Microwave mug cakes usually taste like a wet sponge and disappointment. This one doesn’t. It’s not rubbery, it’s not bland, and it doesn’t collapse into sludge. It’s soft, hot, and hits the spot when you want cake without turning on the oven or cleaning five bowls. No egg, no weird substitutions – just ingredients you already have, plus real chocolate for an actual gooey bite in the center.
World Chocolate Day is not the time for moderation. This version leans into the point: cocoa in the batter, melted Dairy Milk chunks inside, and if you want to pour chocolate sauce on top, go for it. It takes 5 minutes, start to finish, and unlike most “one-minute” cake recipes online, this one doesn’t taste like it came out of a school science experiment.
Single-Serve Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp milk
- 1 ½ tbsp oil
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 4 tbsp flour
- 2 tbsp Cadbury cocoa powder
- ⅓ tsp baking powder
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 2-3 tbsp Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate, chopped
- Optional: chocolate sauce, for serving
Method
- Pick your favorite microwave-safe mug (preferably 10-12 oz) and pour the milk and oil. Use a fork to whisk.
- Add the sugar and whisk again until dissolved.
- Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt, and carefully stir with the same fork. Scrape the fork around at the bottom and the sides to make sure everything is combined well.
- Add the pieces of dark chocolate chunks and stir again to evenly distribute.
- Clean the edges of the mug if it’s too messy, and microwave the mug for 60-90 seconds.
- Spread some chocolate sauce on the mug cake and serve it.
Tips and Tricks
- Use a tall, wide mug: Smaller mugs will overflow. Wider ones cook more evenly and won’t give you a raw center and crusty sides.
- Whisk the wet ingredients before adding the sugar: Stirring the milk and oil first helps break the surface tension so the sugar dissolves faster. Sounds minor. Makes a difference.
- Sift the dry ingredients directly into the mug: Cocoa powder clumps like crazy. Sifting gets rid of dry pockets and avoids overmixing later. No sifter? Use a mesh strainer or stir the dry stuff with a fork first in a separate bowl.
- Scrape around the base and edges after mixing: Dry flour tends to hide in corners of the mug. If you skip this, you’ll find dry lumps after cooking. Scrape and stir a few extra seconds.
- Use chopped chocolate, not chips: Chips hold their shape and stay semi-solid. Real chopped chocolate (like Dairy Milk bars) melts better and creates pockets of molten chocolate in the center.
- Don’t overcook it: Start with 60 seconds. If the top still looks shiny but not liquid, stop. It keeps cooking as it sits. Overcooking turns it into dense rubber.
- Wipe the rim before microwaving: Clean mug edges = no burnt batter crust = better texture and easier cleanup. Also just looks better if you’re posting it or serving it.
- Let it sit for 1 minute before eating: The chocolate needs time to settle. Straight out of the microwave, it’s too hot to taste properly, and the texture isn’t done firming up.
- Add sauce if you want, but the cake stands on its own: Chocolate sauce is extra, not essential. If you want to level up, a spoonful of Nutella or peanut butter in the center before microwaving works better than frosting.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is one serving of chocolate cake?
One serving refers to a single portion meant for one person, typically around 1 mug's worth — about 1 cup of cooked batter. For this recipe, it fills a standard 10-12 oz mug about halfway before cooking and rises as it heats.
How long can a chocolate cake sit out?
If you’re not using any frosting or perishable toppings, this cake is fine at room temperature for about 1 to 2 days. Keep it covered to avoid drying out. If you've added chocolate sauce, Nutella, or any dairy-based toppings, store it in the fridge and eat within 48 hours. In general, this kind of cake is best eaten fresh.
What is another name for chocolate cake?
Chocolate cake comes in a few versions with different names, depending on ingredients and texture. Common examples include:
- Devil’s Food Cake: a darker, richer version using extra cocoa or coffee.
- Blackout Cake: made famous by Brooklyn bakeries, often layered and covered in chocolate pudding or crumbs.
- German Chocolate Cake: despite the name, it’s American, with a coconut-pecan filling.
For microwave versions like this one, some people call them “mug cakes” or “single-serve cakes,” but at the core, it’s still just chocolate cake in a smaller, faster format.