This gooey chocolate mug cake recipe is ready in 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.
We’ve all had those late-night cravings for warm chocolate cake. Haven’t we?! Please tell me I’m not alone… This microwave 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 minutes!
READER REVIEW
“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
Why We’re Obsessed With This Chocolate Mug Cake Recipe
- Quick and easy. Have a rich and chocolatey, single-serving chocolate cake warm from the microwave in 2 minutes. It’s a quick way to satisfy a craving for chocolate cake, no oven needed.
- Just enough for two. I’ve seen a lot of mug cake recipes made for one person, but I wanted mine to cater to two, so someone else can get in on the fun.
- Egg-free. I updated my original recipe to make this single-serving cake without eggs. It turns out delicious fudgy and gooey!
- Perfect for chocolate lovers. A mug cake is the best way to enjoy a chocolate cake without the effort of baking a whole cake.
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.
What You’ll Need
For this mug cake recipe, we’re taking the ingredients from a classic chocolate cake and downsizing them to fit in a mug. Scroll to the recipe card below the post for the full printable recipe with amounts.
- Dry ingredients – You’ll need all-purpose flour, sugar, and salt. Since a mug cake doesn’t need to rise like a normal cake, we skip the leavening agents like baking powder or baking soda.
- Cocoa Powder – I like to use Hershey’s. You can make this cake with natural or Dutch-process cocoa.
- Milk – Any kind.
- Butter – Melted before you start.
- Chocolate Chips – I couldn’t resist folding a handful of semi-sweet chocolate chips into the cake batter, plus a few extra sprinkled on top. You can use dark, white, or milk chocolate, too, or swap the chocolate chips with nuts.
This 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 a 50/50 split with people either loving the spongy texture from the eggs or those who aren’t fans.
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 Cake 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-sized mugs and microwave for two minutes. Be sure to read the recipe card below.
- Combine the ingredients. In a small bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. 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 the 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, a drizzle of ganache, or a 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 letting the microwave mug cake cool for ten minutes before eating, I have to admit that I nearly always dig right in. Yes, it’s hot. But I just can’t resist.
Make Ahead and Storage
- Refrigerate. These mini mug cakes store well in the fridge for up to 3 days. I recommend letting them come back to room temperature before serving.
- Freeze. You can freeze the baked and cooled chocolate mug cakes for up to 2 months. Thaw them at room temperature when a craving strikes!
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.
* 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!
More Chocolate Desserts
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. ;)
This post was previously published in 2013. The recipe, some of the photographs, and some of the text were updated in 2019.
It was delicious!!! definitely recommend!! x
Hi! I just made the eggless version & it was delish!! I doubled the recipe (we have really large mugs!) & used evaporated milk instead of regular. Also used espresso instead of vanilla flavoring & added a touch more sugar, but these were exactly what I was craving! It’s almost identical to a flourless chocolate cake! Soo rich, the moistest thing ever, and a little goes a looooong way! Thanks for the recipe! Now if only my keto mug cakes were this good…
This was a little eggy for my and my husbands taste. We were a little disappointed with this recipe.
Hello June – please try the recipe withOUT eggs in the recipe card. So many people like the original recipe (with eggs) that I had posts – so I kept it for them, you’ll find it at the end of this post. But the recipe in the recipe card does NOT have eggs…it’s the one my family now prefers.
these chocolate cakes are the most gooey and effortless recipe i have ever seen!
This is perfect for when you need a chocolate fix or a quick treat! So easy to make and so delicious.
I had been craving a chocolate cake dessert for some time, but never got around to baking one. When I saw this recipe, I immediately gave it a try. This recipe was quick, delicious, easy to make, and just the right size. Loved it and so did my husband!!! Thank you for sharing it.
This was excellent!! So many different things you could do with it also – use chopped Andes mints instead of chocolate chips, add crushed candy canes, top with salted caramel sauce, add toasted chopped pecans with caramel, add scoop of peanut butter in the middle before baking, add crushed pretzels after baking, with caramel sauce. It was perfect amount and so good!
This was awesome! Just made it for my husband and I. Took only a few minutes and then we topped it with vanilla bean ice cream and fresh strawberries. Delicious!
Thank you for sharing!
Wonderful, so glad you liked this easy treat! We just made these again last evening, four mugs for our family. :) Thanks for letting me know!
I made it today for my husband who wanted some chocolate. I didn’t have butter but used canola oil. My white milk was spoiled but I had chocolate milk. It was an amazing cake with rocky road ice cream! Definitely will make again and experiment with maybe nuts or coconut. Love not having eggs or baking powder. Made it fluffy and rich.
WOW!! It looks so yummy.. Will try this on this weekend.. Thank you so much for sharing such a delicious recipe.
This was SO good! I left out the chocolate chips as I find they make things too sweet and instead sprinkled sea salt on mine. The perfect treat. Thank you
I’m LOVING the sea salt sprinkle. Will give that a try next time! Thanks for coming back to leave a comment, Kyla – so glad you liked this recipe!
Just made your recipe, let them cool for a few minutes and then devoured both mug cakes with a large of milk. Guess I won’t be looking for something for dinner now!
Simply fabulous!!
LOVE!!!! Thanks for coming back to let me know, Judy!
i have literally made this a million times. it is so good especially with icecream
i also tried it with the egg , not a fan i didn’t like how rubbery it got . but the other recipe . YUMMM!!! Just made more right now .
YAY!!!! Thank you so much for letting me know. It’s fun to have such an easy warm chocolate cake fix!