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.
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. 👀
So easy, so delicious, not too sweet, and doesn’t have any of the additives that are in the mug cake mixes you get at the grocery store. I am sold!
Amazing! It really is the best mug cake recipe ever! I reduce the cocoa and add a few chocolate chips. Have to be careful not to microwave for too long. I keep mine in for just under a minute otherwise it gets dry. Really great for when you crave something sweet :)
I have tried a number of mug cake recipes. This one is hands down the best!
Save your time and ingredients. Tastes terrible!
The rating of 4.61 has determined that this is a lie 🤷🏻♀️
I just tried this tonight, but as I’m counting calories, I eliminated the oil, substituted with apple sauce, used stevia instead of sugar. Came down from 345 calories to only 181. LOVE IT!!!! (It is very small, use a small mug).
This is my first time trying this recipe and it was really good. However I added chocolate chocolate for a more chocolatly flavor.
Wow! I never realized you could make mug cake at home without buying some packaged convenience version. Just joining all of you here in 2021, eating mug cake at 2 am…
Very nice, quickly made comfort food. Good that it is not too big.
Made with honey, hasselnut paste or something else, as we don’t have peanutbutter.
This mug cake has saved me and my sweet tooth on more than one occasion during this COVID stay-at-home period. The first time I made it to the recipe, and it was good but not sweet enough and the texture wasn’t my favorite. Reading other comments, I increased the sugar to 1tbsp and then played with the cocoa ratio. Now I use just a half tbsp of cocoa and prefer it that way, with a few extra chocolate chips on the top. I also think a whole tbsp of peanut butter makes it too salty, so I use about a half tbsp as well (never measure, just get a small dollop). I’ve also made it with just water instead of milk (dairy and non-dairy), and it comes out just as well. Perfect recipe to have on hand for when you just need a hit of chocolate without turning on the oven or getting a bunch of dishes dirty.
THE best mug cake. I have made probably 10 of these over the last few years, never been happy with them. This one is soo delicious and you can use it as a base and then alter it however you like. So so so good! Thank you for sharing!
It is by fr the best mug cake I’ve ever had. I added Nutella and peanut butter.
Omg. This is surprisingly good! Like I’ve made chocolate mug cakes before, and this was so good (even after I accidentally put a little over a tablespoon of sugar in!). I also used gf self raising flour, cause it’s all I had. It it was still amazing!
Perfection.
Not too sweet, not too rich.
Very easy to make and the cake is actually so yummy….. you can add ice cream to it. Best and easiest comfort food/desert. Love it!
My husband had gone to bed early and I felt like having dessert so tried this as my first ever mug cake! Not sure why I’ve never made them before as it turned out great and was so simple. Mine rose right to the top of the mug!
I probably would make a few tweaks next time but that is more for my taste and the ingredients we have at home. For example I found the peanut butter quite intense as we use the type that contains 100% peanuts so maybe add less or like others have suggested using jam or nutella.