Moist chocolate cake with a molten peanut butter center bakes up in a microwaved mug in just one minute!
Today I’m sharing the perfect treat for those days when you’re craving a little something sweet but there’s nary a cookie or cupcake or piece of candy in the house.
Did you know that at any given moment, you are just a few short minutes away from straight-up, legitimate CAKE?! It’s true. As long as you’re stocked with a few pantry basics like flour and sugar, and as long as you can rustle up a bit of milk and butter, you can whip up a fresh, decadent, piping-hot dessert for one (or more!) in about the same amount of time it would take to scoop a bowl of ice cream.
Have you made a microwave mug cake before? They’re kind of magical. For this version, you just stir up your simple ingredients (this recipe doesn’t even require an egg!), pour your batter into a mug, dollop in a swirl of peanut butter and mini chocolate chips, and set the microwave for a minute. Before your very eyes, the liquid batter rises up and bakes into a rich, gooey, chocolate cake with a molten peanut butter center. And yes, it’s every bit as good as it sounds.
If anyone else in the house shares your sweet tooth, you can easily double, triple, or quadruple this recipe. Simply divide the batter between the corresponding number of mugs and microwave them one at a time. With each cake only taking one minute to bake, you’ll still have dessert ready in a matter of minutes.
And it’s up to you how you prefer to enjoy these little babies. You can eat your cake straight out of the mug (which is what I typically do). Or if you’re feeling fancy and don’t mind dirtying one more dish, you can spray your mug with cooking spray before adding the batter and then overturn your cake onto a plate once baked for a quick take on a molten lava cake.
Well, hello there, lovely. Don’t mind if I do.
Regardless of how you choose to serve them, any fan of chocolate and peanut butter won’t want to miss these to-die-for mug cakes! After all, it’s hard to beat fresh, hot, chocolate cake goodness, but if anything can, it would be a peanut buttery center. And the fact that these can be ready — from start to finish — in under five minutes? Well, that sounds like a pretty perfect way to satisfy a rogue sugar craving to me. 😉
Moist chocolate cake with a molten peanut butter center bakes up in a microwaved mug in just one minute!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 cup milk, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, sugar, and baking powder until thoroughly, completely combined with no streaks of flour or cocoa powder remaining. Blend in milk, butter, and vanilla until batter is smooth. Pour batter into a 14-ounce (or larger) microwave-safe mug with straight sides.
- Combine peanut butter and chocolate chips and dollop into the center of the mug, gently pressing down until even with the top of the batter. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes before serving.
Notes
A tall, cylindrical mug with straight (not angled) sides will ensure that the cake bakes evenly. I found a 14-ounce mug to be the perfect size to allow the cake to rise up while baking without overflowing. (I filled my mug to the top with water and then transferred the water to a measuring cup to determine its capacity.) If you use a smaller mug, you may want to bake the cake on top of a plate or paper towel to catch any possible overflow.
The strength of individual microwaves can vary. The first time you make this recipe, be prepared to experiment a bit to make sure that 1 minute is the perfect length of baking time. The nice thing about this cake is that even if it is undercooked, you don't have to worry about raw eggs!
The mini chocolate chips are optional. So is the peanut butter, for that matter. But I don't recommend skipping either. 😉
As an alternative to serving straight out of the mug, you may instead spray the mug with non-stick cooking spray before adding the batter, and then carefully overturn the cake onto a plate once baked.
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Looks delicious! I always find these dangerous! Too easy to make all the time but so good to have when you need a sweet treat!
I am with you, Kathy…these mug cakes are totally dangerous, but I can’t say I’m sorry to have them in my life — ha! 😉 Hope you’re having a great week!
Yum, it is great to have a recipe like this one ready for when the old sweet tooth starts playing up 🙂 I can’t wait to try it out!
Thanks, Kaylene! I agree…everyone needs a quick and easy dessert recipe for emergency situations. 😉 Hope you enjoy this one!
I love this! Do you think peanut butter chips in the middle would also work?
The peanut butter literally flowing out is calling to me!
Hi Mir! I think you could put just about anything in the center of one of these mug cakes…peanut butter chips, chocolate chips, chocolate candy, Nutella, Biscoff, etc. Or leave it plain and it would still be good! Have fun experimenting… 🙂
OMG this is too too too dangerous. Why did you post this recipe? Of course I get a craving and I deliberately keep the house barren of goodies except for low fat yogurt. NOW I am in BIG trouble. They look so warm and deliciously gooey. Oh dear. Seriously what a fun recipe and technique.
Ha ha, Carol…so sorry to bring such temptation your way! If it makes you feel any better, my healthy eating resolution is worse off for knowing about this recipe as well… 😉
Samantha, this mug cake looks totally great!! There is nothing I love more than chocolate and peanut butter – yummy!! Can’t wait to give this a try. Have pinned!
