This mugcake is for those times when you just have to have chocolate. And cake. Or brownies.
And you need it all within 5 minutes.
The mugcake is part rich chocolate cake, part fudgy brownie, and it’s so fast and easy. It’s a very dangerous little trick to have up your sleeve.
The batter is whisked together in a minute, and the cake cooks in under 3 minutes.
I’ve made mugcakes in the past on my blog and in my cookbook, and have experimented with my fair share of microwave cakes over the years.
Many cakes and goodies made in the microwave tend to be dry with a weird texture. And the surface is pock-marked with crater-like holes, which don’t exactly persuade me to dive right in.
This, however, is the best microwave cake I’ve ever made because it’s not dry in the least.
There’s butter and Greek yogurt in the batter, which helps it stay moist.
And the easy vanilla glaze that’s poured over it seeps into the open, tender crumb, boosting the moisture level even more.
There’s only a small amount of flour, which also keeps the mugcake on the fudgier and denser side. Just the way I like my cakes.
Light and airy is overrated.
There’s both melted chocolate chips and cocoa powder, making it very chocolaty.
I like to add a pinch of instant espresso granules to my chocolate cakes and brownies because it really brings out the chocolate flavor, and it doesn’t make them taste like coffee.
It gave this little cake extra chocolate oomph.
Because microwaves and mugs vary, you may have to play around with things to find the sweet spot for your setup.
I used a 14 ounce mug which is bigger than most, and cooked for 3 minutes. If your mugs are smaller, divide the batter between two mugs and cook separately for 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 minutes.
Do not fill your mug more than halfway full with batter because it’ll overflow. It’s amazing how much puff these things get, and you need to leave major room for expansion.
All that stands between you and brownie-cake is 5 minutes..
There’s no catch. It’s dangerously fast, easy, and is sure to satisfy your chocolate cravings.
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Fudgy Chocolate Brownie Microwave Mugcake with Vanilla Glaze
Ingredients
Mugcake
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 large egg
- 3 tablespoons vanilla or plain Greek yogurt, 1/4 cup buttermilk may be substituted and if using buttermilk, omit the 1 tablespoon of water
- 1 tablespoon water
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar, packed
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon instant espresso granules, optional (but recommended to boost chocolate intensity; make sure they’re instant so they dissolve. Instant coffee granules may be substituted)
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- scant 1/4 teaspoon baking powder, a little less than 1/4 teaspoon
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
Vanilla Glaze
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- about 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- splash of cream or milk, only if necessary for consistency
Instructions
- For the Mugcake – Prepare a large mug (at least 14 to 16 ounces) or two smaller mugs by spraying the inside with cooking spray; set aside.
- In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter, about 1 minute on high power.
- Add the chocolate chips and stir with a fork or whisk until melted and mixture is smooth. If necessary, heat for about 10 seconds if your chips are resisting melting.
- Add the egg, yogurt and water (or buttermilk, and omit the water if using buttermilk), sugar, cocoa powder, brown sugar, vanilla, optional espresso granules, and whisk until smooth.
- Add the flour, baking powder, optional salt, and stir until just combined.
- Pour batter into prepared mug(s). Do not fill your mug over halfway full with batter because it will overflow in the microwave. Use two mugs rather than one if you’re on the fence because mugcakes need ample room for expansion because they puff dramatically during cooking.
- For 1 large mug, cook on high power for about 2 1/2 to 3 minutes, or until firm yet springy to the touch. For 2 smaller mugs, cook separately for about 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 minutes, each. For my 1 large mugcake as shown, I cooked for 3 minutes. At the 1 1/2 minute mark, the cake puffed up over the top of the mug by about 1 inch, where it stayed and ‘hoovered’ above the mug for the duration of microwaving. Immediately upon powering off the microwave, the cake fell, by about 2 inches below the top edge of the mug. Your mugcake will deflate considerably while it cools. While it cools, make the glaze.
- For the Vanilla Glaze – In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter, about 1 minute on high power.
- Slowly add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and stir with a fork or whisk until smooth and combined. If necessary to achieve desired glaze consistency, add a splash of cream or milk.
- Pour glaze over the cake(s). It’s amazing how much glaze the cake will soak up so don’t be alarmed if it looks like you have a lot. If you do have extra glaze, it will keep airtight for many weeks in the refrigerator. Mugcakes are best eaten fresh, but will keep airtight for up to 2 days at room temperature.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Have you ever made a mugcake?
one can never have enough mug cake recipes…amazing as always averie
Averie, this is about the . . . third time that I’ve visited your blog to drool over this mug cake! It looks SOOOO good! Thank you so much for linking up to Wake Up Wednesdays!! Pinning this one!
Well I am happy you like it so much! Thanks for pinning!
How gorgeous is that mug?! I mean the cake is amazing but that mug – SO CUTE!
Thanks girl. I love the mug, too! It’s new and perfect for pics I thought!
That blue stoneware makes this mug cake look GOOOD! I don’t have a microwave and so I think I am the last person on earth to try a mug cake but this post makes me want one somethin fierce. Gorgeous photos and awesome mug Averie!!
It’s great you can manage without one! For me, it’s such a timesaver and I’m happily hooked on it :)
The only thing that prevents me from weighing 300 pounds is pretending that mug cakes don’t exist :) I love how easy it is!
LOL! Too easy :)
OMG OMG! This looks amazing!!! I literally cannot wait to whip this up! I hate when it’s late at night, you are craving chocolate have none left! This recipe will solve that dilemma! Thanks :-)
You just gave another idea for a great dessert. I am passing it to my teen who loves making mug cakes.
That’s great! And you don’t look old enough to have a teen! AT ALL! :)
I love the gorgeous mug, Averie. Seriously girl, I should NOT have read this post. Now I’m going to be making this mug cake every five minutes cause that’s how often I want.need.crave chocolate cake, lol.
Oh we’re twins then! :)
I LOVE mug cakes, but yeah, it can be dangerous to have these recipes on hand. On the plus side, hey, I’m not making a full pan of brownies! But then: oh, I can make one of these after dinner every night! And I totally will.
As a blogger (and author) you know that any time you can small-batch something, it’s so appreciated. We don’t need any.more.food. laying around!
SO yummy, SO brilliant-and that mug is SOOO pretty!
Mugcakes are the best! So easy and no need to mess up multiple dishes to make a full batch of cookies or cupcakes :)
Easy and so much chocolate. What’s not to love here?!
Ooh! Another genius recipe, Averie! Love the shot of the mug with the criss-crossed spoons, too…so blue and purrrty. Just beautiful. Even more beautiful is how you formulated this recipe using Greek yogurt. Moist and no big dry air pockets. Looks like perfection! Mmmm. Thanks for sharing, m’lady!
Thanks for the photo compliments. There’s only so many ways you can photograph a mug so I tried to goof around with the spoons :)
And yes, no weird dry air pockets and wonky texture in this one like most microwave food!
I used to make mug brownies and completely forgot until seeing this. Such a great cake, love the glaze!
LOVE this recipe. I’m SO into mug desserts! This will be a favorite for sure!
They’re too easy to make. But at least it’s just one little item. Not a big, huge jass cake. Because I do not always need those just laying around!
game. changer.