How to Make Mug Cake That Actually Tastes Good (2024)

I'm known for taking on projects at Epi: Making s'mores way better by turning them into cookies; figuring out how to do Dump Cake the right (and most delicious) way; adding pizzazz (aka color and bright flavor) to the classic lemon bar. But when David, our editor, asked me to make mug cakes, I was skeptical. Cake, made in a mug? Why?!?!

But then, of course, my drive to figure out the recipe—and make it better—kicked in. So I spent a few days hanging out with the microwave nonstop, cooking cake after cake.

Mug cake, for those who haven't heard of it, is exactly what it sounds like. A simple cake batter is stirred together in a mug and nuked for a minute or so, and then out comes cake! A quick internet search will reveal thousands of mug cake recipes: Sticky toffee pudding mug cake, birthday mug cake, red velvet mug cake. The quick-cooking cakes are so popular, they've even spawned single-subject books and instant-cake mixes.

Although I've made more than my fair share of cake, mug cake is different. For starters, unlike typical recipes, which usually serve at least 10 people, mug cakes are single-serving desserts. You make only enough batter to cook in one mug for one person. Secondly, mug cakes cook in the microwave, instead of the traditional oven, which means the batter becomes cake in lightning speed, and steams rather than bakes.

To figure out how to get the dish right, I started with some of the most popular mug cake recipes I could find online. As mediocre mug cake after mediocre mug cake came out of the microwave, I wondered what all the fuss was about. Some of the cakes were rubbery and too eggy-tasting, and some looked airy but had a texture similar to styrofoam.

But with each cake I made a few adjustments until, finally, I got it right: A moist, gooey cake (that cooks in just one minute!) loaded with chocolatey, caramely flavor and topped with crunchy nuts. Of course, as a cake purist, I wouldn't make it for every occasion, but for an indulgent treat made super fast, it's a real winner. To replicate this mug-cake success, here are some tips:

Skip the Eggs

Of all the mug cakes I tried, those made with eggs were the worst—dense, custardy, and with an unpleasantly strong egg flavor. It's easy to see why—most classic cake recipes call for two or three eggs and serve at least 10 people. So for a single-serving mug cake, just skip the egg; a whole egg will overpower the small amount of batter (and it's pretty tough to divide an egg in quarters).

Add Just Enough Air

Luckily, you don't need the egg—a pinch of baking powder is enough to help the batter rise up the sides of the mug. Just don't add too much; you might think more baking powder would produce a taller, fluffier cake, but the ones I made with extra baking powder rose far over the edge of the mug and then sank back into it, giving the dessert an undesirably dense, chewy texture.

Add Saucy Flavor

Without eggs, which add moisture as well as height, the mug cake needs something saucy—nut butter, caramel sauce, or chocolate sauce—to give it a moist, rich texture and pack in more flavor. Although the cakes made with peanut butter were delicious, in the end I decided to go for a caramel sauce (also easily made in the microwave!), as a nod to my favorite chocolate-caramel candy bar, Snickers.

Don't Overfill It

Yes, I get it, you want a lot of cake. But overfill the mug and that cake will explode over the vessel's sides, leaving you with a big mess. If you want a larger portion, simply double the recipe and cook it in a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl. (Because bowl cake is totally the new mug cake anyway.)

Add the Crunch After Cooking

Once I figured out my base cake—chocolatey flavor coming from the cocoa, plus caramel sauce for richness and moisture—I wanted to play up the Snickers spin and stir some roasted, salted peanuts into the batter. But unlike in a classic cake, where nuts continue to taste roasted after baking, the microwaved peanuts were steamed, making them chewy and unappetizing. Which meant my peanuts needed to be sprinkled on top after cooking (along with more caramel sauce, obvi), adding a nice crunch and pretty finishing touch.

Enjoy Immediately

Okay, here's the most important rule of mug cakes: Eat immediately. Unlike a typical cake, which is usually cooled completely before slicing or icing, steamed cake batter should be dug into immediately after cooking. After even 10 minutes, the texture begins to harden and that soft, gooey cake becomes more like a dense brick of chocolate. So add a scoop of ice cream, top with caramel sauce and nuts, and enjoy!