Thank you, Erin! I appreciate the pin and I hope you love this cake when you try it. 🙂 Happy Friday!
Oh the pics are making my mouth water! Definitely pinning this to try later…. When the kids are asleep! 😉
Ha ha…I like the way you think! Thanks so much for the pin, and I hope you enjoy your covert mug cake! 😉
My mouth is watering! Pinning this one for later!
Jessica from http://www.sparklesandglue.com
Thanks so much for the pin, Jessica! Hope you’re having a great weekend!
I am all over this! haha
Ha — hope you enjoy, Shannon! 😉
You are out of control! This sounds absolutely heavenly. I can’t get enough of the PB and Chocolate combo. Pinning!
Ha ha, Jenna…well, I guess if I’m going to be out of control, this is a good way to do it! 😉 Thanks so much for the pin, and I hope you enjoy!
Oh Sam! This looks simply divine! Your photos are always so amazing. I made one of these a while back, but don’t know where the recipe went, so am making this soon. Perfect that it’s choc/pb combo and single serving too. <3 it! So glad you shared this at Weekend Potluck.
Thanks so much for the sweet comment, Marsha…I hope you enjoy this if you have a chance to try it! Thanks for stopping by…I continue to hold you and your family in my prayers.
Thanks and thanks again for your cares & prayers. Means so much. I have this recipe laying out on my counter and will be enjoying it VERY soon. XO
Enjoy, Marsha…and hang in there. I’m so impressed by your strength and grace through this difficult time.
I couldn’t do it without HIS strength that is made perfect in my weakness. Thanks for more ♥ warming words. :-*
Just made this, a little skeptical…but YUM! It came out perfect. Thanks! 🙂
Yay! I’m happy to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, Jamie! It does seem a little crazy that a cake you microwave for a minute could turn out tasty, but this one has made me a believer. 😉
Why does the milk have to be room temperature? I don’t want to wait for the milk to warm up. Can I just use it cold or nuke it a few seconds?
Hi Liz! Yes, you can absolutely warm up your milk in the microwave for a few seconds. In fact, that’s what I typically do. I just find that cold ingredients often result in a lumpy batter, so I recommend room temperature for most of my baking recipes. But I usually take short cuts to get everything to room temperature. And you can definitely live on the edge and start with everything cold if you prefer. 😉 Thanks for the question…hope you enjoy this mug cake if you have a chance to try it, and hope you’re having a great weekend!
Please could you measure your ‘1/4 cups’ etc and convert into ounces and mls for us Brits please?
thank you 🙂 x
Hi Lynn! As much as I would love to be able to do that, I’m just not comfortable enough with metric conversions to feel confident that I would be consistently accurate in my recipes. I would hate for somebody to cook something using my less-than-perfect metric conversions and it turn out a mess! Hopefully I can take on this additional task in the future when I’m in a position to hire some help. 😉 In the meantime, I hope you’re able to find a chart or calculator to help you out so that you can try some non-metric recipes. 🙂
Wow, I never realized you could make cake in the microwave. This is a great idea! I pinned and hopefully will be making soon.
Ha, Alex…I know! The ability to make one-minute, microwaveable cake is dangerous knowledge. 😉 Thanks so much for the pin and I hope you enjoy this recipe when you have a chance to try it. Happy Friday! 🙂
I just made this yummy cake without the PB and a little extra chocolate chips, so good!! This definitely satisfied my chocolate craving. Yum! Thanks so much for the recipe. 🙂
You are very welcome, Becky! You can never go wrong with all chocolate, and this is definitely an easy fix for a chocolate craving! 😉 I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed it!
I’ve made this like 5 times now! It’s so good!!!
Yay, Erica…I’m glad to hear it’s been such a hit! I have to admit that this mug cake is a regular inhabitant of my microwave as well…but usually after the kids go to bed — ha! 😉 Thanks for taking the time to comment…hope you’re having a great week!
This is my go to recipe for chocolate mug cakes. Thank you! I was just wondering if you would be able to tell us how many calories one of these babies have?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Devy! I’m so glad that you enjoy this recipe! Unfortunately, I’m not very good at calculating calories. However, sometimes I share my recipes over at another site called My Recipe Magic, and they include nutritional information when they publish the recipe. I don’t think they post new recipes on the weekends, but I will submit this mug cake in the next couple of days and send you another message with the link once they accept it and publish it on their site. That will at least give you a calorie estimate… 🙂 Hope that helps, and hope you have a great weekend!
This is so good. I am mad at myself for finding this recipe! haha. It is delicious!! 🙂
Ha, Allison…it’s kind of addictive, isn’t it? If only I had made this mug cake harder to make, it might be easier to resist! Hope you enjoy it anyway…in moderation, of course. 😉
I’ll admit I was a little skeptical about mug cakes…but this turned out beautifully! Anything with chocolate + PB is heaven in my book. Delicious!
