Chocolate Mug Cake
July 28, 2019 by Nicole Collins
You know how some things sound SOOO good in theory, but they’re no good in practice?
That’s how I feel about mug cakes.
Here’s the thing…I love the idea of having a super quick, single serve dessert ready in a few short minutes whenever your sweet tooth has a flare up. Throw a few ingredients in a coffee mug, toss it in the microwave…and bam! Cake!
Sounds genius, right?
I’ve tried my share of mug cake recipes, and I have one of the same two problems with all of them. 1. They taste like dirt. No flavor. So bland. Not satisfying at all. Or 2. They use 19,000 ingredients. Like seriously, if I wanted to pull that many things out of my pantry at 9 o’clock at night, I’d just bake the whole darn cake.
Then, there’s the issue that you really can’t avoid when you’re fast tracking a cake, and that’s the temperature. I just don’t care for the fact that mug cakes are piping hot when you’re eating them. Unless there’s a valid reason that the cake needs to be served warm, it’s not my favorite way to eat cake.
Until now!
I feel like I’ve solved the mystery to mug cake. At least, for me (and, hopefully for you). I’ve found a way to overcome the top two things that make me sad about mug cakes. And, I think I’ve really captured the essence of a rich chocolate cake in 5 mins or less!
So today, we’re making Chocolate Mug Cake!
Now at the end of the day, baking is a science. There are certain ratios of certain ingredients that have to go together in order to produce a fluffy baked treat. BUT, there are also some secret ingredients that help you think outside of the box. They may be a little radical, but they serve the same purpose. And with these secret ingredients, the results are even better than the original!
Well guess what, folks? We’ve got a secret ingredient in our mug cake today that I truly believe is the saving grace to this dessert.
Mayonnaise.
WAIT! Don’t shut down your internet yet! I’m not crazy…I promise!
Think about it for a sec…mayo is essentially egg, oil, acid, and a little salt blended together. So, we actually get four ingredients for the price of one by using mayonnaise in our cake.
SEE…I told you!
Chocolate mayonnaise cakes are actually pretty popular (especially in the South), and you truly would never know there was mayo in our cake if I didn’t tell you. To the mayo, we add standard chocolate cake ingredients: flour, sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, and baking soda. Give them a good stir right in your coffee mug, pop it in the microwave for 1 ½ mins, and you’ve got a moist, chocolatey cake that’s appeared right in front of your eyes!
I still don’t like a super duper hot cake, so I actually let mine sit as long as I can stand to wait before I dig in. Sometimes, I even add a scoop of canned chocolate frosting to the center of the cake before I cook it to give it a lava cake type vibe. DOUBLE YUM!
This cake is perfect as is or with a little dollop of something special on top like whipped cream, melted peanut butter, or a little spread of frosting. However you decide to eat it: hot or cold, with toppings or without; you’re going to be so thankful you’ve got this quick and easy desert in your repertoire!
And pro tip: you can measure out your dry ingredients, store them in little mason jars, and keep them in your pantry for whenever the sweet tooth strikes! All there's left to do is add the wet ingredients, and you've just cut your prep time in half.
How do you like them sprinkles?!?
We're going to take a break from the sweet tooth for a little bit and get back to our healthy selves. My next trick is quite the unexpected surprise!
So, enjoy; and let’s eat!
Chocolate Mug Cake
Serves: 1 Print
Ingredients:
¼ cup flour
2 tbsp sugar
¼ tsp baking soda
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1/8 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp water
whipped cream, melted peanut butter, ice cream, etc; for topping (optional)
Directions:
Add all ingredients to a 12 oz microwave safe coffee mug. Stir well to combine. Microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds. Allow to cool for at least 2 minutes. Top as desired. Serve!
Recipe notes:
*You don't want your mug to be too big or too small, because it will impact how the cake cooks. I find a 12 oz mug to be just the right size.
*You can measure out the dry ingredients (everything except the mayo, vanilla, and water), and store them in little jelly jars in your pantry. That way, all you need to do is add 3 ingredients, and you've got a rich fluffy cake ready to eat at all times!
*Sometimes, I get extra naughty and add ½ tbsp of chilled canned chocolate frosting to the center of my cake before I microwave it. It makes the center nice and gooey. MMMMM!
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