Mug cake is just so incredibly cozy! What could be better than curling up on the couch with a warm chocolate cake in a mug in your hands? It is the pinnacle of being.
What is mug cake?
Mug cake is a cake that’s made in a mug! It bakes up in just a minute in the microwave and is a warm and chocolate-y treat that will satisfy any chocolate sweet tooth. Mug cake is perfect for when you just want a single serving of cake and don’t want to bust out all your baking equipment.
Air fryer mug cake
To bake mug cake in an air fryer, make the cake as per the recipe, then air fry at 350°F for 10-12 minutes. Let cool slightly, then enjoy!
Toaster oven mug cake
If you don’t have a microwave and want to bake your cake, you can do so in a preheated 350°F toaster oven or oven. Heat the oven, then make the cake as per the recipe. Bake for 20-25 minutes, depending on how gooey you want your cake to be. If you want a perfectly cooked cake, use a toothpick and insert it in the middle. When the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done.
What does it taste like?
Heaven! Seriously, I’m not joking guys, this cake is SO GOOD. It’s moist, chocolatey, and light and fluffy. I love the melty chocolate parts that essentially make it like molten chocolate lava cake. I like it plain, with a little bit of powdered sugar, with whipped cream, with ice cream, oh my gosh, I feel like I need one right now. The best part is that it comes together so quickly. Bonus points for the fact that I almost always have everything right at home.
- Milk. I use whatever milk I have in the fridge, usually 2% or almond.
- Oil. Try to use a neutral oil that doesn’t have any flavor like canola oil.
- Flour.
- Cocoa powder. For cocoa powder, we need the unsweetened kind, not hot chocolate milk.
- Baking powder.
- Sugar. You can adjust the sugar to you liking, or use a sugar alternative.
- Chocolate chips. The chocolate gets melty and gooey and is the best part! I usually just chop up a bit of a chocolate bar/baking chocolate if I don’t have chocolate chips in the pantry.
No eggs?
Yep, that’s right. This recipe has been updated and there are now no eggs in this mug cake. Eggs tend to make mug cakes have a bit of a rubbery texture, so bye-bye eggs and hello tender, fluffy cake. As a bonus, it’s now vegetarian and can easily be made vegan too. I developed this recipe from wacky cake, a cake that has no eggs in it. I kept it pretty similar but switched out the water for milk.
Variations:
- Cream cheese: add in a nugget of cream cheese when you add the chocolate.
- Nutella: add a spoonful of nutella instead of the chocolate.
- Peanut butter: add a spoonful of peanut butter instead of the chocolate.
- Coconut: use coconut milk and and stir in a tablespoon or two of shredded coconut into the batter.
- Biscoff: add a spoonful of biscoff cookie spread instead of the chocolate and top with crushed biscoff cookies.
In a microwave safe mug that holds at least 1.75 cups of liquid, whisk together:
2 tbsp milk
1 tbsp oil
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp white vinegar
In a small bowl, mix together:
4 tbsp flour
2 tbsp sugar
1/8 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
Add the flour mix to the mug and whisk well, making sure there are no lumps. Add in sprinkles now if you want a funfetti cake.
Place on microwave safe plate and microwave for 1 minute and 10 seconds. If needed, continue to microwave in 10 second increments if it’s not cooked through.
Let cool slightly and enjoy!
Optional: Top with a quick frosting: mix together 2 tbsp room temp butter with 1/4 cup icing sugar and splash of vanilla extract or milk until smooth and fluffy.