Yay, Kara…so happy to hear that! It sounds crazy that a mug cake would work, but this one definitely does! Glad you thought so, too… 😉
I just came across this post today and I only have one problem – I’m at work and can’t make this recipe right this VERY SECOND! 😀 Looks SO good – I’m also a huge fan of peanut butter and chocolate 🙂
Ha ha, Dani…I hope you were able to remedy that problem to moment you got home (and if so, that you thoroughly enjoyed the mug cake)! 😉
And suddenly, PSM wasn’t all that bad… I think the bf was glad I gave him an excuse to escape the house when I declared that “this must happen and I cannot do it without milk!!”… Poor sod, guess I’ll chuck some extra chocolate in his 😉 Thank you!
Ha, Eline…your comment made me laugh. 🙂 I’m glad this mug cake was such a hit! Sounds like your boyfriend earned the extra chocolate in his… 😉
Hello Samantha! Hope you are having a most glorious summer! I am ready to DIVE RIGHT IN to this ooey gooey treat – except, I don’t have any cocoa powder or chocolate chips!! I do have all the other ingredients… plus some chocolate syrup. What to do?! Do you have any suggestions for tweaking the recipe to work with my wonky pantry?
Hi Chanyong! I’m glad that you’re excited to try this recipe, but I’m honestly not sure how it would turn out with chocolate syrup instead of cocoa powder. So sorry! I hope it worked if you ended up trying it, and if not, I hope you enjoy it when you have the correct ingredients on hand. 🙂
How about using hot fudge sauce instead of peanut butter? How about cream cheese?
Hi Escudilla! I haven’t personally tried those variations, but I think you could experiment with this recipe to your heart’s content. 🙂 I’m not sure how the texture of cream cheese would hold up in the microwave, but hot fudge sauce would probably be pretty tasty. Enjoy!
Hi Samantha…stopped by ur site and specially to the mug cake recipes!! They r Devine!!:-) I did try my hands on the chocolate lava cake considering my first try on the mug cakes… I was impressed that the taste was yum bt cake was all crumbly also I dipped 4 dark choc pieces but there wasn’t any lava!!! I am really excited to try it again..my microwave is 800 watts and it Baked in less than a min say 50 secs .Pls help me in what should I improvise on.Would appreciate.lots love and luck
Hi Nidhi! I’m so happy you’re trying out the mug cakes on my site! This particular recipe isn’t for a traditional molten lava mug cake…rather, the peanut butter in the center melts and acts as the “lava.” 🙂 So did you add the peanut butter? If not, you could use Nutella for the same effect. As far as microwaves, they do vary in strength so you are smart to adjust the cooking time accordingly. Hope this helps and have fun experimenting! 🙂
Samantha…I did not add pb since I am not a fan of it:-o…I can rather try next time with nutella:-)…I just have to add it on the mixture top right?
Just follow the directions for peanut butter, substituting Nutella instead…dollop it on top and gently push it down into the batter. Good luck! 🙂
I was after something quick and easy with peanut butter, and I found it here!
I only had chunky peanut butter because that’s my favorite type and it worked out great!
I’ll definetly make this next time mye brother begs me to bake something chocolate and I don’t feel like baking. Super quick and easy and I only used 2 bowls, a whisk and a table spoon!
Yay, Ea…so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! 🙂
I recreated this and it’s amazingly delicious! love it!
Thanks for sharing that this was a hit, Maeisa…happy to hear it! 🙂
I just made this tonight after dinner and it was delicious! I have Celiac disease so I used gluten free flour and it turned out wonderful. I put mine on about 30-35 seconds and it was perfect – fudgy and gooey! A minute would have been way, way too long for my personal taste. It was great with Earth Balance coconut peanut butter but next time I will probably try cashew butter! I can’t wait to make this again!
I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed this mug cake, Mere! And thanks for sharing all of your tips to make it gluten-free…I’m sure your comment will help someone else who wants to do the same. 🙂
love this idea..love mug cakes..have made a couple of them..will give this a try as well.. 🙂
Aren’t mug cakes great? Hope you enjoy this one, Cookilicious! 🙂
I followed this recipe exactly as it is stated and my cake turned out to be a perfect lava cake! Making another for my friend’s birthday, thank you for this heavenly recipe! 🙂
So happy to hear it, Stacy! Happy birthday to your friend, and I hope s/he enjoyed this mug cake just as much. 🙂
Hands down the best mug cake recipe I’ve found online! Thanks so much… sort of. 🙂
Ha, Leslie…I hear you. I recently made this mug cake after not having it in a long time and I was like, now why did I do that?! 😉 So happy you like it so much!
I made this using Hershey special dark cocoa powder and snickers peanut butter (about two tablespoons cut up) and drizzled Carmel on top after I cooked it, it was AMAZING! The dark cocoa kept it from being too sweet!
That sounds amazing…thanks for sharing! 🙂