A chocolate cake that bakes in a mug in about a minute. Let's go! This easy recipe is for ages 8 to 14 (grades 3rd–8th), takes about 8 minutes (plus 2 minutes waiting) and serves 1. Crumb, our tiny chef, reads every step aloud with a picture, so a child can follow along, and every hot or sharp step is marked for a grown-up.
A mug cake is one serving of cake made in a mug and cooked in the microwave in about a minute. This chocolate one has no egg, so it is quick and there's no raw egg to worry about. A grown-up works the microwave and takes the hot mug out.
Ingredients
4 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon baking powder
a pinch salt
3 tablespoons milk (or oat milk)
3 tablespoons oil
¼ teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon chocolate chips (optional)
Tools
A big microwave-safe mug, Measuring spoons, A whisk or a fork, A big spoon, The microwave (grown-up).
Steps
Wash your hands with soap for twenty seconds.
Put 4 tablespoons of flour, 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder, 3 tablespoons of sugar, ¼ teaspoon of baking powder and a pinch of salt in a big mug.
Stir the dry things together with a fork.
Pour in 3 tablespoons of milk, 3 tablespoons of oil and ¼ teaspoon of vanilla.
Stir until no dry flour is left. Scrape the bottom!
Stir in 1 tablespoon of chocolate chips.
Grown-up step: A grown-up cooks the mug in the microwave for 70 to 90 seconds.
Grown-up step: A grown-up checks that the top springs back, and cooks 15 more seconds if it's wet.
Let it cool for two minutes. The mug is hot!
Dig in with a spoon: you made cake in a mug!
Safety notes
Hot! A grown-up does this part.
Contains milk, wheat, soy. Tap "Allergies?" on the Kitchen's front page and the swaps fill themselves in where there is one.
No tasting raw dough or batter: wait till it's cooked.
Read the label on packets for allergies.
A bit messy.
Kitchen science
The microwave heats the water in the batter, and the steam plus the baking powder's tiny bubbles puff it up into a cake.
Make it your own
Stir a spoonful of peanut butter into the batter for a peanut butter mug cake.
Drop a square of chocolate into the middle before it cooks, for a gooey centre.
Top it with berries or a spoonful of yogurt.
Questions about chocolate mug cake
How do you make a chocolate mug cake?
Stir 4 tablespoons of flour, 2 of cocoa, 3 of sugar, ¼ teaspoon of baking powder and a pinch of salt in a big mug. Stir in 3 tablespoons each of milk and oil and a little vanilla, then microwave for 70 to 90 seconds.
Why did my mug cake come out rubbery?
It cooked too long, or it was stirred too much. Stir only until no flour shows, and take it out as soon as the top springs back.
Why use a big mug?
The cake rises in the microwave. A mug that is too small spills over, so use one that holds at least 12 ounces.The cake rises in the microwave. A mug that is too small spills over, so use one that holds at least 340 g.
Is it safe to eat mug cake batter?
No. The batter has raw flour in it, so wait until it is cooked.