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    Cake in a Cup Recipe

    January 5, 2013 by G. Stephen Jones 19 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Chocolate Cake in a Mug Recipe

    Chocolate Cake in a Mug

    My wife’s sister Judy sent us four gorgeous mugs with zip lock bags filled with what looked like instant coco powder. There were also little packets of chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, crushed candy cane and cinnamon chips.

    Hmm, I thought, this looks interesting, but what is it?

    Caught up in the Christmas frenzy, I didn’t spend too much time checking out the mugs with the powder concoction inside but knowing what a great cook my sister-in-law is, I should have stopped immediately and taken a closer look.

    But I didn’t. And then we were off to St Croix for a week’s vacation and didn’t give the pretty mugs another thought.

    When we were back from vacation a couple of days, my oldest daughter decided to give the Cake in a Cup a try and was I surprised when she gave me a taste. In fact, I was blown away!

    The cake only took 2 1/2 minutes to make in the microwave and was delicious. Moist, rich and chocolaty, this was really good cake.

    I couldn’t believe it came from that zip locked bag of powder. Granted Nell added a few fresh ingredients, but 2 1/2 minutes in the microwave!

    This morning my daughter made another batch for her friend Maggie whose had a sleepover with Nell to celebrate her birthday. Nell made it as a birthday breakfast cake.

    Any excuse will do. The photo is Maggie enjoying her Cake in a Cup. I think you will find this as much fun to make as it is good to eat. Let me know!

    Happy Birthday Maggie!

    Chocolate Cake in a Mug

    Print Recipe
    4 from 1 vote

    Cake in a Cup Recipe

    Prep Time3 mins
    Cook Time3 mins
    Total Time6 mins
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 1 cup

    Ingredients

    • 4 tablespoons flour
    • 4 tablespoons sugar
    • 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
    • pinch salt
    • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
    • 3 tablespoons milk
    • 1 egg
    • splash vanilla extract or other flavoring like cinnamon or peppermint
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • In a medium sized mug (be sure it is microwave safe), add the vegetable oil, egg, milk and whatever flavoring you are using. Mix up these ingredients until well combined.
    • Add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Again mix until well combined. If you are using any of the suggested add ins, now's the time to add them.
    • Cook in the microwave on high for about 2 1/2 minutes depending on your brand of microwave. The end result should look like the photo at the top.

    Notes

    According to the printed recipe that came from my sister-in-law's mugs, "This recipe is very flexible!
    You can use cake or all-purpose flour (or even self-rising flour), other flavorings instead of vanilla, water instead of milk, change baking time to get the amount of moistness you prepare.
    You can add the dry ingredients before the web if you prefer. Others have substitute pudding mix for the cocoa powder for pancake mix for the flour."
    « Bolognese Sauce Recipe
    Shrimp Risotto Recipe »

    Filed Under: Dessert Recipes, Kid-Friendly Recipes, Kids Can Cook, Quick & Easy Recipes

    I'm a work-at-home dad who enjoys cooking, learning everything I can about the culinary world and sharing it with you. To learn more about me... Read More…

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Phyllis A Longtin

      April 09, 2013 at 12:46 am

      super easy great when dieting so I can make just 1 and not be tempted. Thankyou

      Reply
    2. holly drake

      July 18, 2013 at 12:22 am

      How many points on weight watchers ?

      Reply
    3. krissy

      July 18, 2013 at 5:43 am

      I tried this recipe and it was horrible, the texture was nothing like cake

      Reply
    4. Cindy c

      February 08, 2014 at 10:06 am

      I loved this!! So quick and yummy!! It is a diff texture than regular cake but it’s not regular cake! We turned ours into sundaes with choc syrup, nuts, and Ice cream. Fabulous

      Reply
    5. Julie

      February 18, 2014 at 2:56 pm

      Yum! I used Special dark cocoa and stevia added shredded coconut and dark choc chips than after it was done I added greek yogurt as a topping! Next time I will add a bit more stevia but oh so good thanks!

      Reply
    6. Eleanor

      March 29, 2014 at 2:12 pm

      I’ve finally found the perfect cake in a cup recipe!!!! SO yummy! It has a spongy texture, but super good.

      Reply
    7. colten

      May 07, 2014 at 7:32 pm

      Best cake ever

      Reply
    8. JoEllen Hamilton

      May 27, 2014 at 7:56 pm

      I actually used cake mix. I used about 6 to 8 tablespoons of store bought cake batter, added the egg, the milk and the oil. About three minutes in the microwave.

      Reply
    9. A

      September 05, 2014 at 4:01 am

      this was actually not very nice but perhaps i didn’t do it properly

      Reply
    10. Giddgie

      August 20, 2015 at 1:06 am

      Oh so delicious! I made this for a little pre-baking-the-actual-cake treat for my husbands birthday the night before it was the actual day. It’s thick, spongy, moist, and wonderfully decadent. I highly recommend this recipe, but certainly don’t be afraid to play with it! Add what you want! So much fun and so good!!

      Reply
    11. Donna Ayers

      April 06, 2016 at 9:18 pm

      We don’t use a microwave in our home. Is there a way to make this without the use of a microwave?

      Reply
      • The Reluctant Gourmet

        April 07, 2016 at 9:33 am

        Donna, I’ve only seen this recipe be made in a microwave so I can’t help you with this one.

        Reply
      • Beth

        September 29, 2016 at 3:34 pm

        Donna, we don’t microwave either so I’m sticking it in the oven, when I can smell it, I’ll check it out. Wish me luck:)

        Reply
    12. Anza

      December 26, 2017 at 3:47 pm

      I recommend mixing it in a separate bowl and then pouring it in because then you won’t have clumps of ingredients in your cake. But this cake was delish!!

      Reply
      • G. Stephen Jones

        December 27, 2017 at 11:31 am

        Great suggestion Anza. thanks

        Reply
    13. Macossay

      June 27, 2018 at 10:49 pm

      It had the taste and texture of a chocolate flavored scrambled egg. I guess I should have figured that from the proportions — one egg to four tablespoons flour? You have to be pretty desperate for cake to eat this.

      Reply
      • G. Stephen Jones

        June 28, 2018 at 7:29 am

        Interesting analogy. It’s meant to be fast and fun and the kids enjoy making them for their friends.

        Reply
    14. Aria

      November 12, 2018 at 4:54 pm

      This was a really great recipe, it was spongey and tasted like an actually cake. I cooked mine for 2 minutes as we have a quite high powered microwave. It turned out perfect. Thanks for the recipe.

      Reply
    15. Mirrorr

      October 11, 2020 at 2:03 pm

      4 stars
      It was fantastic. Only thing is that the bottom was soggy. Thank you for the recipe!

      Reply

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