by G. Stephen Jones 21 Comments
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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 ½ 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 ½ 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!
📖 Recipe
Print Recipe
4 from 1 vote
Cake in a Cup Recipe
Prep Time3 minutes mins
Cook Time3 minutes mins
Total Time6 minutes 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
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 ½ 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."
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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
Phyllis A Longtin
super easy great when dieting so I can make just 1 and not be tempted. Thankyou
Reply
holly drake
How many points on weight watchers ?
Reply
krissy
I tried this recipe and it was horrible, the texture was nothing like cake
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Cindy c
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
Julie
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!
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Eleanor
I've finally found the perfect cake in a cup recipe!!!! SO yummy! It has a spongy texture, but super good.
colten
Best cake ever
Reply
JoEllen Hamilton
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.
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A
this was actually not very nice but perhaps i didn't do it properly
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Giddgie
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
Donna Ayers
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
Donna, I've only seen this recipe be made in a microwave so I can't help you with this one.
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Beth
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
Anza
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
Great suggestion Anza. thanks
Reply
Macossay
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
Interesting analogy. It's meant to be fast and fun and the kids enjoy making them for their friends.
Reply
Aria
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.
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Mirrorr
It was fantastic. Only thing is that the bottom was soggy. Thank you for the recipe!Reply
SusanG
I substituted the egg with vinegar (1/2 t.) and soda (1/4 t.). Used water. Added an extra 1/2 T of oil. Used 1/2 t. vanilla rather than a splash (which could be nearly nothing to a couple tablespoons!), and 1/8 t. salt instead of a dash which wasn't enough the first time. The idea came from an old recipe book entitled, The "I Hate to Cook" Cookbook by Peg Bracken. It was called a co*ckeyed Cake, or what we called Crazy Cake. I also sifted the dry ingredients so there wouldn't be any lumps, then added the liquid ingredients except for the vinegar, got it all mixed, then added the vinegar last, poured into the mug and cooked for 2-2.25 minutes. Not as 'fluffy' without the egg, but a good substitute with great flavor.
Sift in small mixing bowl 1/4 c. flour (same at 4 T.), 1/4 c. sugar, 2 T. powdered cocoa, 1/8 t. salt, 1/4 t. baking soda.
Pour on top 2-1/2 T. veggie oil, 3 T. water, 1/2 t. vanilla, mix well. Add 1/2+ t. white vinegar and mix well again, pour into mug and cook 2.25 minutes.Reply
G. Stephen Jones
Appreciate your tips and feedback. Thanks.
Reply
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