This deep chocolate Almond Flour Mug Cake is single serving-sized and can be made in just 60 seconds! Perfect for a quick dessert or afternoon pick-me-up, and totally gluten-free.
Has it been one of those weeks? I encourage you to give yourself a me-time break, and make yourself this Chocolate Almond Flour Mug Cake. Dark and fudgy, with melty little chocolate chip pockets, this cake is guaranteed to make life at least slightly more tolerable.
If it’s gone way beyond one of those weeks and has ventured into complete train wreck territory, may I suggest an Oat Milk Hot Chocolate too?
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Why Make This Recipe
- Quick and Easy: This cake is quick to put together and only needs around 60 seconds to “bake”. Best of all, no mixing bowls to wash!
- Perfect Single-Serving Dessert: Sometimes you just don’t want a whole cake sitting around, you know? With a mug cake, you eat the entire cake without guilt.
- Gluten-Free: The almond flour in this cake makes it completely gluten-free!
🥗 Ingredients for Almond Flour Mug Cake
- Almond Flour: Almond flour is key to this recipe, making this cake entirely gluten-free, and adding a lightly nutty flavor. Look for blanched almond flour rather than almond meal (see below for why). If you don't have almond flour, you can also substitute hazelnut flour for a slightly different flavor.
- Cocoa Powder: Personally, I love a dark dutch-process cocoa powder like Valrhona cocoa powder, but you can use whatever cocoa powder you prefer. Just make sure it is unsweetened.
- Vegetable Oil: A neutral oil is recommended for this recipe, but you could use a mild olive oil or coconut oil as well.
- Sugar: You can substitute coconut sugar, monk fruit sweetener, or your other favorite sugar substitute instead of regular granulated sugar. Maple syrup could also be substituted.
- Chocolate Chips: I prefer semi-sweet chocolate chips for this recipe, but choose your own adventure. You can leave them out as well, though I enjoy the extra bit of chocolate sweetness.
🥣 Step-by-Step Instructions
Mix together almond flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, and salt in your microwave-safe mug.
Then stir in egg, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Stir well until dry ingredients are very well incorporated—about 20 seconds of stirring is best.
Top with chocolate chips. (No need to stir in.)
Microwave for 60-70 seconds—the cake will rise at the end of the bake time but will fall after heating stops. The top of the cake should look very slightly wet when you take it out of the microwave oven. Serve immediately, sprinkled with powdered sugar.
🧐 Recipe FAQs
You have doubts, I get it. Mug cakes can be delicious, but they can also be gummy and unappetizing. Make sure you use a good recipe (like this one), and you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Mug cakes are fast and easy, and they’re a perfect size for portion control! Plus, a chocolate mug cake is perfect for those late afternoon chocolate cravings.
Want to try another flavor? How about this Biscoff Mug Cake or this Matcha Mug Cake? Or maybe Chocolate Chip Mug Cake, Banana Mug Cake, or an Easy Chocolate Cake in a Mug? So good!
No, this mug cake is made to be eaten warm, straight out of the microwave. As it sits and cools, the texture of the cake will get more dense, so I don’t recommend making this in advance.
Almond meal and almond flour are terms used for the same thing—both mean finely ground almonds. The majority of almond flour products are made by finely grinding blanched almonds (almonds where the skins have been removed).
Almond meal can mean finely ground blanched or unblanched almonds, and almond meal may be a coarser grind than almond flour. In general, I prefer almond flour for my baking recipes, as finely ground as possible.
Yes! And since almond flour is expensive both to buy and to make, you should definitely freeze any leftovers for your next batch. According to Bob’s Red Mill, you can even freeze almond flour for 4-5 months after its sell by date, as long as you keep it in an airtight container.
You can also keep it in the fridge if you prefer, and in fact, if you are planning to store almond flour for over a few weeks, you should keep it in the refrigerator or freezer. Almond flour (and other nut flours) can turn rancid more quickly than traditional flour.
👩🍳 Expert Tips for Almond Flour Mug Cake
I did quite a bit of research and testing for this easy recipe, and here are the tips that I think are the most important to getting the most delicious almond flour mug cake:
- Use a regular ceramic mug. One with a more narrow opening is better than one with a very wide opening, as a narrow tube helps the cake develop volume.
- Don’t fill your mug more than halfway.
- Don’t worry if your cake deflates a bit after it comes out of the microwave—this is going to happen with a mug cake recipe.
- Check the wattage of your microwave—you may need to adjust your cooking time more or less. This recipe is tested with a 800-watt microwave, and 65 seconds was the sweet spot for me!
Now that you've made the best almond flour mug cake, let’s move on to the fun part—toppings! You can top your cake with a drizzle of caramel or chocolate sauce, or with whipped cream or ice cream. A sprinkle of chopped nuts is delicious too.
And, you can experiment with making a molten filling to your cake by adding a spoonful of Nutella or peanut butter once the batter is ready to bake. Presto, molten chocolate cake.
If you’re looking for a creative way to serve your microwave mug cake, mix the batter in a bowl, then fill small espresso cups. As with the traditional mugs, only fill halfway, and adjust your baking time accordingly. Then serve with a dollop of whipped cream or scoop of vanilla ice cream and a dusting of cocoa powder. Adorable!
