These Gooey Chocolate Mug Cakes are ready in less than 15 minutes! Unlike most mug cake recipes, this one makes enough for two people. Get ready to dig into two crazy delicious servings of warm chocolate cake.
Easy Chocolate Mug Cakes for Two
We’ve all had those late night cravings for warm chocolate cake. Haven’t we?!
Please tell me I’m not alone…
This Gooey Chocolate Mug Cake recipe is so easy, you won’t believe it works until you try it. From start to finish, you’ll have two servings of warm chocolate cake, all gooey and fabulous >>> in less than 15 minutes!
FEATURED COMMENT:
“Really, the best chocolate mug cake recipe I have tried so far! Absolutely delicious! It was so gooey and amazing. Just what I needed.”
-Sushma
What is a Mug Cake?
For the most part, when someone talks about a mug cake recipe, it’s going to mean that it’s made in the microwave. This type of recipe is meant to be a quick, easy, and smaller version of a more typical (larger) chocolate cake.
These Can Be Made With or Without Eggs
I shared this mug cake recipe here many years ago on the blog. And while it’s always been a very popular recipe, it has had mixed reviews. I would say, a 50/50 split with people either really liking it or people really not enthused about it. And the #1 complaint I heard? People didn’t like the spongy texture, a result of baking this dessert for two using eggs.
So the girls and I experimented with many different versions of this recipe, eliminating the eggs. We wanted a cake that was dense and moist and richly chocolatey.
And we made it happen!
In this updated mug cake recipe, you will find no egg.
But! If you have already fallen in love with the previous recipe I shared (with eggs), just look below the recipe card in this post – you’ll find the original recipe there!
How to Make Chocolate Mug Cakes in the Microwave
For these cake cups, simply stir a few common baking ingredients together in a small bowl. Then divide the batter between two cups or small-ish sized mugs and microwave for two minutes.
Be sure to read the recipe card below for ingredient amounts!
- Combine dry ingredients: In a small bowl combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder and salt.
- Add wet ingredients: Mix in the milk, butter and vanilla. Stir well to make sure everything is well combined.
- Add chocolate chips. Stir them into the batter.
- Divide batter between two mugs. Make sure the mugs are microwave safe!
- Sprinkle more chocolate chips on top.
- Microwave for 2 minutes.
- Let cool, then dig in! Give the cakes 10 minutes to cool before eating. The chocolate will still be gooey but it won’t be so hot that it burns your mouth.
That’s it. Two minutes, and they’re done. The best darn microwave cake you ever did taste!
Serving Suggestions
I like to serve this cake in a cup with fresh raspberries or strawberries. This is especially pretty for a little Valentine’s Day celebration.
A dollop of freshly whipped cream or a small scoop of ice cream would also be great. My parents taught me how to eat warm chocolate cake with a scoop of cold vanilla ice cream – it’s pretty wonderful!
While I recommend to let the microwave mug cake cool for ten minutes before eating, I have to admit that I nearly always dig right it.
Yes, it’s hot. But I just can’t resist.
With just one spoonful, you’ll know exactly why my family loves this gooey chocolate mug cake. It’s beautifully moist and gooey, incredibly chocolatey…and pretty darn perfect when you’re already in your pajamas for the evening and that craving for chocolate cake won’t let you go.
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* For those of you who have relied on the original recipe that I shared here many years ago (with eggs), scroll down below the new recipe card. You’ll still find the original recipe there!
Gooey Chocolate Mug Cake for Two
Ingredients
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 3 big pinches of kosher salt
- ¼ cup milk
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips plus 2 teaspoons to sprinkle over batter
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt.
- Add milk, butter, and vanilla. Stir well to incorporate.
- Stir in 1/4 cup of the mini chocolate chips. Then divide batter between 2 microwave-safe cups (my cup holds 6 fluid ounces). Sprinkle the top of each cup of batter with an additional 1 teaspoon of mini chocolate chips.
- Microwave both cups at the same time on high power for 2 minutes. Microwave strength varies, so adjust accordingly. The cakes should be cooked, but very moist, and a bit gooey in the middle. If you like your cake extra soft and gooey, cook for a bit less time. Allow cakes to cool for about 10 minutes prior to eating.
- These are best when eaten within an hour or two of making them. As they cool, the chocolate chips will harden, so the cakes will be less gooey. But they’re still very good. ;)
Notes
Nutrition Information:
ORIGINAL RECIPE (with eggs): Gooey Chocolate Mug Cake for Two
Ingredients
- 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
- 1/4 c. sugar
- 1/4 c. cocoa powder
- big pinch of kosher salt
- 1/4 c. milk
- 1/4 c. butter, melted
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- heaping 1/4 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus a few more for sprinkling on top
Directions
In a small mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt.
Add milk, butter, eggs, and vanilla. Stir well to incorporate.
Fold in chocolate chips. Divide batter between 2 microwave-safe cups (my cup holds 6 fluid ounces) and then sprinkle the tops with a few more chocolate chips.
