If you’re in the mood for a quick and easy snack this holiday season, try this 5-minute hot chocolate mug cake. It tastes just like a cup of hot chocolate!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- My hot chocolate mug cake recipe is an easy, single-serving dessert when you’re craving something sweet but don’t want to commit to making a whole cake.
- Prepare a perfect quick and easy treat in 5 minutes using simple ingredients.
What You Need to Make this Recipe
- Flour: Cake flour produces a light and fluffy bakery-style cake with a perfect texture. All-purpose flour is heavy, but it will work.
- Hot Chocolate Mix: Sweeten and flavor the cake with your favorite hot chocolate mix. Any hot cocoa or hot chocolate mix is fine, but use the kind that requires water, not milk, as the milk powder in the packet is helpful in the recipe. I like Swiss Miss and Ghirardelli but use your favorite hot cocoa mix.
- Cocoa Powder: For all those chocolate lovers, deepen the chocolate flavor with cocoa powder.
- Baking Powder: Baking powder adds a perfect amount of lift.
- Egg: Use one egg to bind the ingredients.
- Milk: Milk perfectly balances the creaminess of the other ingredients.
- Oil: Oil contributes to the overall moistness of the mug cake and makes for easy cleanup.
- Butter: Making a cake is about creating balance. Cakes should be moist but firm enough to maintain their structure without drying out. The addition of melted butter or coconut oil prevents sticking.
- Marshmallow Creme: Adding a scoop (or two) of marshmallow creme (marshmallow fluff) to the middle of the cake is the perfect way to make it taste more like hot chocolate. As the mug cake expands, so will the marshmallow filling. You can replace it with gooey marshmallows if that’s what you have.
Additions and Substitutions
- Milk: You can use dairy milk, water, or a non-dairy option like almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk.
- Eggs: Make the recipe vegan using apple sauce, banana, or nut butter instead of eggs.
Tools Used to Make this Recipe
All you need to make this recipe is a 12-ounce mug, large enough for the cake to expand, a microwave-safe bowl, or two ramekins.
How to Make Hot Chocolate Mug Cake
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Combine the cake flour, hot chocolate mix, cocoa powder, and baking powder in a small mixing bowl. Then, add egg, milk, and olive oil to the dry ingredients.
Step 2: Warm butter in a microwave-safe mug or two ramekins until melted.
Step 3: Pour half of the batter into the prepared mug and top it with a tablespoon of marshmallow creme or mini marshmallows. Finish it with the rest of the batter.
Step 4: Wipe down the sides of the mug and microwave for 1 minute. Continue cooking for 30 seconds at a time (depending on the strength of your microwaves).
Check the cake with a toothpick. It should come out dry when it’s finished cooking.
Step 5: Finish the cake with your favorite toppings, and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Make sure you use a large mug to prevent the cake from overflowing. If you only have a small mug or ramekins, divide the recipe into two dishes.
- Use room temperature ingredients to ensure they incorporate and cook perfectly – especially the butter.
- Spoon and level the ingredients into the measuring cups for accuracy.
- Gently stir the batter until the ingredients are combined. Over-mixing produces a dense and tough final cake.
- Wipe down the sides of the mug before cooking to ensure the cake properly rises.
- All microwaves are different, so it’s best to check on the mug cake after one minute of cooking using a toothpick. If not, continue cooking in 30-second intervals until it’s fully cooked.
- If you prepare more than one cake at a time, increase the cooking time.
- Slide a butter knife around the edge to loosen up the cake and place it on a plate before decorating it if you want a fancier-looking cake.
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If you love this sweet treat, try one of these quick dessert favorites!
Serving Suggestions
Prepare a mug cake to satisfy your sweet tooth by adding your favorite toppings to the single-serve snack. In fact, toppings and mix-ins might be the best part! Here are a few of my favorites:
- Mini Marshmallow
- Whipped cream
- Vanilla Ice Cream
- Chocolate Sauce
- Chocolate Chips
- Almonds, Hazelnuts
- Nutella, Nut Butter
- Powdered Sugar
What to Do With the Leftovers
- Refrigerate – Hot chocolate mug cakes are best eaten fresh, but if you have leftovers, cover it with plastic wrap until you’re ready to dig in. It will keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you bake mug cakes in the oven?
Divide the hot chocolate cake batter into two prepared ramekins and bake them at 350℉ (176℃) for 8-10 minutes.
Why is my mug cake rubbery?
The rubbery texture of mug cakes can be caused by using too much oil or overcooking. Over-mixing or using cold ingredients may also be the culprit.
More Mug Cake Recipes:
Hot Chocolate Mug Cake
- Small Bowl
- 12 – ounce Mug or 2 Ramekins
- 4 tablespoons cake flour
- 3 tablespoons hot chocolate mix
- 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter, unsalted, melted
- 1-2 tablespoons marshmallow creme or mini marshmallows
- Combine the cake flour, hot chocolate mix, cocoa powder, and baking powder in a small mixing bowl. Then, add egg, milk, and olive oil to the dry ingredients.
- Warm butter in a microwave-safe mug or two ramekins until melted.
- Pour half of the batter into the prepared mug and top it with a tablespoon of marshmallow creme or mini marshmallows. Finish it with the rest of the batter.
- Wipe down the sides of the mug and microwave for 1 minute. Continue cooking for 30 seconds at a time (depending on the strength of your microwaves). Check the cake with a toothpick. It should come out dry when it's finished cooking.
- Finish the cake with your favorite toppings, and enjoy!
- Make sure you use a large mug to prevent the cake from overflowing. If you only have a small mug or ramekins, divide the recipe into two dishes.
- Use room temperature ingredients to ensure they incorporate and cook perfectly – especially the butter.
- Spoon and level the ingredients into the measuring cups for accuracy.
- Gently stir the batter until the ingredients are combined. Over-mixing produces a dense and tough final cake.
- Wipe down the sides of the mug before cooking to ensure the cake properly rises.
- All microwaves are different, so it’s best to check on the mug cake after one minute of cooking using a toothpick. If not, continue cooking in 30-second intervals until it’s fully cooked.
- If you prepare more than one cake at a time, increase the cooking time.
- Slide a butter knife around the edge to loosen up the cake and place it on a plate before decorating it if you want a fancier-looking cake.
- The nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for professional advice.