3 Ingredient Chocolate Cake Mix Mug Cake
This single serving chocolate mug cake uses cake mix and cooks in the microwave in just one minute. No need for eggs, oil, or having to make an entire cake.
Because some days you only have enough time and energy to make a cake mix cake.
I’ve spent the last few years sharing many mug cake recipes that are pretty quick and easy, but they are all from-scratch cakes that require several ingredients. The most common issue that people seem to have when they want to make one of my mug cakes is that they are missing an ingredient, especially baking powder. However, most people do have cake mix on hand.
I had some leftover cake mix and I was wondering what to do with it when it occurred to me to try making a mug cake with the cake mix. I’ve used it to make chewy chocolate cookies before so why not a mug cake?
To my surprise, when I did a little research online to see if such recipes existed, most of the mug cakes that used cake mix also required oil, water and a fraction of an egg. Or they would require using other not as common ingredients like angel cake mix.
I was convinced there must be a way to make the mug cake without the egg because no one likes dealing with a fraction of an egg.
After several trials (I actually finished all the leftover cake mix and had to open a new one), I finally made a few versions that I’m happy with. This chocolate mug cake is soft, fluffy and moist. It does have a little bit looser crumb since there is no egg acting as a binding agent, but if you are eating it in a mug, this shouldn’t be an issue.
I don’t usually like to make cake mix cakes, but this is a quick way to satisfy your cake cravings without a lot of work or clean-up. Do you have an air fryer? You should check out my Chewy Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies and Air Fryer Cake Mix Mug Cake, too. I’ve also made a Cake Mix Lava Cake inspired by this recipe! You can check also find the rest of my mug cake recipes here.
Find all my recipe videos on my youtube page.
3 Ingredient Chocolate Cake Mix Mug Cake
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp chocolate cake mix, (see note)
- 1 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
- 2 tbsp semisweet chocolate chips, optional
Instructions
- In a microwave-safe mug, add cake mix, water and applesauce. Mix with a mini whisk until batter is smooth. If using chocolate chips, add and stir in 1 tbsp into the batter. Sprinkle remaining over top of the batter.
- Cook in the microwave at full power for 1 minute. Allow cake to cool a few minutes before eating.
Notes
- I tested this with Pillsbury and Betty Crocker cake mixes.
- I know some people might not keep applesauce on hand,but I found that it really helped keep the cake super moist and also helped bind it together better. If you don't have applesauce on hand, you can use 2 tbsp water and 1/2 tbsp oil (instead of the water and applesauce amounts listed). The cake stays moist but the crumb is quite loose which is why I prefer the applesauce version.
Made chocolate cake mix from scratch. Added pecans. After cooking drizzled with salted caramel syrup.
Yum! That sounds great! We’re glad you enjoyed this cake!
This 3 ingredient chocolate cake mix mug cake is very good! I made it exactly as your recipe called for the first time except I had to cook it for 1 minute 20 seconds. Although very good, I didn’t like the subtle taste of the applesauce so, the next time I made it, instead of 2 tablespoons applesauce ,I used one each of mayo and applesauce, I also added 1/8th tsp of vanilla/butter flavored extract to the wet ingredients, mixed well then mixed it into the dry. My husband and I both liked it much better (more calories, but what can you do!) This will definitely be my go to fast chocolate cake craving fixer!! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe!
Thanks for sharing what worked for you! We’re so glad you love this recipe!
Very good, made it 100 times now!
We’re so glad you love this recipe!
Does anyone know how many calories this is?
There are lots of free calculators on line you can use to get this info.
Watch microwave for differing cook time
Made this cake with and without applesauce. Applesauce is softer. Perfect for cravings! Going to try other flavors.
We’re so glad you loved it!
Just tried this recipe with Betty Crocker yellow cake mix. I did the applesauce sub, buttered my bowl, one scoop of batter on the bottom, 1 spoon of biscoff cookie spread in the middle, the remaining batter on top, sprinkled some chocolate chips and microwaved for 1 minute. Delish!
What a great idea! So glad it worked for you.
Worked out perfectly, very moist using applesauce as suggested
Glad you enjoyed it!
Been looking for a mug cake recipe I’m definitely trying these
We hope you enjoy it!
WOW
I just made this and my gosh is it fantastic!!! I omitted the chocolate chips but did put a tablespoon of Nutella on the top when done. Perfect sweet treat!
Love that you added Nutella!
Great. Any alternatives to applesauce?? Kindly reply
We suggest an alternative in the recipe card notes – you can use a combination of water and oil instead of applesauce. The details are in the second bullet under the notes section.
How would I adjust the amounts of each ingredient if I wanted to increase the amount of cake I’m making for say, a taller mug?
You can try doubling the amounts if the mug is twice as big – we haven’t tried this, though, and can’t say how it will work.
tried it with the oil alternative and it tasted just like the store bought mug cake packs
So glad you enjoyed it!
This is best mug cake ever and is so easy to make. It does make quite a lot of cake and could probably do two portions, but I haven’t been able to leave any when I’ve made it (several times now). Easy to add other flavours, such as a teaspoon of coffee to Devil’s Food to make a mocha cake. Next is to experiment with half a portion, but unsure how long to cook for.
It works out at about 250 calories for the basic cake plus any additions. Slightly less for a plain sponge or carrot cake.
For those who have old cake mix, adding a little baking powder or a pinch of bicarbonate of soda for extra rise worked.