Microwave both cups at the same time on high for 2 minutes. The cake will rise up above the cup rim, and then settle back down as it cools. Microwave strength varies, so adjust accordingly. The cakes should be cooked, but very moist, and a bit gooey in the middle.
Allow cakes to cool for about 15 minutes prior to eating. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.
These are best when eaten within a few hours of cooking them. As they cool, the chocolate chips will harden, so the cakes will be less gooey. But they’re still very, very good. ;)
More Chocolate Desserts to Try
For more chocolate recipe inspiration, be sure to also check out my:
- S’mores Pie – a HUGE family favorite!
- Chocolate Mint Brownies – I’ve been enjoying these since I was a kid.
- Chocolate Chip Cookies from The Vanilla Bean Baking Book – OMG. These are the most awesome chocolate chip cookies I’ve EVER had!
- Heart Shaped Brownies with Fresh Raspberry Buttercream – Our girls LOVE these!!!
And I’m looking forward to trying Hot Chocolate on a Stick from Foodie With Family and these Buttermilk Brownies from A Kitchen Addiction.
This post was previously published in 2013. The recipe, some of the photographs, and some of the text were updated in 2019.
My husband and I loved the old recipe.  I’m super bummed that you changed it.  I don’t care for the new one and won’t make this recipe again.
I preferred the old one too.Â
Hello Jen – please see my reply to Elizabeth. Thank you!
Hello Elizabeth – I know that there are people who like the original recipe (you!). But I have received a large amount of feedback on that recipe, where people didn’t like the spongy texture. And the more we played around with the recipe at home, the more we realized that we liked it better without eggs also. I did update the recipe card to reflect these changes. But please know that the original recipe (with eggs) is also included below the recipe card. Thank you for letting me know – I hope you enjoy many more chocolate cake cups!
Thank you!!! Â We are super happy to have to old recipe! Â Maybe not our waistlines… ;) Â I think the texture is closer to a cake with eggs. Â Without eggs, I think it’s more dense and brownie-like.Â
This is our go-to chocolate cake for when we need a sweet treat after the kids go go bed. Â We will continue to enjoy (debatably, too many) chocolate cakes! Thank you again, for including the old recipe as well!Â
Your comment makes me smile. Enjoy, enjoy, ENJOY!
Wow!!! A mug cake that ACTUALLY tastes like cake, and not like a chocolate-y omelette :) I didn’t have chocolate chips, and ended up halving the recipe, but it was fantastic! Thank you so much for restoring my faith in mug cakes! Be sure to let this one cool for a few minutes to let it settle :)Â
Yay!!!!! :)
These are what is keeping me going through my obnoxiously long winter break. I’m in heaven.
Very quick and easy! Delicious! But instead of making 2 portions I put all of it in a big mug and cooked it for 2 minutes 30 seconds.
This hit the spot!! After I put the boys to sleep, I was aching for a good chocolates fix. But all we had were…ingredients, ugh. So I set out to find someone who had a rockin’ fast chocolatey recipe. I found you through Real Simple, and you are a winner!!! I used half butter, half coconut oil. Because…I could, and also I have a huge crush on coconut oil and I really love it with chocolate. I also added dark chocolate chips which were amazing. It’s possible I should have taken the cups out before the 2minute beep, but it’s a new microwave and I really had no idea. But my microwave is pretty nuclear so I should have known. Next time! And there’s obviously going to be a next time, I will remember. Thank you for being so good to my sweet tooth! And I got brownie points by giving the other half to the husband ;)
We tried out this recipe and had a similar problem as Rebecca and Alison. We didn’t have ceramic mugs that we were ok to ruin if this went poorly so we used glass mugs. Could that have been our problem?
I loved this recipe (without eggs) and I didn’t have any chocolate chips so I added Reese’s mini peanut butter cups and YUM! Such a great recipe, not just a chocolate frittata lol. Love this , will for sure be making again!
Wonderful!! You can’t go wrong with some Reese’s PB cups! :)
Simple, fast and amazing recipe. Thanks
Oh My God!!
this is literally the best microwaved cake i’ve ever had!
you just became my go to recipe.
I did make a few changes: i reduced the amount of butter in 1/3.
i did half semi-sweet half white for the chips, and added marsmallow on top. I microwaved for 1.5 on 80% and then 20 seconds on 100%. when it was done i placed a couple of teaspoons of caramel-white chocolate sauce on top.
perfect cake!
i’m eating it warm.. I have no resraint.
please excuse me while i go into a chocolate and sugar coma :-P
Wow, I’m in trouble. This was a delicious hit and I’m sure I’ll be making them again soon.
I only had unsweetened cocoa, and almond milk instead of the other but it still worked beautifully. Thank you for this :)
So if you’re a normal person you will have all these ingredients in your house. Which is good because you probably don’t want to go out, clear the snow off you car, get the ingredients from the store, etc. So while being perfectly lazy you can make this delicious treat and not have to leave your house! I love it!
This was amazing! I certainly didnt have the self-control to wait 15 minutes before eating it though! Ha! Definitely going to be making these waaaay too much now. Can’t wait to experiment with some other flavors also for my hubby who is allergic to chocolate. Thank you!!!