Meet my new obsession: 30-Minute Chocolate Cake for Two. I was tempted to call it 28-Minute Cake for Two, but it didn’t roll off the tongue in the same way. It’s a triple layer cake of chocolate goodness that is perfect for sharing. No longer are the days of making cake and having leftovers for days. This chocolate cake is the perfect size for you and a buddy. Or for just you, depending on how your week’s been going.
The secret to this cake being done in 30 minutes? Cooking it in the microwave. But unlike some microwave mug cakes, this one doesn’t taste spongey at all. I couldn’t help but marvel at the texture—it’s just like that of a cake from the oven! Alex said today it’s one of the best cakes I’ve ever made. I did a little dance.
And this chocolate mug cake is totally Valentine’s Day appropriate without being over the top. Your Valentine will love you for making something the two of you can enjoy, and will also thank you for skipping the whole candied hearts and chocolate roses thing.
Want to hear a fun story about this photo shoot? I shoot everything in our bedroom, and the setup is pretty makeshift. For this shoot, I put a black board by the end of our bed and placed wood on a chest in front of it. So I’m taking pictures and things are going well, and at the end of the shoot I decide to sit on the bed to go over the shots I’ve taken. I take my camera off of my tripod and do a little jump onto the chest and land on the bed. Then I hear a lot of crashing behind me.
I look back. The black backdrop has fallen on top of the cake, the milk bottle is horizontal, and the milk is slowly making its way down the chest and onto the floor. It was like Niagara Falls.
End of photoshoot.
#professional
Luckily, the cake for two didn’t get too smushed, and the milk cleaned up easily. Alex and I happily ate the fallen cake last night, and it was still delicious.
Tips for making this chocolate mug cake for two:
One thing I will mention about this cake is that microwaves greatly vary in the time it takes to cook things. The cake should spring back to the touch after being cooked. If you find that your first mug is over/undercooked, adjust your time by ± 10 seconds for your next two mugs.
Also, this recipe calls for three equal-sized mugs. If you don’t have any matching mugs, you can use the same mug for each cake layer. Just wash it out thoroughly between layers to make sure the mug cakes puff up perfectly.
Oh, and one last little note. Make sure the milk and egg are at room temperature before you make the cake batter. You want your batter to bake evenly in the microwave, so having all the ingredients at the same temperature is key.
Without further adieu, please go enjoy this 30-Minute Chocolate Cake for Two. You won’t regret it!
In a small bowl, mix together all dry cake ingredients with a fork. Add in wet ingredients, stirring until combined. Heavily grease three large mugs* and evenly distribute batter into mugs (~1/2 cup of batter each).
Microwave each mug by itself for 1 minute on high. Remove from microwave and shake slightly to loosen cake from mug. Flip mug over onto parchment paper-lined plate or board. The cake should drop right out. Repeat with remaining mugs, then place into freezer for 5 minutes, or until the cakes cool to room temperature.
While the cakes are cooling, make the frosting. Combine all ingredients in a standing mixer and beat on high until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Remove cakes from freezer and frost the top of each layer before stacking. If using, shave dark chocolate over the top of the cake using a sharp knife.
Notes
*don’t have 3 uniform mugs? Use one, cleaning thoroughly between cooking each layer!
I made this little cake for my husband, he loved it.. This was very easy to make and tasty for a microwaved cake. I did frost the entire cake, but I had to spread the frosting very thin..My son requested one, so when I make it for him I’ll be doubling the frosting.
I made this!! A 4″ diameter mug is a REALLY big mug, and we don’t have any, so I used our 2.5″ diameter mugs and a 700 watt microwave. I cooked all 3 cakes separately–one was overcooked and a bit dry, one was slightly undercooked, and one was perfect; the optimum time for my particular setup was probably somewhere between 60 and 80 seconds. They were all surprisingly delicious for something that came out of a microwave. Two of them rose REALLY high and broke in half as they dropped out of the mugs (I forgot to grease the mugs), so I ended up with a few airy cupcake-sized treats. For the third cake I kept checking and adding time, and the cake fell a bit during the process of doing that, so it ended up more dense (not necessarily a bad thing). I also added about 1/4 teaspoon of espresso powder to bring out the chocolate flavor because I knew my cocoa was on the older side. I will definitely make this again. Thanks for writing a recipe that includes egg–the ones without it just seem like they’d taste like chocolate biscuits.
[…] the success of last year’s 30 Minute Chocolate Cake For Two, I just had to continue the tradition with this red velvet baby. Still filled with chocolate […]
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I made this little cake for my husband, he loved it.. This was very easy to make and tasty for a microwaved cake. I did frost the entire cake, but I had to spread the frosting very thin..My son requested one, so when I make it for him I’ll be doubling the frosting.
★★★★★
Hiya! Have you tried fully icing the outside of this cake? Do you think it would work or is the cake too soft?
I think you definitely could! It’s soft and tender but will hold up!
I made this!! A 4″ diameter mug is a REALLY big mug, and we don’t have any, so I used our 2.5″ diameter mugs and a 700 watt microwave. I cooked all 3 cakes separately–one was overcooked and a bit dry, one was slightly undercooked, and one was perfect; the optimum time for my particular setup was probably somewhere between 60 and 80 seconds. They were all surprisingly delicious for something that came out of a microwave. Two of them rose REALLY high and broke in half as they dropped out of the mugs (I forgot to grease the mugs), so I ended up with a few airy cupcake-sized treats. For the third cake I kept checking and adding time, and the cake fell a bit during the process of doing that, so it ended up more dense (not necessarily a bad thing). I also added about 1/4 teaspoon of espresso powder to bring out the chocolate flavor because I knew my cocoa was on the older side. I will definitely make this again. Thanks for writing a recipe that includes egg–the ones without it just seem like they’d taste like chocolate biscuits.
★★★★★
Happy to hear these turned out well for you! What a great idea to add in espresso powder 🙂
[…] the success of last year’s 30 Minute Chocolate Cake For Two, I just had to continue the tradition with this red velvet baby. Still filled with chocolate […]
Hi! My biggest mugs are 3.5 inches in diameter and so are my ramekins. Can I use 3.5 inch mugs for this recipe rather than 4 inch ones?
Yep, you might need an extra 10 seconds in the micro to compensate for the thickness 🙂