These chocolate raspberry cupcakes are proof that you can flavour American buttercream with a fruit purée, as long as you are smart about it.

Ingredients And Substitutions

Normally, I'm an all-butter kind of girl, but I find with chocolate cakes, butter-based recipes, sadly, can be a bit dry. Oil makes a great baking substitution in cases like this because it provides a little more fat and because it's liquid at room temperature, oil gives baked goods a more moist texture. So, this cake recipe calls for oil, not butter, but it yields a light, moist cake that everybody loves and its texture makes up for the absence of butter. Of course, if you have a moist all-butter alternative for me, do send it my way! I'd really appreciate that. In the meantime, here is an easy moist chocolate cupcake recipe that works every time.

There are a few things to note about the ingredients in these dark chocolate cupcakes:

• cocoa—I bake with Dutch-processed cocoa powder. I like to use the cocoa powder from Cacao Barry on Amazon
• salt—If you are using regular table salt instead of Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt, add half the amount to avoid the chocolate cakes being too salty.
• coffee—You can use warm coffee, espresso, or water for the cake batter.
• buttermilk—If you don't have buttermilk, you can make buttermilk from milk and vinegar (1 tablespoon (15 mL) of white or cider vinegar for every 1 cup (250 mL) of milk.
• oil—Use a flavourless, neutral oil like canola or grapeseed oil. Avoid extra virgin olive oil unless you want to taste it! Melted butter would also work in this recipe, but oil creates a more tender, moist cupcake. You can do half butter, half oil to get the flavour of the butter with the moist texture from the oil.
• butter—Use softened unsalted butter for the frosting. Salted may work, or preferably semi-salted butter to avoid making the raspberry buttercream overly salty.
• raspberries—you can use fresh or frozen raspberries to make this raspberry frosting. The berries are cooked to release the water trapped inside, which is then boiled off so it doesn't matter whether the berries are fresh or frozen.

Please see the recipe card for a complete list of the exact ingredients and quantities.

How To Add Raspberry Flavour To Frostings And Buttercreams

The trouble with fruit-infused frostings is the fruit. Fruit and berries (like raspberries) have a high water content. The flavour is rather weak if you stir the raw fruit directly into a frosting or buttercream (or cake batter). For a strong flavour, you would have to add a ton of fruit to properly flavour the buttercream, but that would curdle the frosting because berries contain so much water. So, how do we make raspberry-flavoured frostings and desserts?

There are a few ways to make raspberry-flavoured frosting without compromising on texture or taste:

1. Emulsions and extracts: Just like vanilla extract, you can buy fruit emulsions, flavour oils, and extracts. For example, there's a raspberry emulsion you can for flavouring baked goods. These provide an easy way to add flavour without having to add tons of fruit. Extracts and emulsions can be added in the same way as vanilla extract, in teaspoon amounts.
2. Cooked purées and jams: if you bring the mashed fruit to a boil (with or without sugar), you can cook the mixture to reduce it and remove much of the water. The cooled fruit concentrate or jam can then be added to a buttercream or frosting, without affecting the texture too much. Concentrated fruit purées and jams are a good way to add berry flavour to buttercream. For this method, both fresh and frozen raspberries work very well.
3. Freeze-dried fruit powders: this is another great way of adding flavour without adding water. Freeze-dried fruit are sold whole or in powder form. I'd get the powder if I had a choice. With a freeze-dried raspberry powder, all you have to do is add it to your buttercream recipe by the spoonful. This is a great way of adding raspberry colour and flavour to a frosting.

How To Make Moist Chocolate Cupcakes

The moist chocolate cupcake recipe (adapted from  Martha Stewart one-bowl chocolate cupcakes) is what I refer to as a cake mix cake recipe. Well, it's a cake mix made from scratch, of course. It is the easiest chocolate cupcake recipe you can make and doesn't require a mixer! You combine all the dry ingredients in one bowl. Combine all the wet ingredients in another bowl. Then mix the two together. Very easy.

Step 1—Sift the dry ingredients together (image 1) then whisk them well to ensure they are properly incorporated and evenly mixed (image 2). I like to use a Danish dough whisk.

Step 2—Combine the wet ingredients in a separate bowl with a spout (or a large liquid measuring cup) (image 3) then pour them over the dry ingredients (image 4).

