A gorgeously rich and gooey chocolate fudge mug cake, all ready in just a few short minutes, YUM!

Marvellous Mug Cakes

It’s no secret that I am slightly obsessed with mug cakes! These are fantastically quick and easy cakes that you can make in mere minutes with the help of your microwave. A mug cake is also the perfect amount for a quick dessert or decedent snack for one. Of course, my blog is all about quick cooking so for anyone who’s craving a sneaky, home baked treat, I think you really can’t beat a mug cake. 

One thing I love about mug cakes is that they are just so wonderfully versatile! There are tons of different combinations of flavours and ingredients that you can use. I am on a never-ending quest to make the perfect mug cake which has let me to create lots of scrummy different ones, just like this super quick 5 minute chocolate fudge mug cake.

Just check out some of my other recipes for further mug cake inspiration, such as this 5 Minute Coffee and Caramel Mug Cake, this 5 Minute Banoffee Mug Cake and this 5 Minute Blueberry Cheesecake Mug Cake. So many mug cake options to try!

Comfort eating

I dreamt up this 5 minute chocolate fudge mug cake one chilly winter’s afternoon. Like so many of us, I seek out comfort food when the temperature plummets. Not just that, but comfort food that I can whip up quickly! Mug cakes really fit the bill for warm and satisfying comfort eating, perfect for a snack or a cheeky dessert. And what gets more comforting than a mouthful of oozing chocolatey goodness?!

Ok, so it’s no secret that chocolate is perhaps not the healthiest food in the world. However, as an optimist, I always like to seek out ‘silver linings’ in life, about many things, including when it comes to what we eat. This is why I am thrilled to share the news that chocolate isn’t all bad. It really isn’t!

Dark chocolate in particular is rich in a range of minerals including magnesium, zinc and iron. It also contains antioxidants and flavonoids, both of which are beneficial in many ways, especially boosting the immune system and the cardiovascular system.

So, the key to maximising the health benefits of chocolate is to use good quality, dark types. This is absolutely true when it comes to this recipe. For the perfect 5 minute chocolate fudge mug cake, it’s really important to use good quality cocoa powder. The cheap stuff just doesn’t taste as good, and won’t have the same health benefits. The better quality stuff has a fine grain a darker colour and a much more punchy, intense chocolate flavour. Often it will be labelled ‘100% cocoa solids’ rather than anything blended.

Of course, you can use any cocoa powder that you have to hand to make your quick mug cake, but if you can get the high quality cocoa powder, you should.

The other way to inject plenty of chocolatey flavour into your 5 minute chocolate fudge mug cake is the addition of chocolate chips. When stirred into the batter, these create little molten chocolate explosions in your mouth with every bite, which is just divine! It really enhances the soft, fudgy texture of the cake too.

I tend to go generous with my chocolate chips (well, who wouldn’t quite frankly?!) So I advocate adding a whole rounded tablespoonful of them to really maximise the flavour. Now, I realise I’ve been talking a lot about the health benefits of dark chocolate and yes, you can use dark chocolate chips in this quick mug cake, however they are really rather rich and a little too heavy for my taste.

This is why I prefer to use milk chocolate chips in this recipe. Of course, if you’re a dark chocolate fanatic you can substitute these instead.

Precision Perfect

Although I fully advocate quick and easy cooking, its very important not to cut corners when it comes to home baking. You need to try and get the ratios of all the ingredients just right to give the perfect fluffy and moist mug cake. So in this recipe, I advise using level (flat) spoonfuls of each ingredient. This gives a more exact amount that if you were to use either rounded or heaped spoonfuls (which I sometimes do use in my other recipes).

Level spoonfuls of each ingredient will ensure you get perfect end result, so avoid the temptation to scoop out generous amounts of each ingredient. Ok, so actually there is one exception to this rule here… the chocolate chips! As I mentioned earlier, I recommend using a generous, rounded tablespoonful of these gorgeous little chocolaty pieces as the last thing we want is to scrimp on these. So scoop away!

Step by step guide to making this 5 minute chocolate fudge mug cake

Now lets take a little look at a helpful step by step guide to making your perfect quick chocolate fudge mug cake, with some photos to help you in the process…

STEP 1;

To start, grab yourself a standard sized mug. Into the mug, put 3 levels tablespoons of self raising flour, 2 level tablespoons of caster (superfine) sugar and 1 level tablespoon of good quality cocoa powder. Mix it all together until well combined.

I like to use golden caster sugar as it just makes the most sense with the rich, dark flavour of the chocolate cake. However, any caster sugar will do so don’t worry if you don’t have the golden variety to hand.

STEP 2;

Now it’s time to add all the wet ingredients to create your perfect chocolate cake batter! Add to the mug, 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, 2 tablespoons of milk and 1 rounded tablespoon of milk chocolate chips. That’s right, use a rounded (i.e. generous) spoonful of the chocolate chips as I find a flat spoonful just isn’t quite enough.

Mix everything with a spoon until well combined. Try and squash any lumps against the side of the mug to break them up. Also ensure you really scrape the bottom of the mug with the spoon, otherwise some of the dry powdered ingredients can cling here. You want to ensure everything is properly mixed together.

STEP 3;

Put the mug into the microwave and cook on full power for 80-90 seconds. (It should take 80 seconds in a 900W microwave but about 90 seconds in a 700-800W one). Keep a close eye on it – you want to see the surface looking soft and cakey, whilst the chocolate chips poking through the surface are turning gooey and molten. Mmmm.

STEP 4;

Remove the mug cake from the microwave and eat warm! You can pop a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top if you want to be really decedent. But it’s really delicious just as it is, so this isn’t essential.