There comes a time in every girl’s life when she needs a chocolate mug cake.
Perhaps it’s one of those days where you just want to curl up on the couch all day and watch bad Lifetime movies about stolen babies (ladies, you know what I’m talking about).
Or maybe you just ran four miles for the first time in your entire life and unless you counteract it immediately with a dessert, the universe will be thrown out of balance and implode, and the entire 2012 apocalypse will be all your fault.
Or maybe it’s your birthday and everyone forgot so there was no cake. Okay, sorry, that last one was kind of depressing. Anyway, my point is, sometimes you just need a bite of cake to make things right. Just a bite.
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Love peanut butter and chocolate? Check out my No-Bake Pretzel Peanut Butter Bars or Peanut Butter Fluff Cups.
What Makes This Mug Cake The Best?
I was never a fan of mug cakes because all of the versions I’ve tried have turned out rubbery and just not at all delightful. Until I found this recipe, which for me is the one. This is why I like it:
- It’s not overly sweet. (If you want it sweeter, add more sugar or some chocolate chips.)
- It’s small. Other recipes I’ve tried have just been too big and they make me feel like I just over indulged. This one is just a few, rich, delightful bites.
- There is no egg. I find that eggs make mug cakes rubbery or spongey and they also mean that you can’t scale the recipe in size. If you want a small cake, you can’t just split an egg in half, right?
- There are a lot of variations. Add chocolate chips, use nutella, jam, or caramel sauce in place of the peanut butter, vegan-ize it by using soy milk in place of cow’s milk… lots of options.
Don’t be tempted to leave out the peanut butter (or jam, or whatever you drop in the center) because it helps keep the cake moist and rich. It simply wouldn’t be the same without it.
Make it a Vegan (Dairy-Free Mug Cake)
With one simple swap, this Chocolate Mug Cake can be made vegan. Simply swap the milk with your favorite non-dairy milk and you’re good to go! Life is good.
So, shout out to Jessie at Made From Scratch for experimenting with mug cakes until finding this perfect mix. You just saved the universe from imploding!
“The One” Chocolate Mug Cake
Servings 1Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour ($0.02)
- 1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder ($0.03)
- 2 tsp sugar ($0.01)
- 1/4 tsp baking powder ($0.02)
- a pinch salt ($0.01)
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.04)
- 2 Tbsp milk ($0.04)
- 1 Tbsp peanut butter ($0.13)
Instructions
- In your mug, stir together the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, and a pinch of salt). Make sure there are no clumps.
- Stir in the vegetable oil and milk until the mixture is smooth. Drop a tablespoon of peanut butter into the center and push it down into the batter.
- Microwave on high for one minute and then enjoy!
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Notes
Nutrition
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Love microwave mug cakes? Check out my Funfetti Mug Cake, or Cinnamon Nut Swirl Mug Cake!
How to Make a Chocolate Mug Cake – Step By Step Photos
Add 2 Tbsp flour, 1 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 tsp sugar, 1/4 tsp baking powder, and a pinch of salt to a microwave-safe mug. Stir them together very well.
Add 2 Tbsp milk and 1 Tbsp oil, then stir until it forms a batter.
Drop a dollop of peanut butter (about 1 Tbsp) down into the center of the batter.
Microwave on high for one minute and you’ve got yourself a cake with a melty, peanut butter center! The cake turns out extra light and fluffy and the peanut butter kind of sinks in as the cake rises up around it. So magical!
Every bite has a light cake and a gooey, rich bit of melty peanut butter. Absolutely perfect.
And then five or six delightful bites later, you’re done and you don’t feel like you do when you “accidentally” eat a whole pint of ice cream. …not that that ever happens. 👀
I’ve done so many mugcakes the last 10 years. All of them I’ve made once only, never found one I actually like. But ofcourse, I desperately try to find one when the PMS jumps me with a sledgehammer.
And finally, The One, that name is no lie. This is the one that will be made more then once. Love it! ❤️
This is the best cake in a mug recipe ever! I’ve tried this recipe twice already, once using a tbsp of peanut butter and the other with a tbsp of Nutella, and the Nutella one is a awesome way to instantly satisfy a chocolate craving! Love all of your recipes Bec!
I’ve made many mug cakes in the search for the One and this one’s the best. The portion isn’t too much and the lack of egg takes the usual rubberiness that tends to happen with mug cakes. Great job!
This. Was. Perfect.
I’ve tried other mug cake recipes and they always turned out just a bit too complicated or undercooked or overcooked and rubbery. I used some almond butter I had from a different recipe and it was so tasty! It was fluffy and chocolatey and it fit perfectly in these tiny coffee cups I got from IKEA which have never seemed big enough for coffee or small enough for espresso. I guess I’ve found the perfect task for it and the perfect mug cake!
This is super yummy, but it makes for a very small serving, only half a mug. I’d double the recipe next time. Thanks for this, I was craving something sweet that wasn’t fruit!
The taste and ingredient ratio is great but the consistency was far too dry for me with an 800W microwave at 1:00 min cook. I added an extra tablespoon of milk and cooked for 50 seconds and this gave me the damp brownie-like cake I was looking for. Otherwise excellent little recipe that hit the spot. I used 70% dark choc powder with Whole Earth PB. Peeeerfect!
I used natural PB which is apparently really salty – the saltiness mixed with the non-sweetness of the cake itself made for a not super pleasant dessert. I had to add some agave to the top just to make it taste like a dessert and not just a spoonful of salted peanut butter. Next time I’d double the sugar and make sure to get unsalted peanut butter…
I made this with King Arthur’s gluten free flour and it turned out very good.
This was pretty good! I will probably add some more sugar next time. Instead of peanut butter, I mixed in some chocolate chips and topped it with a pre-made fudge frosting topping. The cake is pretty dense, so I will also probably layer the cake with some melted chocolate to help cut through the dense feel of the cake. Great, quick dessert!!!
The best mug cake ever! Indeed “the one”. I didn’t have cocoa powder so I substituted nesquick and added an extra tbsp. Swapped pb for cookie butter. It was so good I made another one with Nutella while the baby was still napping :)
I will say the texture was nice.. Spot on 1 min cooking time. However this was not sweet at all.. Next time maybe would add a bit of vanilla or milk cubic plate chips and maybe a packet of splenda or more sugar. The only sweet came from the pb. But a good basic start.
Wow auto correct… Let’s try that again.. Milk chocolate chips not *cubic plates lol
Thanks great recipe! I found this while looking for a different but quick and easy “dessert” to use in a youth cooking class I was teaching. Fit the bill perfectly. They loved it!
PS My first taste test at home, late at night and with grocery shopping not till the next day… . No peanut butter, no choc chips not even any jam!!😲… In desperation I chopped up 1/2 a small chocolate coated peppermint pattie.. . Yum!!!! Was THAT ever good! Sometimes desperate substitutions are the best 😊
WOW now I want that!!
Seriously best mug cake I have ever had (and I have had a few!) I substituted the PB for Jam and added some shredded coconut. Delicious, thank you for the recipe!
Wowsa! Great recipe!! Quick and simple, and very tasty! Lovely smooth cake texture, with just enough peanut butter for a gooey kick! I drizzled a little chocolate syrup on top to add a little sweetness. I also wanted a bit more, so I added 1T of flour and 1T of milk to the batter. Has anyone tried this without oil or a substitute for the oil?
Calories: 365
Protein: 7.5 g
Carbs: 29.5 g
Fat: 23
I made this recipe and loved it! After making it a few times, I substituted the peanut butter for peanut butter morsels so it’s not as sticky, and nesquick instead of the cocoa powder because it’s not something I have on hand. I love this recipe!