Note: If you are feeling lazy, you can even just measure out the wet ingredients and place them directly into the bowl with the dry ingredients, in a one-bowl process. Super easy. You can do this with a mixer, but a spoon or whisk will also do the trick. This is the same mixing method as for muffins.

Step 5—Whisk them just until mixed but do not overmix (image 5). At this point you can use this batter to make layer cakes, full-size cupcakes, or mini cupcakes (which is what I did), dividing the batter among paper-lined mini muffin pans. Bake them until a cake tester comes out clean and the surface is set.

Step 6—While the cupcakes are cooling, you will cook down the raspberry purée, first straining it to remove the seeds (image 6) so that you can concentrate the raspberry juice by cooking off the water in a saucepan.

Step 7—Pipe the frosting on the cooled cupcakes. I like to use a Wilton 1M tip or a large star tip to create a cute swirl.

Frosting Alternatives

Other Chocolate Recipes

If you tried this recipe for the best chocolate cupcakes with raspberry frosting (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

📖 Recipe

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Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberry Frosting

These moist dark chocolate cupcakes are very easy to make and are so cute topped with a raspberry-flavoured buttercream frosting made with real raspberry purée.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 50 mini cupcakes

Calories 103kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• Mini muffin pan
• Mini paper liners
• 5-quart KitchenAid Artisan mixer
• 1M piping tip
• Piping bags

Ingredients

Chocolate cupcakes

• 300 grams granulated sugar
• 195 grams bleached all-purpose flour sifted
• 69 grams Cacao Barry extra brute cocoa powder sifted
• 7.5 mL baking soda
• 3.75 mL baking powder
• 3.75 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• 2 large egg(s)
• 178 grams buttermilk (1 % fat)
• 178 grams warm coffee or warm water
• 45 mL canola oil
• 5 mL pure vanilla extract

Raspberry frosting

• 340 grams fresh or frozen raspberries
• 115 grams unsalted butter softened
• 400 grams icing sugar sifted
• pink sanding sugar optional

Metric - US

Instructions

To make the chocolate cupcakes

• Line two 24-cup mini cupcake pans (cupcake pans from Amazon) with mini baking cups (also available on Amazon) Preheat the oven to 350°F (175 °C).
• In a large bowl with a whisk, or in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the sugar, flour cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, coffee (or water), canola oil, and vanilla.
• Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients in the mixer bowl, and mix them on low until the batter is liquid, glossy, and without lumps.
• Pour it into each of the liners until they are evenly filled to about ¾ the height of the liner. Don't overfill them because we don't want too much of a muffin top!
• Bake the cupcakes for about 12–15 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the middle of a cupcake comes out completely clean. The cakes should spring back when tapped lightly.
• Let the cupcakes cool partly before transferring to a wire rack. Repeat the process of lining the pan with more paper liners, filling and baking the cupcakes until you've used up all of the chocolate cupcake batter.

To make the raspberry frosting and decorate

• In a small saucepan, heat the raspberries on low to extract the raspberry juice, mashing with a potato masher or the back of a spoon.
• Strain out the seeds and fruit pulp using a fine-meshed sieve and transfer the strained juice back to the pot. Save the raspberry pulp for breakfast!
• Heat the juice on medium to cook it down to about ¼–⅓ cup (60–80 mL). Let cool completely before using.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter with about 230 grams of icing sugar. Cream them together on low, then add the concentrated raspberry juice.
• Adjust the consistency of the frosting with the last 170 grams of icing sugar, beating well to make sure that it is smooth.
• To decorate: fill a piping bag fitted with a star tip (like a 1M tip you can get on Amazon) with the frosting. Pipe a rosette of frosting over each mini cupcake. Top with a pinch of sprinkles if using. Please note that the frosting will change colors slightly as it sits.

Notes

• I bake with Dutch-processed cocoa powder. I like to use the cocoa powder from Cacao Barry on Amazon
• This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
• You can use warm coffee or water for the cake batter.
• If you don't have buttermilk, you can make buttermilk from milk and vinegar (1 tablespoon (15 mL) of white or cider vinegar for every 1 cup (250 mL) of milk.
• Use a flavourless, neutral oil like canola or grapeseed oil. Avoid extra virgin olive oil unless you want to taste it!

