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?
This looks way better than any microwave mugcake I’ve ever made. I love my brownies on the fudgy, dense side too and this one is truly perfect! Aw, how dangerous! x
Very dangerous and it’s my fudgiest one yet. Nice and rich without the weird texture they can be prone to!
Well hello there, amazing little brownie! Can’t wait for my taste buds to meet you! :) Love this recipe, Averie!
Lol. Such a cute comment :)
Ugh! You just made it way too easy to get my chocolate fix at night! ;)
I feel so behind, I’ve yet to make a mug cake. I even sent a recipe to my friend and she made it and I still have not.
Lol. It happens. I’ve yet to watch 99% of the shows most people talk about!
I have never made any microwave treats since our microwave is TERRIBLE!! So bad and cannot properly cook anything! But man, I wish I could!! This is insane Averie and I LOVE you giant mugs. I mean 14oz? Now that is what I am talking about! Oh and that glaze is perfection! Seriously, what and amazing easy and quick dessert!
5 mins. Too quick and easy. My micro in Aruba is like yours. Kind of. It’s just super hot. I need to halve the cooking time on things or it’s charred!
This is perfect Averie. Kevin’s niece begged to make a mug cake when she was visiting last month. We never got around to it, but this would’ve been PERFECT! I’ve never actually made one before. It’s warm and cozy and hits all the right spots, especially when you just want something truly decadent all for yourself. The vanilla glaze put it over the top. I can only imagine how moist it is!
14 oz mugs – I like your style. All my mugs are oversized. I even have a 20 oz one that I use for coffee! My old coworkers thought I was insane, but you know about my love for coffee.
I have a 20 oz mug from Starbucks that’s 5 yrs old and I have drank.so.much coffee in that thing over the years! But it’s green plastic and NOT camera friendly :)
This is a new one I got and so far, it makes a great mugcake. And trust me when I say easier said than done to make a great one. Most recipes (and I tried alot for cookbook #1) are dry, bland, boring, and did I mention dry? This is the opposite. You’d love it! Too easy, too!
Light and airy is totally overrated. Give me rich, chocolate, dense, fudginess any day. And is it terrible that I would still plop a scoop of vanilla ice cream on this?!
Plop away :)
Love how easy this is! Such a great way to satisfy a chocolate craving in a pinch :)
Love it! I have yet to try a mugcake but have seen so many recipes for them. Someday I will get around to trying one – and it’ll probably be this one from you! Fudgy chocolate brownie cake with vanilla glaze? Pretty much perfect.
You’re going to love it! Lmk if you try!
These microwave cakes are dangerous because it makes it way too easy for me to have my dessert in no time at all! ;) Looks amazing, Averie!
Thanks! And yes…way.too.easy.
Such a fine looking cup of chocolate …and in a beautiful handwarmer mug! Perfect for curling up with on the couch. I love mug cakes for their size and convenience (just made a blueberry variety with coconut oil the other day). I always try to use yogurt in them because they just turn out better, but I’ve also made them with applesauce and butternut squash. This chocolate version looks very good–the melted chips are a great idea to help give it that fudgy density!
I love the mug, too. Just got it. Loving it! And that’s great you add yogurt to yours. Not sure why I wasnt doing that all along. I always add it to other cakes. And I could squash (pumpkin) working too!
just loved loved loved these gooey chocolaty mugs,chocoholic’s heaven :-)
thanks!
I want something gooey and chocolatey NOOOOWWW :D Also, that blue mug is absolutely beautiful!
Thank you!
Dangerous indeed! 5 minutes to a chocolate fix could cause some serious problems. ;-)
It’s both a blessing and a curse it’s so easy and fast!
This has to one of secret pleasures. I will never truely admit I love to use my microwave to cook desserts or main meals on that note( as my grandmother would say: heven forbid!!!)
I love soft cake desserts, hot or cold. If is like a brownie, I am an instant fan!
What a cute cup! So funky!
I am long past not admitting to using a microwave. There is a stigma around it that I’ve never fully understood. It’s just a fast way to cook stuff. I’ll take it :) I bet this cake would make a believer out of even your grandma :)
Light and airy IS SO overrated! I agree:)
Never made a mug cake because I’m a weirdo who doesn’t love cold chocolate and desserts, but then…I’m a weirdo:)
Ok this one isn’t cold though. It’s warm! I mean, fresh out of the microwave and as warm as it gets. If you want a warm, fast, choc dessert, here you go!
Whoops-meant to say I don’t love hot desserts. But I could easily put this in the fridge;)
LOL – Ok, got it :) Well yeah, you could refrigerate it. I am actually a big fan of serving my brownies chilled. Or anything richly chocolaty, I do tend to love a chill. This one was warm though, and gooey and loved it. But you could do it cold, too!