Name: Molten Chocolate Mug Cake
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 2 tablespoons sugar; 1 tablespoon Dutch-processed cocoa powder; ¼ teaspoon baking powder; ⅛ teaspoon table salt; 1 ounce (28 grams) milk or dark chocolate , divided; 2 tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into 2 pieces; 1 large egg; ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Why This Recipe Works

For this single-serving cake, we use cocoa and chocolate to give it a deep chocolate flavor, and we need only a mug, a bowl, and a microwave to make it happen. While some recipes for mug cakes mix everything in the mug, we found that whisking the dry ingredients in a bowl first ensured they were well-mixed (no unpleasant pockets of baking soda). Using 50 percent power kept the cake moist and tender, and tucking a few pieces of chocolate inside partway through gave us that ooey-gooey molten center.

Before You Begin

We developed this recipe in a full-size 1200-watt microwave. If the wattage of your microwave is less than 1200 watts, you will need to increase the cooking times throughout. We prefer Dutch-processed cocoa in this recipe; the cake will be slightly drier if you use natural cocoa powder. We prefer bar chocolate (milk, dark, or bittersweet), as chocolate chips are harder to insert into the cake to form the molten center.

Instructions

Whisk flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, and salt together in bowl; set aside. Break ½ ounce (14 grams) of the chocolate into rough 1-inch pieces then add to 12-ounce mug with butter. Microwave butter and chocolate pieces at 50 percent power, stirring often, until melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Add flour mixture, egg, and vanilla and mix until smooth and well combined (being sure to scrape corners of mug).

Microwave cake batter at 50 percent power until batter has doubled in size, 50 to 70 seconds. Break remaining ½ ounce (14 grams) chocolate into two pieces and press into center of cake with top of chocolate flush with top of cake. Microwave cake at 50 percent power until cake is firm but top is just wet to the touch, 15 to 30 seconds (cake may rise above edge of mug, but will not overflow). Let cake rest for 2 minutes. Serve.