Want another deliciously chocolatey gluten-free dessert? Try these Gluten-Free Brownies next!
Other Delicious Almond Flour Recipes
I love baking with almond flour, and have compiled a round-up of my favorite Almond Flour Dessert Recipes if you're interested in finding more. Here are a few favorites:
If you try this Almond Flour Mug Cake recipe, I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment below—I read them all, and your feedback is invaluable to me. And please follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or subscribe to my newsletter. I'd love to inspire you with more delicious, healthy, and seasonal recipes!
More Recipes to Try
📖 Recipe
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Chocolate Almond Flour Mug Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¼ cup almond flour
- 1 ⅓ tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 ⅔ tablespoons sugar
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon chocolate chips
Instructions
- Mix together almond flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, and salt in your mug.
- Stir in egg, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Stir well until dry ingredients are very well incorporated—about 20 seconds of stirring is best.
- Top with chocolate chips. (No need to stir in.)
- Microwave for 60-70 seconds—the cake will rise at the end of the bake time but will fall after heating stops. The top of the mug cake should look very slightly wet when you take it out.
- Serve immediately, sprinkled with powdered sugar.
Notes
- Use a regular ceramic mug. One with a more narrow opening is better than one with a very wide opening, as a narrow tube helps the cake develop volume.
- Don’t fill your mug more than halfway.
- Don’t worry if your cake deflates a bit after it comes out of the microwave—this is going to happen with a mug cake recipe.
- Check the wattage of your microwave—you may need to adjust your cooking time more or less. This recipe is tested with a 800-watt microwave, and 65 seconds was the sweet spot for me! Now that you’re happy with your cake, let’s move on to the fun part—toppings! Besides powdered sugar, you can top your cake with a drizzle of caramel or chocolate sauce, or with whipped cream or ice cream. A sprinkle of chopped nuts is delicious too.
Nutrition
Instagram Users: Now that you've made this chocolate mug cake recipe, tag me @vanillabeancuisine or #vanillabeancuisine because I'd love to see your results!
More About Molly
Cooking healthy(ish) meals with seasonal ingredients is my passion. Trained as a French pastry chef, I spent over 10 years as a personal chef. Here you'll find well-tested recipes that you and your family will love!
Lana VanBuskirk says
It's hard to find good almond flour recipes. I am delighted with this cake. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Molly Pisula says
So glad you liked this recipe! I really appreciate you taking the time to rate and comment!
Janis Phelps says
I loved this recipe! It turned out very well.
I didn’t have any chocolate chips. I used pecans instead.
Molly Pisula says
Ooh, great substitution! So glad you loved this!
Ella says
Just made, came out delicious! thank you.
Molly Pisula says
Thank you for letting me know! I appreciate it so much.
Deena says
Oh my gosh!! Yummy! I didn’t have choc chips but rough chopped 70% dark square and drizzle of melted peanut butter over the top when it came out. Delicious!!! Great recipe thank you 😊
Molly Pisula says
Oooh, sounds delicious!
Layla says
Sounds yummy but measurements are difficult: 2.56 tbsp chocolate powder and 5.33 sugar?? How would one measure that?
Molly Pisula says
Hmm, I'm not sure what you are looking at. It's 2 2/3 tablespoons of sugar (that's 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons) and 1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder (so 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon). It's just that the recipe card doesn't allow me to put in double measurements like that.
Felicia says
Worst mug cake recipe I've ever tried. Dry, gritty, not moist. Do not recommend.
Molly Pisula says
I'm sorry you had that experience! I wonder if you were using a very coarse almond flour or almond meal? The one I use is pretty fine, and the mug cake comes out moist and not gritty at all.
Jay says
That's interesting because I thought the recipe was better than others. It rose nicely, was moist and chocolaty.
Noa says
hello there, this looks like great...I don't have a microwave though- is there another way to make this?
Molly Pisula says
Hmmm, that's a good question. I would put the mixture into a ramekin (maybe two, depending how big your ramekins are) and bake it in a 350° oven. Not sure how long it will take using that method. Check it with a cake tester or toothpick after about 10 minutes?
NA says
This mug cake was delicious and filling. It definitely satisfies my chocolate craving!
Ang says
I absolutely love this recipe. It's perfect for when you just need a sweet treat without wanting to do all the extra work of baking a whole cake/dessert. I try to always have the ingredients on hand, so that when a craving hits, I'm ready to make it 🙂
Molly Pisula says
Yes, my thoughts exactly! Thanks so much for commenting.
Shehnaz says
Had some almond flour sitting & searched for a recipe. This is the best mug cake recipe ever. So wholesome and complete. All other recipes I tried lacked something.
I used dutch-processed dark cocoa and Ghiradeli semi sweet chocolate chips. Also added 1/8 tsp of instant coffee. So yumm. 100% recommend whoever wants to try.
Molly Pisula says
Awww, thank you, Shehnaz. I really appreciate your comment! I have to say, using high-quality chocolate makes a big difference, and a little bit of instant coffee is a great tip!