Some of you may or may not know that I am a household of one! And since I love making lots of cakes and treats, my freezer (and neighbors) see a lot of leftovers. Enter the craving-saving, fudgy, fluffy, moist one-minute chocolate mug cake for one! Single-serving desserts are pretty much a lifesaver for my freezer and my waistband. I find this chocolate chip mug cake is the perfect size to satisfy my occasional chocolate cravings, without having to make an entire cake or batch of brownies. Plus, and this is a big plus, this easy mug cake recipe is practically effortless! Shove everything in a mug, mix, and microwave – I mean, could it get much simpler than that? And for those that don’t own a microwave, this recipe can be made in the oven too! In fact, this recipe is fairly versatile and is refined sugar-free, nut-free, vegan, and can be made gluten-free, oil-free, yet still moist, rich and fluffy! Within this post I’ll take you through how to make a mug cake, the ingredients, top tips, ingredient substitutions, as well as serving suggestions and more.
The Ingredients & Substitutions
All you need for this vegan mug cake is a few simple ingredients that you may already have in your pantry right now. Plus, as you’ll see – there are plenty of ways to adapt the recipe to what you have to hand.
Whole wheat flour Baking powder Unrefined brown sugar – or a sweetener of your choice Cacao powder – or cocoa powder Coconut oil – or another neutral oil Plant-based milk – I used homemade oat milk. Vanilla extract – really helps ramp up the flavor Salt – a pinch of salt is all that is needed to bring out the chocolate flavor even more. Chocolate chips (optional)
When it comes to ingredient swaps, there are tons that you can make, for example:
The Flour: You can use plain flour instead of whole wheat. You can also use a GF flour blend – unfortunately, I can’t guarantee the results as I haven’t tried each blend. You may also have success with oat flour. The Sweetener: My recipe is already unrefined. However, you could also try to swap it out with a sweetener of your choice (erythritol, coconut sugar…) and adjust the amounts. Liquid sweeteners (maple syrup, agave, rice syrup) will also work but may result in a more gooey cake. The Oil: You can substitute the coconut oil for a variety of neutral oils such as vegetable oil, canola oil, etc. Vegan unsalted butter should also work well. The Plant-based Milk: I used oat milk but almond milk, cashew milk, soy milk, rice milk, etc. will all work. In fact, you can even use vegan chocolate milk or coffee-flavored milk.
Bonus Ingredient Swaps:
Instead of using plant-based milk, you could experiment with using black coffee for a mocha mug cake option. Plus, for a healthier cake, you can swap out the oil for applesauce and reduce the amount of sweetener used!
For optional recipe add-ins, then please check out my recipe notes section!
The Method
Learning how to make a mug cake is possibly one of the easiest ‘treats’ that I could possibly show you. All that’s required is mixing the wet and dry ingredients, chucking it in a microwave-safe mug, and microwaving!
The Steps
Note: You can do this process in a separate bowl and then pour into the mug, or for less washing up, simply prepare the entire dish in the mug. First, mix the dry ingredients into a microwave-safe mug/bowl. Then, either mix the wet ingredients in a separate bowl before pouring into the mug or pour directly into the mug to mix. Mix well with a mini whisk or spoon/fork, to thoroughly combine. You want a smooth, lump-free batter. Note: If you want to make it extra chocolatey, you can add extra chocolate chips (or dark chocolate) into the wet ingredients – just melt it quickly in advance. Add part of the chocolate chips and stir them into the mix. Then sprinkle the rest on the top of the cup. Microwave on high for 1 minute (my microwave’s high power is at 900W). If you prefer a slightly ‘underdone’ lava middle then you could try to microwave it for 40-45 seconds initially. If you find that your cake needs a little longer even after 60 seconds then place back into the microwave for a further 10-second burst. Be careful not to overbake the cake though. Best served immediately.
Related Recipes
Oreo Mug Cake Blueberry Mug Cake (No Egg!) Fudgy Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake Fluffy Homemade Coconut Cream Cake Chocolate Orange Leopard Print Cake Blood Orange Cake with Pistachios
If you give this chocolate vegan microwave mug cake recipe a go, then let me know your thoughts in the comments. Also, feel free to tag me in your recreations @AlphaFoodie.
