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This microwave Chocolate Lava Mug Cake is rich and chocolatey without any flour. Open your pantry, grab a few ingredients and whip up this mug brownie in 5 minutes.

a small lava cake in a white bowl topped with raspberries and mint.
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WARNING: making this chocolate lava mug cake even once will lead to a microwave mug cake addiction. You cannot avoid it. It’s going to happen.

This single-serve chocolate mug souffle recipe is truly divine. It’s perfectly cooked with a molten center, and holy smokes, it’s SO EASY to make.

What Ingredients are In Microwave Lava Cake?

an egg, cocoa powder, and other ingredients for chocolate mug cake
  • 1 Egg – room temperature, please, and thank you
  • Milk (see recipe notes for dairy-free options)
  • Cocoa powder
  • Baking powder
  • Butter – just a little bit
  • Vanilla extract (related: Homemade Vanilla Extract)
  • Almond extract (optional)
  • Maple Syrup
  • Milk or dark chocolate (optional)

How to Make Gluten-Free Mug Cake

*A detailed (with measurements) and printable recipe card is at the bottom of this post.

You’ll want to use a mug that is 12 oz or bigger since the mug cake will rise as it is cooking (and then sink back down a bit).

(1) Melt a little butter in the mug, and swirl it around the bottom and sides.

(2-3) Add the ingredients to the mug in this order:

  1. Milk
  2. Maple syrup
  3. Egg
  4. Extracts
  5. Cocoa powder
  6. Baking powder

(4) Mix really well with a fork, scraping down the sides.

(5) If you are adding a square of chocolate (and you should!), drop it into the center.

Microwave for 40-60 seconds. Allow it to cool for a minute and then dig in!

Yeah, that’s it. Seriously.

5 photos showing how to make micrwave souffle

Frequently Asked Questions

Can You Bake a Mug Cake?

Yes! If you don’t have a microwave, you can bake this gooey chocolate mug cake in the oven. Bake at 350F degrees for 15-25 minutes.

What Else Can I Add to a Lava Cake?

There are so many delicious options! A tablespoon of Nutella, a dollop of peanut butter, or fruit preserves (like Low-Sugar Strawberry Jam or No-Cook Raspberry Jam) are all great options. Or some caramel; yum!

Grate in a little orange zest before cooking it in the microwave for a chocolate orange mug cake. A dash of cinnamon is also delicious.

How to Top a Mug Cake

A scoop of vanilla ice cream, sprinkles, a dollop of whipped cream, or a dusting of powdered sugar on top are all fantastic.

a spoonful of microwave souffle.

Recipe Notes

  • Use your favorite milk for this mug brownie recipe. If you are dairy-free, any non-dairy milk will work except for full-fat coconut milk. One recipe tester used Vanilla Nutpods.
  • If you don’t have a square of chocolate, you can add 1 tbsp of chocolate chips to the middle of the mixture before baking.
  • If you’re making multiple gooey chocolate mug cakes, mix all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl with a pour spout (this is my all-time favorite kitchen bowls) and then distribute to individual containers.
  • You can make your microwave souffle ahead of time, but the top will crust up a bit and the melted chocolate may harden. Instead, I recommend mixing everything up and having it ready to go in the fridge and then microwaving it at the time of serving. Since they only cook in about 1 minute, they’re so easy to make on-demand.
  • Check on the lava cake after 40 seconds. You can always cook for an additional 10-20 seconds after the initial cooking time. Overcooking will lead to a dry top and the eggs may scramble a bit.
an upclose image of a microwave mug cake.
5 from 4 ratings

Chocolate Lava Mug Cake

Prep: 4 minutes
Cook: 1 minute
Total: 5 minutes
a small lava cake in a white bowl topped with raspberries and mint.
This microwave chocolate lava mug cake is rich and chocolatey without any flour. Open your pantry, grab a few ingredients and whip up this mug brownie in 5 minutes.

Ingredients 

  • 1 tsp butter {dairy-free butter works too}
  • 1 tbsp whole milk {non-dairy milk also works}
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 egg {room temperature}
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp almond extract
  • 2 tsp cocoa powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1 square chocolate {optional}

Instructions 

  • In a large mug (12 oz or larger) add the butter and microwave for 15-20 seconds.
    1 tsp butter
  • Swirl melted butter around the bottom and sides.
  • Add the ingredients in this order:
    -Milk
    -Maple syrup
    -Egg
    -Vanilla and almond extracts
    -Cocoa powder
    -Baking powder
    1 tbsp whole milk, 1 tbsp maple syrup, 1 egg, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 1/4 tsp almond extract, 1/4 tsp baking powder, 2 tsp cocoa powder
  • Mix ingredients really well with a fork, scraping down the sides.
  • If you are adding a square of chocolate, drop it into the center now.
    1 square chocolate
  • Place the mug on a small plate to catch any potential overflow.
  • Microwave at 100 watts for 40 seconds. Check for doneness and microwave for another 15-20 seconds.
  • Allow it to cool lava cake to cool for 2-3 minutes.