Nutrition

Calories: 103kcal

The post Chocolate Cupcakes With Raspberry Frosting appeared first on The Bake School.

Apple butter is my secret ingredient for adding a strong, highly concentrated apple flavour to baked goods without adding any water to a recipe. It's a much more efficient way of adding apples without diluting flavour or messing with cake batter ratios, thus avoiding gummy textures that can come from adding fresh chopped fruit.

I've baked with apple butter to flavour apple cakes— like in this apple butter cake recipe; in scones—slathered inside to make the most delicious apple pie scones; and I've also used it in pie filling in this gorgeous apple butter pie, which makes a great alternative to Thanksgiving pumpkin tarts and maple apple pie.

These mini spiced apple cupcakes are flavoured with apple butter and cinnamon for a truly fall flavour, and topped with a cream cheese frosting that tastes like cheesecake. Yes, I really did pipe dollops of frosting that are practically the size of the cupcakes themselves. You will understand why when you make this frosting.

Ingredients and Substitutions

These moist apple cinnamon cupcakes with cream cheese frosting are made from simple ingredients that you likely have on hand. Still, there are a few things to note:

• butter—this recipe was developed with unsalted butter. If you prefer to use salted butter, you may have to adjust the amount of salt added to ensure the apple cakes aren't too salty.
• flour—I bake with bleached all-purpose flour, but unbleached should work too and give similar results.
• salt—I bake with Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount to avoid the cupcakes being too salty.
• brown sugar—you can use light or dark brown sugar, or even regular white sugar (though the cakes won't be as flavourful as with brown sugar).
• apple butter—this is not to be confused with apple sauce! Apple sauce has much more water and may make the cupcakes too wet or gummy, and hard to bake through properly. Use apple butter! You could also replace the apple butter with pear butter or pumpkin butter.
• cream cheese—use full-fat cream cheese sold in blocks, not whipped or spreadable cream cheese. The texture of the frosting won't be the same with cream cheese spreads.

Please see the recipe card for a full list of ingredients and exact quantities.

How To Make Apple Spice Cupcakes

To make these mini apple cupcakes quickly and easily, we use the two-bowl mixing method, like many muffins and quick breads. Here's how to make these spiced apple cupcakes:

Step 1—Start by browning the butter in a small saucepan (image 1) so that it can cool before you make the spiced apple cupcake batter. Please read about how to make brown butter if you've never made it.

Step 1—Once the brown butter has cooled, you can whisk together the dry ingredients (image 2) separately from the wet ingredients (image 3) before combining them to make a smooth batter.

Step 3—I baked the cupcakes in mini muffin pans lined with mini cupcake liners (image 4), but you could also make full size cupcakes.

Step 4—After the cupcakes have cooled, top them with thick cream cheese frosting and garnish with graham cracker crumbs (image 5).

Tip: Remember to make the best cream cheese frosting, you need to first mix the butter and icing sugar before adding the cream cheese. Read all about thick cream cheese frosting with less sugar if you've never made it this way before!

Tips For Thick Cream Cheese Frosting That Is Stable And Pipeable

Without resorting to adding an excess amount of icing sugar, to make a thicker cream cheese frosting that can be used to frost a cake or decorate cupcakes, the solution is simple: change the order you mix your ingredients in:

Step 1: Cream the butter with the icing sugar first, thereby coating all the little sugar molecules with fat (I have no proof that this really happens, but my brain thinks it works like this, so bear with me!)

Step 2: Once the butter and icing sugar are well mixed, THEN you add in the COLD cream cheese. The sugar is coated with fat, therefore making it more difficult to draw out the moisture from the cold cream cheese. The cream cheese remains intact, and no water leeches out.

By following this mixing order, you can make a frosting with significantly less sugar. In fact, you end up with a frosting that tastes a lot like cheesecake, not overly sweet! At this point, you should be really excited for the recipe.

Once you have mastered this thick, pipeable cream cheese frosting recipe, you will see that it is so thick that you can use this cream cheese frosting to make layer cakes, like this berry chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting and this cardamom cranberry layer cake with cream cheese frosting, so you know it's good because this cream cheese frosting works great in layer cakes too without the risk of sliding layers and weeping frosting!

Frosting Alternatives

Another option for a thick cream cheese frosting is this white chocolate cream cheese frosting that is sweetened with melted white chocolate instead of icing sugar!

