Made with rich hot chocolate powder, this 3-ingredient chocolate banana mug cake is a household favorite. With such simple ingredients, it's easy to make, kid-friendly, and ready in under 5 minutes from start to finish! Dan and I have eaten this mug cake no less than 10 times in the last month.
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Why we love this recipe
Ok, I don’t mean to hate on mug cakes, but most of them require so much work. Like the same amount of work as putting together a normal cake just all to satisfy your sweet tooth. Yet, mug cakes are impromptu, they are something you make on a whim when it's late at night and you have no time, energy, or ingredients to make a full cake.
But, mug cakes don’t have to be complicated! I’m going to show you how to make the most rich and decadent chocolate cake that's basically a molten lava cake in a mug with only 3 humble ingredients. Hot cocoa mix, egg, and banana come together to make a cheap dessert that you’ll be making night after night. Oh, and did I mention it’s naturally gluten-free?
So, let's get going so you can get eating!
Mika
Ingredients
4 Helpful Tips For The Best Mug Cake
- Grease your mugs with vegetable oil, butter, or coconut oil. This makes it easier for the cake to rise and easier for you to clean the coffee mug.
- Mix everything in a bowl first and then transfer to the mugs.
- Use wide mugs and not something that barely fits the cake batter. This gives the cake room to grow. Depending on the size of your mugs, you might need to adjust the baking time.
- Use a ripe banana for optimal sweetness. The banana should be speckled with brown spots all over it. If your banana isn’t that ripe, you may want to add 2 tablespoon of maple syrup or mix in chocolate chips. Overripe bananas will work too and will make the microwave mug cake even sweeter!
Step by Step of How to Make This 3-Ingredient Mug Cake (with video!)
Step one: grease your microwave-safe mugs along the bottom, edges, and up the side walls.
Step two: mash the banana in a small bowl and then mix in the rest of the ingredients.
Step three: separate into 2 mugs and microwave separately until the center of the cake is just set. Try topping it with this protein brownie batter for a fudgy frosting!
Prefer to watch how to make this?
Recipe Testing Notes
I am not joking when I say I tested this recipe 7 times. I needed it to be perfect because I’ve had so many not-good mug cakes. So, here’s what I’ve learned.
- Baking powder doesn’t work: Using baking powder with cocoa powder and banana just resulted in a gummy and dense mug cake that lacked sweetness.
- Cleaning the mugs: If you don’t grease your mugs, leaning them is a nightmare, so grease them, well.
- Trying cocoa powder: I tried cocoa powder in place of hot chocolate mix and it worked but it wasn’t nearly as good. If you do make it with cocoa powder, you will need to also mix in 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar.
Variations
4 Ingredient banana mug cake: If you’re feeling a little wild, try mixing in chocolate chips or chocolate chunks for a 4 ingredient chocolate cake. Honest, this is the best part of this single-serving cake is the ability to add in other things like more chocolate if you've got an extra chocolate craving.
3-Ingredient Dairy-Free Mug Cake: This cake is dairy-free depending on what hot chocolate mix you use. Both Trader Joe’s sipping chocolate and Starbucks’s hot cocoa mix are dairy-free.
How To Make This High Protein
Just add in 1 scoop of unflavored collagen peptides to the mixture! this adds anywhere from 10-20g of protein with no change in taste or texture!
Recipe
3-Ingredient Chocolate Banana Mug Cake (a 5 minute recipe)
Equipment
- 1 bowl
- 2 wide mugs
Ingredients
- 1 ripe banana (speckeled with brown spots)
- 6 tablespoon hot cocoa mix (see notes for using cocoa powder and to make this dairy free)
- 1 egg (medium)
Optional
- ¼ cup chocolate chips
- 1 scoop collagen peptides (for protein)
Before you start!
If you make this recipe, please take a moment to leave us a review. We love to hear from you!
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mash the banana. Mix in the other two ingredients until combined.
- Grease two mugs (see notes for using 1 mug) using butter, vegetable oil, or coconut oil. Be sure to grease the bottom, the coners, and the side walls.
- Seperate the batter evenly into each mug. Cook int he microwave for 75 seconds for each mug. Let cool 2-3 miutes before eating.See notes for cooking in the oven.
Video
Notes
- Grease your mugs with oil or butter. This makes it easier for the cake to rise and easier for you to clean the mug.
- Mix everything in a bowl first and then transfer to the mugs.
- Use wide mugs and not something that barely fits the cake batter. This gives the cake room to grow.
- Use a ripe banana for optimal sweetness. The banana should be speckled with brown spots all over. If your banana isn’t that ripe, you may want to add 2 tablespoon of maple syrup or mix in chocolate chips.
Looking for more information?
Additional substitution information can be found above in the substitution section of this post.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate and for informational purposes only.
Nutrition
Common Questions
Yes, this easy recipe can be made high protein by adding in 1 scoop of collagen peptides or topping it with Greek yogurt or peanut butter. You could also try replacing the hot chocolate with chocolate protein powder but the texture may be a bit gummy.
Yes, you can mix in chocolate chips, nuts, Nutella, vanilla extract, or espresso powder to name a few. But really, the skies the limit
Yes, you can make this mini cake in the oven as long as you use small pans like an oven-safe ramekin. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.
We love to top ours with dairy-free whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, or cashew butter! It’s also delicious with fresh berries.
I’m so glad you asked! We love 3-ingredient recipes around here. Some of my other favorites is this 3-Ingredient Chocolate Peppermint Tea Latte, 3-Ingredient Pumpkin Pancakes, and 3-Ingredient Greek Yogurt Pancakes.
drop us a note!