Chocolate Chip Mug Cake is like a cross between a warm chocolate chip cookie and soft vanilla cake. Delicious and takes only 60 seconds to bake!
We are big mug cake fans around here. And while vanilla chocolate chip is a classic, you might want to get a little wild and try our Matcha Mug Cake or our Biscoff Mug Cakes too!
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Why Make This Recipe
- So Fast: Melt a little butter, stir in a few more ingredients, pop in the microwave, and you’ve got cake.
- Single Serving Treat: Perfect for when you need a little sweet pick-me-up, but don’t want to make a whole cake.
- Basic Ingredients: We love that we can make this mug cake whenever the urge strikes, since we always have these ingredients on hand.
🥗 Ingredients
- Butter: Yes, it’s an extra step to melt the butter before mixing with the rest of the ingredients, but it really makes a difference in flavor and texture. You can replace with vegetable oil in a pinch, but butter is recommended.
- Flour: We use all-purpose flour in this recipe, but feel free to try with a gluten-free flour for a gluten-free mug cake.
- Sugar: Try replacing the granulated sugar in this recipe with brown sugar or with a sugar substitute. Honey or maple syrup would be other possible substitutions.
- Milk: Any kind of milk here is fine, including non-dairy milk.
- Chocolate Chips: We love semisweet or bittersweet chips in this cake, but milk chocolate would be delicious too. Or combine dark chocolate chips with white chocolate chips.
🥣 Step-by-Step Instructions
Melt 2 tablespoons butter and let cool slightly.
Mix 5 tablespoons flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, ½ teaspoon baking powder, and ⅛ teaspoon salt in a microwave-safe mug.
Stir in 2 tablespoons milk, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, and the melted butter.
Stir in 2 tablespoons chocolate chips, and scrape down the sides of the mug.
Microwave for 60-75 seconds on high.
Let cool for a minute or two.
Top with whipped cream and more chocolate chips, if desired.
🧐 Recipe FAQs for Chocolate Chip Mug Cake
Overbaking your mug cake in the microwave may cause it to be chewy. You want the cake to rise in the mug, and look almost dry on the top when it is done. If there is a small spot that still seems a little wet, that’s ok as long as the cake is baked underneath. Also, eggs in mug cake batter can contribute to a chewy texture—luckily this is a chocolate chip mug cake no egg recipe!
The beauty of a mug cake is that you can make it at the spur of the moment, and that’s a good thing because mug cakes will get rubbery the more they sit out. So let it cool slightly after you make it, but then eat it right away. It won’t be as delicious if you save it for later.
You can experiment with this mug cake and replace the all-purpose flour with gluten-free flour. You might also try using almond flour instead of the all-purpose flour. In that case, cut down the liquid ingredients a bit since the almond flour will absorb more than regular flour. You might also check out my Chocolate Almond Flour Mug Cake which is gluten-free and entirely delicious.
👩🍳 Expert Tips
We’ve been baking mug cakes for years, and have come up with a list of easy tips for you so your mug cake comes out perfectly.
- Use a straight-sided mug so that it’s easy for the cake to rise.
- Mix your batter to make sure there isn’t a big chunk of flour at the bottom, but don’t overmix.
- Scrape down the batter in the mug and wipe down the sides and rim before baking so that your mug cake cooks evenly.
- It’s tempting to melt the butter in the same mug you will use to bake the cake, but this will warm up your mug and melt your chocolate chips as you stir them into the batter.
- Make sure to let the cake cool a little before eating, because it is quite hot when it comes out!
- Test this recipe with your microwave: all microwaves are different, and you may find you need more or less time to bake your mug cake. And of course, if you like a gooey cake, you can reduce the cooking time a little.
Looking for more flavor ideas for this cake? You can stir in chopped nuts, a spoonful of peanut butter, or a spoonful of Nutella. You can also add a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream to the top of your mug cake when it’s done. Chocolate syrup is also delicious, as is another spoonful of chocolate chips. Or, if you want an even faster mug cake option, check out this 3 Ingredient Mug Cake.
Got more chocolate chips? Why not make these light and fluffy chocolate chip pancakes next? Or add them to these marshmallow butterscotch blondies? You might also love this easy Baked S'mores Dip with marshmallows and graham crackers.
More Delicious Mug Cakes
Alright, now that you’ve tried this chocolate chip mug cake, you’re going to want to try all our other favorites too. How about these:
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear from you! Please rate this Chocolate Chip Cookie Mug Cake recipe and leave a comment below—your feedback is invaluable to us.
And please follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or subscribe to our newsletter. We’d love to inspire you with more delicious, healthy, and seasonal recipes!
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📖 Recipe
Chocolate Chip Mug Cake
Chocolate Chip Mug Cake is like a cross between a warm chocolate chip cookie and soft vanilla cake. Delicious and takes only 60 seconds to bake!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons chocolate chips, plus more for serving
- Whipped cream, for serving
Instructions
- Melt butter in a small bowl in the microwave and let cool slightly.
- Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a microwave-safe mug.
- Stir in milk, vanilla, and the melted butter.
- Stir in chocolate chips.
- Scrape down the sides of the mug so they are clean.
- Microwave for 60-75 seconds on high.
- Let cool for a minute or two.
- Top with whipped cream and more chocolate chips, if desired.
Notes
Expert Tips
- Use a straight-sided mug so that it’s easy for the cake to rise.
- Mix your batter to make sure there isn’t a big chunk of flour at the bottom, but don’t overmix.
- Scrape down the batter in the mug and wipe down the sides and rim before baking so that your mug cake cooks evenly.
- It’s tempting to melt the butter in the same mug you will use to bake the cake, but this will warm up your mug and melt your chocolate chips as you stir them into the batter.
- Make sure to let the cake cool a little before eating, because it is quite hot when it comes out!
- Test this recipe with your microwave: all microwaves are different, and you may find you need more or less time to bake your mug cake. And of course, if you like a gooey cake, you can reduce the cooking time a little.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 1 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 586Total Fat: 32gSaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 68mgSodium: 519mgCarbohydrates: 72gFiber: 2gSugar: 39gProtein: 6g
Nutrition information is provided as a general reference for users courtesy of the online nutrition calculator Nutritionix.
Instagram Users: Now that you've made this Chocolate Chip Mug Cake recipe, tag us @vanillabeancuisine or #vanillabeancuisine because we’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!
Taryn says
Made this just now and I’m very much enjoying! Since I live in a fairly high altitude i had to add extra milk and cook for about 90 seconds instead of the sixty. This recipe works really well! I’d personally recommend mixing some jam or other spread with the whipped cream for some extra flavour and mixing in dried fruit with the chocolate chips. I’ll definitely make this again and I’m so thankful i found this recipe
Chef Molly says
Ooh, I love the idea of adding in jam and/or dried fruit with the topping! So glad you made it work for you in a high altitude area, since that can be tricky for baking.