Apple Cupcake Baking FAQs

Other Apple Recipes

Take advantage of fall when apples are at their peak (and more affordable too!). Try these other apple dessert recipes:

If you tried this recipe for the best apple cupcakes with cream cheese frosting (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

📖 Recipe

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Apple Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

These mini cupcakes are flavoured with apple butter and cinnamon for a truly fall flavour, and topped with a thick cream cheese frosting that is pipeable and tastes like cheesecake

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes minutes

Total Time 42 minutes minutes

Servings 54

Calories 143kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• OXO balloon whisk
• ¾ oz scoop
• Mini muffin pan
• 5-quart KitchenAid Artisan mixer
• Piping bags

Ingredients

Apple cupcake ingredients

• 170 grams unsalted butter
• 287 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• 7.5 mL baking soda
• 7.5 mL ground cinnamon
• 2.5 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• 250 mL apple butter
• 188 mL yogurt (2 % fat)
• 133 grams light brown sugar
• 2 large egg(s)

Frosting ingredients

• 250 grams unsalted butter room temperature
• 200 grams icing sugar divided
• 500 grams Philadelphia cream cheese (full fat, regular) cold

Optional for decorating

• graham cracker crumbs

Metric - US

Instructions

To make the cupcakes

• Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Line a 24 mini cupcake pan with mini baking cups (find them on Amazon.
• Brown the butter in a small saucepan until the foam subsides, the milk solids brown, and the butter gives off a delightful nutty aroma. If you've never done this before, read about how to make brown butter.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the apple butter, yogurt, sugar, and eggs. Add this mixture to the bowl of dry ingredients and gently whisk to incorporate. When you just have a few dry lumps of flour left, add the melted butter, and finish mixing (with a wooden spoon, if necessary).
• Fill the liners ¾ full with the batter. I recommend using a ¾-ounce scoop (specifically this purple handled scoop on Amazon) for this.
• Bake the cupcakes for about 12 to 14 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let cool a couple minutes in the pan before carefully transferring to a wire rack. Line the pan again, then scoop and bake again until you've finished all the cake batter.

To make the frosting

• When the cupcakes are cooled, make the frosting. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the softened butter with half the icing sugar. The mixture will be crumbly. Continue beating until creamy.
• Add all the cream cheese at once and beat it in. Then add the remaining icing sugar to sweeten/loosen up the frosting.

To finish

• Frost the cooled spice cupcakes by piping a generous dollop on each (I used a big 20 mm round tip, but you can just cut the end of a piping bag to the desired diameter). If using, top with a sprinkling of graham cracker crumbs just before serving.

Notes

For this recipe, I used:

• apple butter, not apple sauce! Apple butter has much less water than apple sauce and so they are not interchangeable.
• brown sugar in the cupcakes (light or dark works) but you could use white sugar
• yogurt though sour cream will also work (full fat or low fat)
• Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using table salt, add half the amount or the cakes may be too salty.
• Philidelphia cream cheese sold in blocks. Each block weighs 250 grams (0.55 lb). Do not use whipped or spreadable cream cheese in the frosting.

 

Nutrition

Calories: 143kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 93mg | Potassium: 35mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 332IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Spiced Apple Cupcakes With Thick Cream Cheese Frosting appeared first on The Bake School.

What this is and why bother

Sometimes, on a Friday night, all you want is chocolate cake. Unfortunately, most of the time, we lack the energy to turn on the oven and get baking, especially at the end of the week. Cue the mug cake.

Mug cakes are exactly what the name suggests: a cake baked in a mug. The beauty of the mug cake is that it serves one person and the ingredients are mixed directly in the mug and microwaved to bake. So instead of dirtying a bunch of mixing bowls and having to preheat an oven, you could be eating a chocolate cake within 5 minutes!

The ingredients you need

Like any chocolate cake, the ingredients are pretty standard and you probably have them all in your pantry and fridge!

