Nutella Chocolate Mug Cake For One

I first developed and published this Nutella Mug Cake recipe back in 2017 – almost 10 years ago now.It is still one of my most popular recipes. I haven’t changed a thing, but I’ve just taken a moment to update the photos and video – but it is still the one true mug cake that will cure any chocolate craving.

Sometimes life just calls for chocolate cake and now you are just 80 seconds away from a Nutella Chocolate Cake ALL TO YOURSELF.  

Soft, tender chocolate cake, complete with gooey pockets of Nutella, that is made in the microwave. It’s the perfect sweet treat when you need something chocolate-y but you don’t want a whole frosted cake sitting in the house. It is the perfect dessert for one or two ❤️

Why you will love this recipe

• No fancy equipment: It takes only minutes to make the cake batter – no electric mixer needed. And you don’t need a cake pan, just a regular mug or cup will do.
• Microwave only: Baking this cake in the microwave means you don’t even need to turn the oven on or wait for it to preheat.
• Ready in minutes: The entire mug cake takes ten minutes to make and bake.
• Perfect for one: Late night craving? Midnight snack? This easy recipe makes just one small cake.

I’ve made this mug cake at least 20 times now, I love it so much!

– Zoe

Recipe testing

I made SO MANY mug cakes when I was testing this recipe. I was all caked out but then I finally stumbled on this recipe and it made me jump for joy.

I tried butter vs oil, cocoa powder vs real chocolate, chocolate chips, vanilla, eggs vs no eggs and all yielded different results. But to be honest, most of the cakes were either wet and soggy (no thanks) or dry and rubbery.

Finally, I had it close to where I wanted it to be when I remembered that egg yolks tend to add moisture to cakes, while egg whites can make cakes dry. So I tried it one last time with an egg yolk (rather than 1/2 a whole egg or no egg at all) and bingo! The soft and fluffy cake I wanted.

To make this mug cake one to remember, I love to add a large tablespoon of Nutella right in the middle. When it bakes, it seeps down and creates a gooey melted pocket of Nutella for extra flavour and moisture.

The baking time for this mug cake will vary slightly according to the power of your microwave. Mine takes around 80 seconds to bake but it might be slightly less/more depending on your microwave. I recommend having a quick peek after 60-80 seconds.

The chocolate cake batter should fill your cup or mug approximately halfway as it will rise as it bakes. It’ll also be very hot so I recommending waiting a few minutes before you dive right in. Add a little extra Nutella on top – perhaps even a scoop of ice-cream – and then you have the perfect mini or small batch dessert.

Thankfully, you only need a handful of every day ingredients to make a Nutella Mug Cake. In fact, you can even swap the Nutella for your favourite spread (peanut butter is a must-try too!).

Here are the key ingredients you need and any substitutions you can make.

Oil: I recommend using a flavourless oil for this mug cake like grapeseed oil, vegetable oil or a mild olive oil. If you run out of oil, you can use melted butter instead.

Cocoa powder: You can use any cocoa powder you like, either natural cocoa powder or Dutch processed cocoa powder will work.

Nutella: Nutella is slotted into the cake once the cake batter is made. It is lovely but you can swap it for any spread you like – another chocolate hazelnut spread, Biscoff cookie butter, peanut butter or pistachio paste.

Egg yolk: After testing this recipe multiple times, I found only using one egg yolk produced the best results. Maybe use leftover egg whites to make some Meringue Kisses!

More Nutella recipes

• Nutella Stuffed Cookies
• Nutella Banana Bread
• Chocolate Nutella Brownies
• Nutella Cupcakes