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This flourless mug cake is a single serving chocolate dessert recipe that needs just 4 ingredients. It’s moist, fluffy, and has no eggs in it!
For me, mug cakes are the easiest fix for my cake cravings.
I make them in various flavors to fit any mood I am in. Craving a carrot cake? A carrot mug cake will help you out. Want banana bread right then and there? A banana bread mug cake will hit the spoon. And for a quick chocolate cake fix, this flourless chocolate mug cake is what I go for.
Table of Contents
Recipe highlights
I call this my stand-by mug cake. It’s for those times when I definitely ‘don’t’ need dessert, but still want a little something. While it may be healthy, the texture of this cake is too good to be true considering how easy it is to make and how few ingredients it calls for.
- A single-serve dessert with only 4 ingredients. Mug cakes are meant to be easy. A concise ingredient list is a must for my mug cakes.
- Vegan and gluten-free. Aside from being gluten-free, this cake is also vegan. It doesn’t contain any eggs or dairy.
- Oven and microwave instructions. You can bake this chocolate mug cake in the oven or nuke it to cook it in just one minute.
- Wholesome. Like my protein mug cake, this is a guilt-free fix.
No eggs, no butter, and no milk is needed- this truly is a pantry staple dessert which you should have everything on hand for! Here is what you’ll need:
- Banana. As there is no sweetener used in this cake, it is important to use overripe bananas. Aside from being sweet, overripe bananas are also softer and easier to mash into a smooth mixture.
- Almond butter. My preferred nut butter. Any nut or seed butter will work.
- Cocoa powder. Unsweetened cocoa powder helps thicken the cake batter.
- Chocolate chips.
How to make a flourless chocolate mug cake
Blending all ingredients together is pretty much the only thing you need to do to bake this cake. Here’s how you make this flourless chocolate cake in the oven or in the microwave.
Step 1 – Prepare the batter
Add all ingredients except for the bananas to a blender and blend well until a smooth mixture remains. You can do this by hand too using a large mixing bowl and a fork to mash the bananas really well.
Once mixed, fold in the chocolate chips setting some aside for sprinkling on top.
Step 2 – Cook and enjoy
Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Pour the cake batter into an oven-safe greased ramekin. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out almost clean.
You can cook this cake in the microwave too. It will take around 60 seconds to cook in the microwave
- Don’t overmix. Overmixing creates too many bubbles in the batter. These bubbles make the cake rise as it bakes. When the mug cake cools, it drops rather quickly. Mix the batter just enough to get all ingredients incorporated. This will result in a more stable cake.
- Adjust the sweetness. If you feel like this cake is not sweet enough to satisfy your sweet tooth, add powdered sugar to the batter or a drizzle of maple syrup.
- Add toppings. Toppings will elevate this mug cake almost instantly. Add a dollop of ice cream or whipped cream, mixed berries, and you have the most decadent dessert ready in less than five minutes.
- Choose the right mug. Aside from using an oven-safe or a microwave-safe mug, it is important to choose one that is big enough for the amount of batter you have. Fill the mug to the halfway point to prevent the batter from spilling as it cooks.
To store. This mug cake is best enjoyed fresh. It is when this cake has the best texture. With this said, you can safely store it in the fridge for a day or two. Cover the cake with cling wrap as soon as it cools and refrigerate it. Warm up the cake in the microwave before eating it.
To freeze. It is not recommended to freeze this cake.
More flourless desserts to try
Brownie Recipes
Flourless Brownies
Cakes, Muffins, and Quick Breads
Flourless Chocolate Cake
Cakes, Muffins, and Quick Breads
Flourless Muffins
Flour is the ingredient that provides structure for cakes. This is why it is common for flourless cakes to fall as they bake and start to cool. Two things you can do to prevent this from happening are to not overmix the batter and not let it sit around for too long before baking.
Yes, you substitute cocoa powder with flour if you don’t mind it in this recipe. When substituting these two ingredients, make sure to use less flour than the recipe calls for cocoa powder. As a rule of thumb, it is good to start with twice as little flour. For this particular recipe, start with a tablespoon of flour and add more if needed.
Whether you are using the oven or the microwave, overcooking is the main cause of a chewy cake. Flourless cakes are supposed to be slightly gooey and soft. Cooking them longer will only make them unpleasantly chewy.
Flourless Mug Cake
Ingredients
- 1 medium banana overripe
- 2 tablespoon almond butter can sub for any nut or seed butter of choice
- 2 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon chocolate chips
Instructions
- Grease a microwave or oven safe ramekin and set aside.
- In a blender or large mixing bowl, add all ingredients, except for chocolate chips, and blend/mix until a smooth batter remains. Stir through chocolate chips, reserving a few for the top.
- Cook in the microwave for around one minute.
- If you use the oven, bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 Fahrenheit, or until a toothpick comes out 'just' clean.
Great recipe! Have you ever tried it with a ripe banana that has been frozen? Thanks for sharing this!
