Chocolate Chip Mug Cake

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Indulge your sweet tooth with this Chocolate Chip Mug Cake recipe with instructions to make up to four cakes in the microwave at once!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Mug Cake Recipe

It’s safe to say that mug cakes are wildly popular, especially on Tiktok. And why shouldn’t they be??

My only gripe is that sometimes I need to make more than one mug cake. And that is what this recipe will help you do. This recipe will help you make up to four mug cakes in the microwave.

Mug cakes are great because they only require a few basic on-hand pantry ingredients and mere minutes to make and bake in the microwave.

Another all-time favorite of mine is this Oreo Mug Cake.

What could be more convenient when that late-night craving hits??

Chocolate Chip Mug Cake Recipe Ingredients

• Butter: I use unsalted butter for everything I cook or bake.
  
• All-purpose flour: No need to sift the flour, just gently measure it out with your tablespoon.
  
• Granulated sugar: Only have brown sugar in the pantry? That will work just fine, too.
  
• Baking powder: This gives your mug cake the lift it needs.
  
• Kosher salt: Salt makes the sweet more magnificent.
  
• Milk: I use 2% milk, but skim or full fat work just fine, too. I’ve even substituted evaporated milk in this recipe once and it worked just fine.
  
• Vanilla extract: I vote for pure vanilla extract, not the imitation. I’ve found that imitation vanilla can leave behind an aftertaste that’s reminiscent of chemicals or kind of a bitter lingering on the tongue.
  
• Semi-sweet chocolate chips: Since the original Toll House chocolate chip recipe used semi-sweet chocolate chips (and that’s the recipe my family likes best) that’s what I used when making this mug cake recipe. Feel free to substitute dark chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips if that’s your preference.
  
• Whipped cream or chocolate frosting: Because it’s quick, we like to give our mug cakes a good shot of canned whipped cream (such as Redi-Whip) on top, along with a few more chocolate chips. Canned chocolate frosting is also quick and easy for topping a warm mug cakes.

Recipe Tips

An 12 ounce mug works great for making this mug cake. The mug should be about one-third full of batter when you get ready to cook it. It’s good to have extra space inside the mug so the cake can raise as it cooks and won’t overflow to make a mess.

Don’t over mix the batter for the mug cake. Over mixing can activate the gluten causing the texture of the mug cake to be kind of chewy and tough.

Don’t over cook the mug cakes. When you remove them from the microwave, they may still look a bit doughy on top.

To test the mug cake for doneness, do use a toothpick inserted into the center. If you insert the toothpick into the center and it comes out clean, the cake is done. If there’s batter clinging to the toothpick, give it 10 more seconds of cooking time.

Serve mug cakes warm, right after you’ve made them, not later.

How to Make Chocolate Chip Mug Cake Recipe

Melt the butter in a small bowl in the microwave, letting it cool slightly. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in an 8 oz. microwave-safe mug; stir in the chocolate chips.

Add the milk and vanilla to the melted butter. Gently pour the liquids into the flour mixture.

Stir just until the ingredients are combined to make the batter. Don’t over-mix.

Scrape down the sides of the mug so it is clean inside. Microwave the mug cake on high power for 50-60 seconds.

This cooking time can vary depending on how your microwave cooks. In my microwave, 50 seconds makes the perfect mug cake doneness.

Test the mug cake for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, the mug cake is done.

If the toothpick has some batter clinging to it when you test the center, give the mug cake 10 more seconds of cooking time.

Serve the mug cake immediately while still warm, topped with whipped cream and a sprinkle of more chocolate chips, as desired.

Mug cakes are also delicious topped with chocolate frosting!

How to make chocolate chip mug cakes for a family

Children love making their very own mug cake. Ownership is a big deal when it comes to food and cooking.

The anticipation of eating something you’ve made all by yourself is powerful – your kiddos will love the experience!

Let each family member measure out and mix the ingredients for their own mug cake following the recipe in this post.

Place the four mugs (each one will be half full of cake batter) into the microwave with the handles inward at the center towards each other.

Be sure you’ve wiped down the sides of each mug inside after mixing the batter. Microwave the four mug cakes together for 2 minutes.

Using hot pads, very carefully remove the mug cakes from the microwave. Sometimes cooking four mugs together in the microwave can cause the outsides and handles of each one to get very warm.

Test the mug cakes for doneness using a toothpick.

Let the mug cakes cool just a bit, then garnish as desired with whipped cream, additional chocolate chips, or even chocolate frosting.

Mug cakes are also delicious served topped with ice cream for even more fun.

What is a mug cake?

A mug cake is just as it sounds: a cake made in a mug. It’s a single-serve treat whose ingredients are in a mug and cooked in the microwave, which makes them super easy and quick to make.

Mug cakes are so easy to make they are dangerous! Once you enjoy one and realize how fast and simple they are to make when you want something rich and ooey-gooey, you’ll arrive at the reality. 🙂

What if my mug cake batter overflows in the microwave?

I’ve made this exact recipe many times and I have never had that happen when using an 12 ounce mug.

If you have an overflow situation in the microwave it can mean that the mug you are cooking in is too small for the amount of batter inside.

The mug cake batter should never fill the mug more than half full, for most recipes, as a general rule of thumb.

How do you know when a mug cake is done at the center?

Remember, the consistency of a baked mug cake is often like a cross between a cookie and a cake, so the texture is going to be thicker and heavier.

This sometimes makes a mug cake seem like it’s not completely baked.

If you are worried about whether the cake is fully cooked, you can use a toothpick to test for doneness.

What if my mug cake is hard as a rock after it begins to cool?

This is an indication that the mug cake has cooked too long in the microwave.

Mug cakes have a tendency to harden the more they cool so eating them while still warm from cooking is essential for enjoying the very best eating experience.

Can I cook a mug cake in a bowl?

There are small microwave safe bowls that can turn a mug cake into a bowl cake.

Because a bowl would allow the batter to spread out instead of keeping it in a more vertical shape as in a mug, I suggest you adjust your cooking time.

Can I cook a mug cake in the oven?

Great question. I have not tried to bake cake batter in mugs in the oven so I’m hesitant to advise that you can.

You could, however, bake your mug cake batter in oven-safe glass or ceramic ramekins. The shape and texture will be a bit different, of course, but still delicious.

Bake the batter in 12 oz. ramekins, uncovered, on the center oven rack for 12-15 minutes in a 350 degree F. oven or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Mug cake safety in the microwave

Just because a mug is labeled microwave-safe on the bottom, doesn’t mean the cup itself won’t get HOT when you’re cooking a mug cake, especially regarding the handle of the mug.

This can vary greatly from mug to mug and I have no explanation as to why, exactly.

Before reaching into the microwave and just grabbing the handle to remove the cake, do a temperature check first to see how hot the handle is.

Touch the handle before grabbing it to be sure it’s not blistering hot. The last thing you want is to have to drop your mug cake because the handle is on fire.

More favorite recipes to enjoy

• This Hot Chocolate Mug Cake is all the rage right now too.

• This fresh strawberry pie with jello recipe combines the sweetness of ripe strawberries, jello, and cool whip with a flaky, buttery crust.
  
• Tik Tok cinnamon rolls with heavy cream recipe has all the cinnamon roll hacks to take Pillsbury Grands cinnamon rolls to the next level.
  
• Our all-time favorite coffee cake. The boys prefer this honey bun cake without the pecans, but I love the texture of the nuts as part of the filling.