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Rich, moist, and fudgy chocolate mug cake! Prepared in just 5 minutes in the microwave, this vegan mug cake is definitely one of the easiest desserts! Decadent, chocolatey, and topped with gooey chocolate chips, it’s perfect for a movie night!
Any mug cake lover out there? While mug cakes may throw you back to the 2000s, it’s still a must-have recipe and definitely one of my favorite 5-minute desserts. Who doesn’t love a warm single-serving chocolate dessert that is ready in no time?
⭐️ Why You Should Try This Recipe
- It’s the ultimate last-minute movie snack. 5 minutes to prepare and 1 minute to cook, this mug cake makes a delicious sweet snack to enjoy anytime your chocolate cravings kick in.
- It requires basic ingredients. You most probably already have everything on hand!
- It’s gooey, moist, and SO delicious. The taste and texture of this mug cake seem like a lot of work, but it’s not!
📘 What is a Mug Cake
A mug cake is a single-serving cake that is microwaved (or sometimes baked) in a cup. The magic about this dessert is that it comes together in no time with just a few ingredients. Plus, there is no need to preheat your oven.
🥛 Ingredient Notes
This mug cake recipe requires just 8 ingredients. Here are what you will need:
- All-purpose flour – While I haven’t tried it yet, I believe it should work with 1:1 gluten-free flour as well.
- Sugar – I went with granulated sugar, but you can use light brown sugar or even coconut sugar. Vanilla sugar is also a great option for extra vanilla flavor!
- Cacao powder – Use unsweetened cacao powder. Both natural and Dutch-processed cacao powders will work.
- Almond milk – Or your favorite plant-based milk.
- Oil – Oil brings richness to the cake. Use a neutral oil like canola, grapeseed, or avocado oil.
- Vanilla extract – Use high-quality store-bought vanilla extract, or homemade vanilla extract, to enhance the flavor.
- Salt – A good pinch of salt always makes chocolate desserts taste better.
- Baking powder – To help the mug cake rise.
🍫 How to Make Chocolate Mug Cake
- Whisk together the dry ingredients in a small bowl.
- Slowly pour in the liquid ingredients and whisk until smooth. You can use a small whisk or a fork for this step.
- Pour the batter into a microwave-safe cup. As the cake will rise during microwaving, you want to use a mug that is tall enough. The batter should fill about half of the mug.
- Microwave for about 1 minute and 30 seconds. The time will depend on the wattage of your microwave. Keep an eye on it and remove it from the microwave once the top of the cake is set.
- Add your favorite toppings! While this chocolate cake is delicious on its own, it gets even better with extra toppings like chocolate chips, coconut whipping cream, vegan ice cream, etc.
- Enjoy warm! Let the cake cool down for 2-5 minutes before digging into it!
📔 Tips
- Adjust the cooking time. All microwaves are different, so you may have to adjust the time. I personally cooked mine on high for 1 minute and 30 seconds, but you might have to reduce the time to 1 minute if your microwave is more powerful. The top of your mug cake should appear just set.
- For an even more decadent mug cake: swirl in a tablespoon of vegan Nutella before microwaving.
- You can easily double the recipe and divide it between two mugs if you want to share it.
💬 FAQ
Yes, you can bake this mug cake in a 350°F (175°C) preheated oven for 15-17 minutes.
I do not recommend omitting the oil. Your cake will end up being dry.
Yes, simply replace the all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend.
This chocolate mug cake is a very simple recipe, but one that everyone should have on hand! It’s incredibly fudgy, chocolatey, and SO decadent!
🍮 More Quick Desserts
Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe!
Fudgy Vegan Chocolate Mug Cake
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 and 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp unsweetened cacao powder
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp mini chocolate chips optional, for topping
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, cacao powder, baking powder, and salt.
- Pour in the liquid ingredients: almond milk, oil, and vanilla extract. Whisk using a small whisk or fork until the batter is smooth and has no more clumps.
- Transfer the batter to a 12-ounce microwave-safe mug.
- Microwave on high for 1 minute and 30 seconds or until the top is set. Note: you might have to adjust the cooking time depending on the wattage of your microwave. See the notes below.
- Top with chocolate chips and let it cool for 2-3 minutes before enjoying!
Notes
- Adjust the cooking time. All microwaves are different, so you may have to adjust the time. I personally cooked mine on high for 1 minute and 30 seconds, but you might have to reduce the time to 1 minute if your microwave is more powerful. The top of your mug cake should appear just set.
- For an even more decadent mug cake: swirl in a tablespoon of vegan Nutella before microwaving.
- You can easily double the recipe and divide it between two mugs if you want to share it.
Nutrition
About the Author
Thomas Pagot is the founder, photographer, and recipe developer behind Full of Plants. He created the blog in 2016 as a personal cookbook for vegan recipes. Through years of recipe development, Thomas has successfully grown Full of Plants into a trusted resource for plant-based recipes.
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