Have you ever had a sudden craving for cake, but are too lazy to bake it or go out to pick one up? Lately, that’s been me. So I’ve come up with a super convenient and easy way to make a microwave chocolate mug cake. As far as equipment goes, all you need is a medium-sized mug, a 1/8tsp measuring spoon, a kitchen scale, a spoon for mixing, and a microwave. I’ve designed this recipe so that the cake is easy to make, doesn’t require a lot of dishes, and is still super moist and chocolaty. Of course, it’s also made with relatively healthy ingredients!
The Prep
All you have to do is place the mug on the scale and measure things out in the mug. I have all of the ingredients shown separated here so you get an idea of what goes into the mug. But in reality, I just keep the mug on the scale and add all of the ingredients directly.
First, the dry ingredients (flour, cinnamon, cocoa, baking powder, salt, and vanilla powder).
Then, add the wet ingredients (maple syrup, olive oil, and plant-based milk).
Next, stir until the batter is homogeneous. If you want, add a bit of chocolate chips to the batter! I suggest leveling the batter at the end either with a spoon or gently tapping the mug on the counter top. This ensures that the batter will cook evenly in the microwave.
The Finish
Minhan and I like our cakes a bit on the moist side, so I microwave the mug for 1.5min. If you like a bit more structure, I suggest microwaving for 1min 45sec. Afterwards, just wait about 2min for the mug to cool slightly, and enjoy!
Microwave Chocolate Mug Cake
Materials:
- 27g all-purpose flour
- 3g ground cinnamon
- 15g Dutch-processed cocoa
- 1/8 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp vanilla powder
- 25g maple syrup
- 20g olive oil
- 50g plant-based milk (I use almond milk)
- Optional: chocolate chips
Methods:
- In a medium-sized mug (I use a wide mug instead of a tall one), combine dry ingredients (flour, cinnamon, cocoa, baking powder, salt, vanilla powder).
- Add wet ingredients (maple syrup, olive oil, milk) and stir thoroughly.
- If you want, fold in some chocolate chips.
- Microwave for ~1.5min.
- Let cool for a few minutes before eating.
These also make great little gifts! Just add all of the dry ingredients to a container with the instructions to add the wet ingredients and microwave.
Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder
I’ll dedicate a full post to dutch-processed cocoa, but here’s a quick primer. Unlike baking cocoa powder, which is naturally slightly acidic, Dutch-processed cocoa powder is “alkalized”, essentially neutralizing the acidic cocoa powder. This alkalization process changes the flavor to be more of a deep, earthy, chocolaty flavor, similar to an Oreo! Also, since the cocoa powder is no longer acidic, it doesn’t react with baking soda. So if you need to use a leavening agent in your dessert, like in this microwave chocolate mug cake, it’s better to use baking powder, which has both an acid and a base, rather than baking soda, which is just a base. This ensures that you get a proper rise in the final result due to the acid-base reaction, which creates those nice air bubbles.
Thanks for reading!