• all-purpose flour to bind all the ingredients together and make this a cake (as opposed to a brownie)
• cocoa powder, I use Cacao Barry Extra Brute cocoa powder, which is a dark Dutch-processed cocoa powder with a deep chocolate flavour
• sugar, granulated sugar or brown sugar will work here, but I find brown sugar adds a little extra flavour, which is important when microwaving foods because they don't have time to caramelize at all
• baking powder is very important here to help the cake rise quickly in the microwave
• salt, preferably Diamond Crystal fine kosher but even table salt will work here because it's just a pinch
• milk, preferably whole milk with 3.25 % fat
• neutral oil, like canola oil, is used instead of butter to make mixing easier. Another option would be to melt the same quantity of butter in the mug first in the microwave before adding the other ingredients
• vanilla is optional so you can make this recipe without it, but I find just a couple drops add a little more depth of flavour to this recipe
• chocolate chips because extra chocolate is a good thing! They should not burn in the time it takes to microwave the mug cake. Use whatever chocolate chips you prefer. Peanut butter chips could be very interesting here!

I like to top mug cakes with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce or sprinkles. You don't have to, but it transforms this into a really awesome dessert!

Making a chocolate mug cake without eggs

If you're wondering how to make a mug cake from scratch, rest assured, it is VERY easy. This is a quick and easy recipe for chocolate cake that serves one person and that is ready in under 10 minutes (of which half of that time it has to rest on the counter so that you don't burn your mouth off).

This mug cake has no eggs, which is one of the secrets to how to make a mug cake because if the recipe did have eggs, you'd have to fumble with splitting an egg to make your recipe work. Instead, this recipe relies on a chemical leavener, specifically baking powder for its rising power, which is a substitute for eggs.

We aren't using baking soda in this mug cake recipe because the ingredients don't include an acid source to initiate a reaction that will help the cakes rise. In fact, baking soda in this recipe may lead to an off-flavour if it has nothing to react with and for this reason, we rely solely on baking powder for the rise.

Let's not forget the other factor in the recipe that helps the cake rise: evaporation! The water (milk ) in this recipe will evaporate, transforming into a gas that will rise up.

Special tools and equipment

Obviously, the other important element of this recipe is the microwave oven. Sure, you could bake this recipe in a regular home oven or even a toaster oven, but that would take longer and we want cake fast!

The other important piece is the mug. Choose the right mug: the mug must be microwave safe and it should have a volume of about 250 mL (1 cup), otherwise, there's a risk that the cake batter will spill over as it rises in the microwave.

How to make it

This chocolate cake is very easy. All the ingredients are measured directly into a mug and mixed with a fork. The cake is microwaved instead of baked in the oven, so it cooks really quickly (takes 75 seconds in my microwave). When it's ready to eat, it's still warm, and the chocolate chips are all gooey and melty. This is the perfect solution to a Friday night craving for chocolate cake.

If you don't have a microwave, you have the option of baking the mug cake in the oven. You could bake this in a toaster oven (or a conventional oven). Just make sure your mug is oven-safe. Or use a ramekin with a volume of at least 250 mL (1 cup).

How to tell if it's cooked

The only trouble I've had with mug cakes cooked in the microwave is checking if they are done baking/cooking. When you microwave a mug cake, you can watch the progress through the window, but after about 60 seconds, the window of the microwave fogs up from the evaporation and steam generated as the cake cooks. This means, you can't see what's happening or rely on visual cues.

The only thing you can do is pause the microwave to check if your cake is done baking. Then use a cake tester inserted into the centre of the cake, all the way to the bottom, to make sure it comes out clean. Unfortunately, this can lead to the cake on the bottom becoming gummy if it's under-baked because the cake collapses back down. Trial and error with your microwave will help you figure out what is the perfect cook time for your mug cakes. In my microwave, it takes 90 seconds on high power.

Toppings

Once your mug cake is done cooking in the microwave, I highly suggest topping it with:

• ice cream, either vanilla ice cream, dark chocolate ice cream, or cookie ice cream
• a dollop of whipped cream
• crème anglaise, would make an awesome dessert sauce for this
• chocolate syrup (I used Hershey's chocolate syrup for the photos) or a warm homemade chocolate fudge sauce like the one in this banana split cake would be great. Chocolate ganache would also be awesome!
• sprinkles are always a good option too!

