Made in minutes, these mug cakes deliver big flavours with zero fuss

A mug cake is pure genius for a quick, comforting treat. Think of it: no mixing bowls, no hot oven, minimal clean-up – and just two-and-a-half minutes in the microwave delivers a warm, satisfying dessert for one.

The concept is simple: classic cake ingredients are scaled down, whisked together, and cooked in one mug. It’s fast, easy and mess-free.

The best part? You can get creative with endless flavour combinations. Start with a simple classic, then make small swaps to tailor a custom treat for anyone – kids or adults – in mere moments.

Safety first

Kids, if you’re making these recipes, here are a few things to check first.

• Ensure the mug is 100 per cent microwave safe – often it will say so on the bottom. Check that there are no metallic details in the pattern, which could cause sparks or even a fire.
• Choose a mug that holds at least 350ml (1½ cups). Bigger is better to avoid overflow.
• Check with an adult before you start cooking.

We’ve used a 900W microwave on high to cook these cakes.

Serve molten chocolate mug cake with ice-cream and sprinkles.Jane de Graaff

Molten chocolate mug cake

Ready in less than three minutes from start to finish, this is a classic gooey-centred chocolate cake for one. And as it’s virtually foolproof, the kids can take the lead.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tbsp self-raising flour
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp almond meal
• 2½ tbsp caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp milk
• 4 squares of your favourite chocolate (the meltier the better)
• ice-cream and sprinkles, to serve

METHOD

1. Add the flour, cocoa, almond meal and caster sugar to a microwave-safe, 350ml-capacity mug and stir to mix.
2. Add the egg and milk and whisk thoroughly with a fork until you have a smooth mixture with no lumps.
3. Drop the pieces of chocolate into the mix (no need to push them down).
4. Place the mug in the centre of the microwave and microwave on high for 2 minutes and 30 seconds. The cake will puff up, but should not spill over.
5. Carefully remove the mug from the microwave – it will be hot, so be careful – and serve warm with a scoop of ice-cream and sprinkles on top, digging in to find the gooey, melted chocolate pieces.

Serves 1

Mix the topping for this lemon drizzle and white chocolate mug cake while it cooks. Jane de Graaff

Lemon drizzle and white chocolate mug cake

This simple lemon drizzle cake is great for those who aren’t mad for chocolate. Mix up the drizzle sauce while the mug cake is cooking.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tbsp self-raising flour
• 2 tbsp almond meal
• 2½ tbsp caster sugar
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp milk
• 4 squares of white chocolate
• a dollop of cream, to serve

Lemon drizzle sauce

• 2 tbsp icing sugar
• juice of 1 lemon

METHOD

1. Add the flour, almond meal, caster sugar and lemon zest to a microwave-safe, 350ml-capacity mug and stir to mix.
2. Add the egg and milk and whisk thoroughly with a fork until you have a smooth mixture with no lumps.
3. Drop in the white chocolate squares (no need to push them down).
4. Place the mug in the centre of the microwave and microwave on high for 2 minutes and 30 seconds. The cake will puff up, but should not spill over.
5. While the mug cake is cooking, add the icing sugar to a small bowl and a little of the lemon juice, adding it 1 teaspoon at a time until you have a drizzly lemon sauce.
6. When the cake has finished cooking, carefully remove it from the microwave – it will be hot – and serve it warm with a little of the lemon drizzle and a dollop of cream on top. Dig in to find the melted white chocolate inside.

Serves 1

Serve this PB&J mug cake with an extra dollop of peanut butter and jam.Jane de Graaff

PB&J mug cake

Who can resist the classic peanut butter and jam combo? Now, imagine it as a warm, cosy mug cake, ready in less than three minutes. The secret to those bursts of fruitiness? Don’t stir in the jam – this creates warm, jammy pockets throughout the cake.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tbsp self-raising flour
• 2 tbsp almond meal
• 2½ tbsp caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp milk
• 1 tbsp peanut butter
• 4 tsp raspberry jam
• a dollop of cream, extra jam and peanut butter, to serve

METHOD

1. Add the flour, almond meal and caster sugar to a microwave-safe, 350ml-capacity mug and stir to mix.
2. Add the egg, milk and peanut butter and whisk thoroughly with a fork until you have a smooth mixture with no lumps, then drop the jam into the mug in four separate one-teaspoon drops – do not mix it in.
3. Place the mug in the centre of the microwave and microwave on high for 2 minutes and 30 seconds. The cake will puff up, but should not spill over.
4. When the cake has finished cooking, carefully remove it from the microwave – it will be hot – and serve it warm with a dollop of cream and an extra teaspoon of peanut butter and jam on top. Dig in to find the pockets of warm jam inside.

Serves 1

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