Five minute chocolate mug cake

Something for the weekend, or indeed any other time of the week; a version of this recipe seems to have achieved viral status. I made the recipe last night. It’s incredibly easy and it works a treat, although it’s better viewed as more of a steamed chocolate pudding than a chocolate cake as such.

So, yes, it’s a chocolate cake you make – from scratch – in a mug, which is ready to eat in five minutes. To serve two people, here’s what you need:

  • 2 tablespoons plain flour
  • 2 tablespoon self-raising flour
  • 4 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa
  • 1 egg
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • 3 tablespoons oil (vegetable or sunflower)
  • 1 tablespoon chocolate chips or grated chocolate
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon liqueur of your choice (such as Cointreau or Kahlúa)
  • 2 large coffee mugs
  • 1 microwave oven

And here’s what you do:

  1. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl and divide between the mugs.
  2. Beat the egg and mix in all the remaining ingredients.
  3. Add the wet mixture to the mugs and stir well until it forms a chocolatey paste.
  4. Put one mug on a plate in the microwave and cook on full power for 2 minutes (based on a 1000W oven – adjust accordingly if yours is more or less powerful).
  5. Repeat for the second mug.

Your chocolate pudding is now ready eat. You can do so straight from the mug (need I remind you it will be hot?) or tip out onto the plate and serve with cream, or ice cream or whatever you fancy. Enjoy!

Update. It’s worth noting that some people use 100% self-raising flour in this recipe. By all means give that a go – it will probably give you a more cakey, less pudding-like texture. It may also make a big mess inside your microwave. Me, I like this as chocolate pudding.