Frequently asked questions

📖 Recipe

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Chocolate Cake in a Mug

Making chocolate cake in a mug is very easy. This mug cake recipe allows you to make a single serving of chocolate cake without eggs in minutes.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 2 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 minutes minutes

Total Time 4 minutes minutes

Servings 1

Calories 439kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Ingredients

• 26 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• 10 grams Cacao Barry extra brute cocoa powder
• 30 grams light brown sugar
• 1.25 mL baking powder
• 1 pinch Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• 46 grams whole milk (3.25 % fat)
• 14 grams canola oil
• 2 drops pure vanilla extract
• 10 dark chocolate chips

Optional toppings

• 1 scoop Vanilla bean ice cream
• 15 mL chocolate syrup

Metric - US

Instructions

• In a microwavable mug (make sure that it has a 1-cup capacity, ~250 mL), stir together with a fork the flour, cocoa, brown sugar, baking powder and salt.
• Measure the milk, oil and vanilla into the mug, and stir again until there are virtually no more lumps (be sure to scrape the bottom edges to make sure there are no flour pockets).
• Top with chocolate chips.
• Place the mug in the microwave, and cook on high for 90 seconds. The cake will puff up as it cooks. You can use a cake tester to double check if your mug cake is baked in the middle.
• Carefully take the mug out of the microwave (it’s hot!) and let the cake sit for 5 minutes before diving in with spoon.

Notes

For the cocoa powder, I used Cacao Barry.

Nutrition

Calories: 439kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 81mg | Potassium: 445mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 76IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 167mg | Iron: 3mg

The post Chocolate mug cake appeared first on The Bake School.

Mug cakes are the answer to a craving, when you just want cake without making a big one. Here's an easy recipe to make a chocolate chip mug cake, which is a vanilla mug cake with chocolate chips. You can eat it plain or top it with anything you'd have with a slice of cake!

The ingredients you need

Like any mug cake, the ingredients are pretty standard and you probably have them all in your pantry and fridge!

• all-purpose flour to bind all the ingredients together and make this a cake (as opposed to a brownie)
• sugar, granulated sugar or brown sugar will work here, but I find brown sugar adds a little extra flavour, which is important when microwaving foods because they don't have time to caramelize at all
• baking powder is very important here to help the cake rise quickly in the microwave
• salt, preferably Diamond Crystal fine kosher but even table salt will work here because it's just a pinch
• milk, preferably whole milk with 3.25 % fat
• neutral oil, like canola oil, is used instead of butter to make mixing easier. Another option would be to melt the same quantity of butter in the mug first in the microwave before adding the other ingredients
• vanilla is important in this recipe to add flavour. Yes, you can make this recipe without it, but I find just a couple drops add a little more depth of flavour to the cake which can be quite bland otherwise.
• chocolate chips because extra chocolate is a good thing! They should not burn in the time it takes to microwave the mug cake. Use whatever chocolate chips you prefer. Peanut butter chips could be very interesting here! I prefer mini chocolate chips, specifically dark chocolate chips.

Special tools and equipment

Obviously the other important element to this recipe is the microwave oven. Sure, you could bake this recipe in a regular home oven or even a toaster oven, but that would take longer and we want cake fast!

The other important piece to this recipe is the mug. Choose the right mug: the mug must be microwave safe and it should have a volume of about 250 mL (1 cup or 8 fluid ounces), otherwise, there's a risk that the cake batter will spill over as it rises in the microwave.

How to make it

This chocolate chip cake is very, very easy and serves only one person. All the ingredients are measured directly into a mug and mixed with a fork. This batter follows the muffin mixing method, so the dry ingredients are mixed in the mug first. Then you top them with the wet ingredients and stir to combine.

The cake is microwaved instead of baked in the oven, so it cooks really quickly (takes 90 seconds in my microwave). When it's ready to eat, it's still warm, and the chocolate chips are all gooey and melty. This is the perfect solution to a Friday night craving for vanilla cake.

If you don't have a microwave, you have options to bake the mug cake in the oven. You could bake this in a toaster oven (or a conventional oven). Just make sure your mug is oven-safe. Or use a ramekin with a volume of at least 250 mL (1 cup).

How to tell if it's cooked

The only trouble I've had with mug cakes cooked in the microwave is checking if they are done baking/cooking. When you microwave a mug cake, you can watch the progress through the window, but after about 60 seconds, the window of the microwave fogs up from the evaporation and steam generated as the cake cooks. This means, you can't see what's happening or rely on visual cues.