The best thing I have ever had for a chocolate craving.
I have followed your Pinterest account for a very long time! I so appreciate your recipes, and your website presence is the BEST! I wish all pinners were this meticulous with the ease of finding the recipe and your recipes are always delicious! A good example for me as I am learning how to make pins easy to navigate and provide value for others as you have done! THANKS! Love these simple, quick recipes with few ingredients.
It looks yummy and I like the fact that No sugar….I do love your work ❤❤❤
Hi ! Can i add protein powder to this? how much to keep the texture?
I haven’t tried, feel free to experiment and see!
Not only have I made this for myself, but I’ve been foisting it on other people. I love this cake! I use peanut butter, because it’s what’s open at the moment, and I don’t find it overpowering at all. But then, I also love peanut butter. 😀
LOVE IT!!!!
This was ridiculous!! I just finished this yummy cake like concoction. It works. Excellent, thank you.
😀 LOVE IT!
I was wondering if you could use chocolate protein powder instead of the cocoa powder…do you know if that works?
Thanks!
I haven’t tried, feel free to experiment and see!
This is such a treat! I added vanilla extract and a little bit of sea salt to the batter, then topped it with some peanuts, hemp hearts, coconut, and chocolate chips before baking. Yum! 🙂
🙂 That sounds fantastic!
So yummy….finally a chocolate treat I can have on my restricted diet….thanks so much
I make this several times a week now. It’s my go to dessert. It’s easy and quick with ingredients I always have on hand. This is also fun because you can add ingredients if you like to change it up. Thanks for the recipe!
Does anyone have an idea of the amount of approximate calories this has? Looks so good.
check out myfitnesspal for calorie calculations.
Didn’t have almond butter but I did have some almond meal. It work perfectly fine! Eating my mug cake right now as I type this comment.
🙂 I hope you saved me one! 😀
Beyond amazing. My hubby ate his raw ( frozen banana was all we had). I like mine baked yummm
😀 The best of both worlds!
@armanthebigmansword I just have tried it. I’ve added linseed for fun, but this recipe will result in addiction! 🙂 Many thanks for sharing!
😀 What a delicious addition! Thanks for the feedback, Meli!
I’m doing a sugar detox and tried this recipe with a green tipped banana. Still tasted amazing (I under cooked it so that it was more like a lava cake) this was just the sweet “treat” I needed!
So glad to hear it, Erica- Hope the detox is going well for you 🙂
What can u use in place of the banana
I am testing a few options now 🙂
Yum! I love when you post recipes that I already have all the ingredients to make 😀
The texture of these is amazing! I have actually NEVER made a mug cake– can you believe that? I have one bookmarked and am planning on making it tonight, so now I am going to make two– this one and the other one I had planned.
If you DO have a banana, but it’s NOT overripe, just put the unpeeled banana for a few minutes in the oven. The skin will turn black, and the inside will become softer. I am from Rio, Brazil – and we use bananas A LOT!
Love that suggestion, Priscila- And welcome!!! Rio is one of my bucket list cities!
I love using overripe bananas and I always have some handy! They are are a great healthy alternative and I love how they also add a little sweetness to desserts.
This looks yummy! What would you suggest if you don’t have a microwave? How long in the oven?
Hi Alaina, the oven option is included in the recipe post 🙂
I am new to this site/blog and I just love it!
for this particular recipe, what can I use if I can’t find almond butter. I am from Sri Lanka and Almond Butter is not really something we get off the shelf here.
thank you in advance for your suggestions.
Hi Shyam! Do you have access to peanut butter? It will work the same, although be a little overpowering 🙂
Hi Julie, that is correct- There is an issue with the plugin which is showing the incorrect stats.
I wouldn’t call this a cake – it is more like a delicious choccy pudding – you guys have to try this – thanks Armani xx
I completely agree! Just made it. Maybe if you don’t want pudding you should try longer than 1 min?
Well, I did it and it wasn’t a pudding for me. More like brownie and I LOVED IT!
i have not been very successful at mug cakes but i will have to give your version a try. it combines all my fav combo.
The chocolate chips on top of this makes me so hungry for sweets! This looks amazing and I just happen to have an overripe banana awaiting a use!
Overripe bananas are a thing of the past around our house now. And it’s because of a certain toddler. That kid loves (I mean loves!) him some bananas, and if he sees them on the counter, he yells “nananana” until we cut one up for him. So yeah…I’ll just have to get some bananas and hide them in the cabinet so I can make this mug cake. Looks tasty, my friend!
Confession time. I literally can’t remember the last time I baked something. I also bought bananas last month and only managed to eat one before they turned black. I am failing at everything.
Kelly, You are not failing! You are just busy! And you haven’t (yet) learned my amazing fail-proof banana saving trick, which is: when the bananas are ripe enough to where you like them (but can’t possibly eat them all at the same time), get a ziploc bag, cut the bananas in half, and freeze them. They stay good for a long time and you can grab one and throw it into the blender for a smoothie anytime.