Notes

  1. Nutrition values are without the optional square of chocolate.
  2. You’ll want a mug that is 12 oz or bigger since the mug cake will rise as it is cooking (and then sink back down a bit).
  3. If you don’t have a microwave, you can bake this gooey chocolate mug cake in the oven. Bake at 350F degrees for 15-25 minutes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 136kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 6gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 165mgSodium: 72mgPotassium: 232mgSugar: 13gVitamin A: 238IUCalcium: 118mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @sustainablecooks or tag #sustainablecooks!

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18 Comments

    1. Congrats on your new acquisition! I have not tried this in an air fryer, but if you do, please report back.

      The powerful fan in the air fryer might make the ingredients a little splattery. <---let's call that a word.

  1. I made this with carob powder instead of cocoa (migraines) and it was delicious! Almond milk worked just fine. I did have to cook it for closer to 65 seconds. Next time adding a little peanut butter to the middle. Perfect for a small sweet at the end of the day! I used Bob’s Red Mill Toasted Carob Powder, it’s the tastiest carob powder I’ve found so far.

  2. Winner! I made this for my hubby’s birthday.

    I made it with heavy cream, sugar free syrup, and Lily’s milk chocolate bar in the middle as my keto substitutions.

    In the written recipe, your ingredients have baking powder but the instructions and blog say baking soda. I went with baking soda.5 stars

    1. Who-hoo, so glad it worked out! But you know I can’t let you get away with just that. What syrup did you use? How much? Same amount as the maple syrup?

      Someone pointed out the powder vs soda error on Instagram and yeah, that’s confusing! It’s supposed to be baking powder but I’m glad the soda worked out.

  3. Checking emails after coming home from vacation & this is by far my favorite one! My daughter is mug cake obsessed, so I’ve been pretty jealous, but now I can make my own!!! So excited to try this!

    1. Hurray, I’m so glad I could help Izzy! Can’t wait to hear what you think of it. Hilariously enough, everyone who has made it so far has made it for breakfast.

  4. Yum! It boggles my mind that you can have something cake like without any kind of flour like substance. I tried this out for breakfast this morning with a bit of cherry preserves. So delicious! Thanks for sharing!5 stars

    1. I have to say, I love that of everyone who has made this cake, they ALL made it for breakfast. It makes my heart so happy!

      I’m thrilled you loved it Emily!

      1. I do think it would make a lovely dessert but I was anxious to make it so I figured why not breakfast. I am dreaming of a version with some added peanut butter…. Clearly that is a sign that I need to check out your peanut butter ice cream recipe next.

  5. Umm, amazing timing. (Is it bad that my phone autocorrected amazing to Amazon? Don’t answer that).

    I was just asking my husband what he needed to make brownie batter so I could eat the batter, not the cooked brownies. I think this is a better option…cooked eggs but still gooey, and a smaller size.

    1. Haha, that autocorrect is amazing! My phone kept changing “pepperspray” to “peppers pray”. Come on Apple, do better.

      Please report back once you try the mug cake. I’m pretty much obsessed with them now and can’t wait for others to make them too!

  6. Totally going to do this with sugar free syrup. It looks yummy! And I still haven’t made your gluten free brownies.

    1. Girl, I was hoping you’d pipe in with a sugar-free option! If you do make it, please report back how it turned out and what brand/type of syrup you used. I’ll update the recipe with it as an option.

  7. When you get an email from Sarah that basically says, “I need 1 minute of your life to test a recipe for me”, you do it! This microwave souffle/cake was a hit with my 3 year old. He enjoyed helping me make it, watching it in the microwave, and then devouring the ooey, gooey deliciousness. When she says that they are addictive, she is absolutely correct. I have made one every day since the recipe was given to me for testing.

    I will add that when making multiple batches this morning at breakfast (don’t judge me) I mixed all the ingredients for the multiple cakes together in a larger container and then poured it out into each mug for baking. It worked really well!5 stars

    1. Ha, you’re now my official GF recipe tester! I mean, Davy is. 🙂

      No judgment about the breakfast cake. It DOES have eggs in it. I mean, eggs are a breakfast food!

      Great tip about mixing up multiple ones at once. That’s what I did for the styled photos in the post. I’ll add that as a tip to the recipe. Thanks again lady!