The only thing you can do is pause the microwave to check if your cake is done baking. Then use a cake tester inserted into the centre of the cake, all the way to the bottom, to make sure it comes out clean. Unfortunately, this can lead to the cake on the bottom becoming gummy if it's under-baked because the cake collapses back down. Trial and error with your microwave will help you figure out what is the perfect cook time for your mug cakes. In my microwave, it takes 90 seconds on high power.

Toppings

Once your mug cake is done cooking in the microwave, I highly suggest topping it with:

• ice cream, either vanilla ice cream, dark chocolate ice cream, or cookie ice cream
• a dollop of whipped cream
• crème anglaise, would make an awesome dessert sauce for this
• chocolate syrup (I used Hershey's chocolate syrup for the photos) or a warm homemade chocolate fudge sauce like the one in this banana split cake would be great. Chocolate ganache would also be awesome as a topping for this!
• sprinkles are always a good option too!

Frequently asked questions

📖 Recipe

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Chocolate Chip Mug Cake

Learn how to make a chocolate chip mug cake from scratch that you cook in the microwave in 90 seconds or less! This quick and easy recipe makes cake for one without eggs and is ready in under 10 minutes from start to finish.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 minutes minutes

Total Time 4 minutes minutes

Servings 1

Calories 460kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Ingredients

• 32 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• 30 grams light brown sugar
• 15 grams mini chocolate chips plus a few extra for garnishing
• 1.25 mL baking powder
• 0.625 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• 45 grams whole milk (3.25 % fat)
• 14 grams canola oil
• 0.625 mL pure vanilla extract

Optional toppings

• 1 scoop Vanilla bean ice cream
• 5 mL chocolate sprinkles

Metric - US

Instructions

• In a microwavable mug (make sure that it has a 1-cup capacity, ~250 mL, and is microwave-safe), stir together with a fork the flour, brown sugar, chocolate chips, baking powder, and salt.
• Measure the milk, oil and vanilla directly into the mug. Stir again until there are virtually no more lumps. Make sure to scrape the bottom edges to make sure there are no flour pockets!
• Top with more chocolate chips if you want.
• Place the mug in the microwave, and cook on high for 90 seconds. The cake will puff up as it cooks. Use a cake tester and insert it into the centre of the cake to test if it's done cooking.
• Carefully take the mug out of the microwave (it’s hot!) and let the cake sit for a couple of minutes before diving in with spoon. You can also top it with ice cream and sprinkles.

Notes

• This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
• For the chocolate sprinkles, I used some imitation chocolate sprinkles from the grocery store. Cute in theory, but they are actually just dyed sugar and so the colour bled onto the ice cream. If you can, try to buy real chocolate sprinkles, like these on Amazon which are made with cocoa powder, not food dyes.

Nutrition

Calories: 460kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 282mg | Potassium: 261mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 41g | Vitamin A: 107IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 152mg | Iron: 2mg

The post Chocolate chip mug cake appeared first on The Bake School.

If you are craving cake, but it's late at night or you don't want to make a full-sized recipe, try this Oreo mug cake, a chocolate dessert that serves one person, ready in under 10 minutes and with virtually no cleanup! That's the beauty of mug cakes!

The ingredients you need

Like any mug cake, the ingredients are pretty standard and you probably have them all in your pantry and fridge!

• all-purpose flour to bind all the ingredients together and make this a cake (as opposed to a brownie)
• Oreo cookies or your favourite chocolate sandwich cookies to add Oreo flavour to the cake and also for garnishing the mug cake before eating
• sugar, granulated sugar or brown sugar will work here, but I find brown sugar adds a little extra flavour, which is important when microwaving foods because they don't have time to caramelize at all
• baking powder is very important here to help the cake rise quickly in the microwave. Do not mix up baking powder and baking soda. Read this comparison of baking powder versus baking soda if you are confused.
• salt, preferably Diamond Crystal fine kosher but even table salt will work here because it's just a pinch
• milk, preferably whole milk with 3.25 % fat
• neutral oil, like canola oil, is used instead of butter to make mixing easier. Another option would be to melt the same quantity of butter in the mug first in the microwave before adding the other ingredients
• vanilla is important in this recipe to add flavour. Yes, you can make this recipe without it, but I find just a couple drops add a little more depth of flavour to the cake which can be quite bland otherwise.

Special tools and equipment

Obviously the other important element to this recipe is the microwave oven. Sure, you could bake this recipe in a regular home oven or even a toaster oven, but that would take longer and we want cake fast!

