva says

      February 01, 2021 at 5:49 am

      Can we use any other alternative for eggs ? And also what if we use salted butter?
      Can wait to try the recipe !!

      Reply
      • Shiran says

        February 02, 2021 at 9:22 am

        Sorry Vishva, but I have no experience baking with egg substitutes. I don’t like to use salted butter because the cake can turn out too salty.

        Reply
    8. Shelby Curtis says

      February 25, 2021 at 7:13 pm

      What are the macros?

      Reply
    9. Brittany says

      June 15, 2021 at 12:05 am

      Omg this recipe is spot on!!!! I had mini chocolate chips on hand and used that. I did taste the sweetness and added a little more sugar than recommended but that was to taste. I also didn’t have any unsalted butter but it came out just fine. This recipe tastes like the molten lava cake from carnival cruise line! That was the taste I was going for and this definitely delivered. I followed the recommended cooking time of one minute, let it sit, and it is perfect! Right amount of cake, lava ratio. Thank you for this recipe!!!!!

      Reply
    10. Aria Lee says

      November 23, 2021 at 10:44 pm

      This was so freaking good. I was craving brownies/lava cakes, but didn’t want to make a whole batch. So this mug cake was perfect and was probably just as good as any lava cake I’ve had from the oven. I added a dash of vanilla to the batter and topped the cake with vanilla ice cream at the end. I will definitely be making this again.

      Reply
    11. Shrimanth Honnalli says

      September 02, 2023 at 2:32 pm

      Amazing recipe..it came out soo tasty. Thank you

      Reply
      • Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet. says

        September 02, 2023 at 9:34 pm

        Thank you, Shrimanth!

        Reply
    12. Elias says

      September 01, 2024 at 10:02 pm

      Very delicious. Very simple recipe to follow too! Thanks for this!

      Reply
      • Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet. says

        September 04, 2024 at 12:37 pm

        So glad you loved this recipe, Elias!

        Reply
    13. . says

      December 10, 2024 at 6:36 pm

      It was kinda dry and it didn’t have a very good chocolate flavor.

      Reply

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