The other important piece to this recipe is the mug. Choose the right mug: the mug must be microwave safe and it should have a volume of about 250 mL (1 cup or 8 fluid ounces), otherwise, there's a risk that the cake batter will spill over as it rises in the microwave.

The method

This Oreo cake is easy and serves only one person. All the ingredients are measured directly into a mug and mixed with a fork. It's a process similar to the muffin mixing method, where all the dry ingredients are combined separately from the wet ingredients before mixing the two together.

Special equipment

The cake is microwaved to cook it, instead of baking it in the oven. It cooks really quickly (takes 90 seconds in my microwave). When it's ready to eat, it's still warm. This is the perfect solution to a Friday night craving for cake.

If you don't have a microwave, you have options to bake the mug cake in the oven. You could bake this in a toaster oven (or a conventional oven). Just make sure your mug is oven-safe. Or use a ramekin with a volume of at least 250 mL (1 cup).

How to tell if it's cooked

The only trouble I've had with mug cakes cooked in the microwave is checking if they are done baking/cooking. When you microwave a mug cake, you can watch the progress through the window. However, after about 60 seconds, the window of the microwave fogs up from the evaporation and steam generated. This means, you can't see what's happening or rely on visual cues.

The only thing you can do is pause the microwave to check if your cake is done baking and use a cake tester. Insert it into the centre of the cake, all the way to the bottom, to make sure it comes out clean. Unfortunately, this can lead to the cake on the bottom becoming gummy if it's under-baked because the cake collapses back down. Trial and error with your microwave will help you figure out what is the perfect cook time for your mug cakes. In my microwave, it takes 90 seconds on high power.

Toppings

Once your mug cake is done cooking in the microwave, I highly suggest topping it with:

• ice cream, either vanilla ice cream or cookie ice cream
• a dollop of sweetened whipped cream
• crème anglaise, would make an awesome dessert sauce for this
• chocolate syrup (Hershey's chocolate syrup or a warm homemade chocolate fudge sauce like the one in this banana split cake) or chocolate ganache
• sprinkles are always a good option too!

Other mug cakes to try

If you are a fan of single serving cakes that can be cooked in the microwave in under 2 minutes, try these recipes:

• chocolate mug cake, made with a chocolate cake batter and chocolate chips
• chocolate chip mug cake, made with a vanilla cake batter and chocolate chips

Please note that mug cakes are meant to be mixed, cooked, and eaten right away. This is not a cake recipe that I would store for later. I don't recommend storing this cake.

📖 Recipe

Print

Oreo Mug Cake

Learn how to make an Oreo mug cake from scratch with this easy recipe, measured, mixed and cooked directly in a mug, featuring chocolate sandwich cookies!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 minutes minutes

Total Time 4 minutes minutes

Servings 1

Calories 679kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Ingredients

• 24 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• 24 grams Oreo cookies crushed
• 30 grams light brown sugar
• 1.25 mL baking powder
• 0.625 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• 45 grams whole milk (3.25 % fat)
• 14 grams canola oil
• 0.625 mL pure vanilla extract

Optional toppings

• 60 mL sweetened whipped cream optional (or you can top with a scoop of ice cream)
• 12 grams Oreo cookies crushed

Metric - US

Instructions

• In a microwavable mug (make sure that it has a 1-cup capacity, ~250 mL, and is microwave-safe), stir together with a fork the flour, crushed Oreo cookies, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt.
• Measure the milk, oil and vanilla directly into the mug. Stir again until there are virtually no more lumps. Make sure to scrape the bottom edges to make sure there are no flour pockets!
• Place the mug in the microwave, and cook on high for 90 seconds. The cake will puff up as it cooks. Use a cake tester and insert it into the centre of the cake to test if it's done cooking.
• Carefully take the mug out of the microwave (it’s hot!) and let the cake sit for a couple of minutes before diving in with spoon. You can also top it with sweetened whipped cream or ice cream, and more crushed Oreo cookies.

Notes

• This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!

Nutrition

Calories: 679kcal | Carbohydrates: 83g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 50mg | Sodium: 442mg | Potassium: 418mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 51g | Vitamin A: 485IU | Calcium: 202mg | Iron: 5mg

The post OREO mug cake appeared first on The Bake School.