Calories based on 60g Devil’s Food mix (Betty Crocker) and 30g apple sauce (ready made supermarket brand)
We’re so glad you’re enjoying this recipe! Thanks for sharing your tips, too.
Super easy, super tasty. I made this with Devil’s Food Cake, and sprinkled marshmallows on top while it was still hot, so they got melty. YUM!
Love that you added marshmallows!
It comes out tasting a bit like that Entenmanns cake with the marshmallow icing. (Which was my favorite as a kid)
That’s great!
I used sugar free Devils food cake mix, and topped with a few chocolate chips ans tbs of peanutbutter omg. Ty!
So glad it worked with sugar-free cake mix! Thanks for letting us know.
Thank you. So easy and yummy. I added cinnamon semi sweet chocolate chips…and topped with marshmallows….deee-lish!!
So glad you loved it!
About how many calories with this be? Or weight watcher points
We don’t have the nutrition info or WW points – we recommend you use one of the many free calculators online to get this info.
Love it, it’s now my go-to! do you think this could work with a cookie mix, like Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix?
Not sure about cookie mix – we’ve only made it with cake mix. If you try it, let us know how it worked for you.
Moist and delicious! Did not change anything!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Solid mug cake. I used betty crocker devils food cake mix. I also chopped some Terry orange chocolate and added it to the mix I didn’t measure but next time I will add more and measure it out. The addition of the added chocolate and flavor was great. The only thing I was confused about was how to add butter to the recipe as I read some have tried about a tablespoon. Should I melt the butter before adding it to the mug cake or should I just place a cold piece of butter over the top of the mug cake batter? I will use this recipe again.
We haven’t tried the recipe with butter, but assume other readers melt it first and then mix it with the other ingredients. We’re happy you like the recipe!
It was very good. I used the recipe and converted it to pumpkin coffee cake. I used a yellow cake mix and added a tblsp of butter to mix with mix plus a tblsp of pumpkin pecan butter. Then mix together a tblsp of butter, 2 tblsp of walnut (crushed) and tblsp of brown sugar mixed and put on top of batter. Also added 30 seconds to cook time.
Thanks for sharing your adjustments!
awesome
Glad you enjoyed it!
I just tried this with some spice cake mix and canned pumpkin. I added a bit more water because pumpkin is a tad denser than applesauce. I also added some chopped walnuts and dates. I had to cook it about a minute longer…and it didn’t rise all that much which was probably due to the mix being a bit old, but it is flavorful and not super sweet. It’s kind of like a chewy spice cookie
Yes, if the cake mix is old that could be the problem – also pumpkin puree is heavier than applesauce which can make it harder for the cake to puff up. We’re glad you enjoyed the flavor!
This is my go to recipe for mug cake and I always keep applesauce on hand for it. I use vanilla, chocolate, any flavor cake mix and it is always a success. I use expired cake mixes for this since I am afraid a whole cake might fail. Thanks for doing the testing for us!
You’re welcome! We’re happy that you love the recipe!
I see your nutrition disclaimer but I cannot find the actual nutrition information can you helpme?
Sorry, but we don’t have the nutrition information for this at this time. There are several free online nutrition calculators you can use to get this information.
Delicious and, it seems, idiot-proof!
So, funny story, I was looking for a cake mix mugcake recipe because I wanted to use up some leftover cake mix I had. The important part being leftover; I had already mixed in the eggs, oil and water that the recipe on the box asked for. Since I was specifically looking for a way to use up premixed cake mix, it hadn’t occured to me that this recipe is most likely asking for dry cake mix.
I only realized my mistake when I ended up with a very liquidy batter, but I didn’t want to waste it so I tried baking it anyways.
It came out AMAZING. I am eating it right now and it tastes great and melts in my mouth: it’s absolutely delicious.
Thank you for this amazing recipe! I’m definitely gonna use up the remaining batter like this, and I’m looking foward to tasting a version with the actual ingredients too 😀
how interesting! I’m surprised it worked but thank you for sharing!
I am going to try this, but since I don’t really like chocolate, I am going to try making it with a white cake mix, and try substituting white chocolate for the chocolate chips
Please let us know how it worked for you!
Hi, I’m a newbie and I’ve been trying recípes that use what I have in the pantry. What I haven’t seen is anything that includes leftover sweet flavored coffee creamers (ex: caramel macchiato, chocolate peppermint, etc). I always have lots left in the fridge and (seems to me) they could add a lot of flavor variety in a small way. Plus, provide that milk-type ingredient that I always seem to be lacking/out of. I am very new at cooking and I didn’t have a role model in the kitchen growing up so I hope that I am not asking something simple or should be common sense. Thanks, I enjoy your work.
Happy to hear you’re enjoying the recipes!
Hi Heather, l just made this cake too. I wasn’t so sure it would be moist so l did add 1 tsp of butter to my mix. I also love nuts so added 1 tbs. of a toasted and chopped almonds. I wanted some frosting,l used 2 tbs of powered sugar 1 tsp of softened butter mixed in a little Hazelnut coffee creamer, spread it on top after the cake was doe and topped that with a few more chopped almonds. It turned out very good.
So glad to hear that!
WOW! That couldn’t be easier and it produces a perfectly delicious chocolate cake. Just exactly what I needed for a quick chocolate fix, as I really didn’t want to fire up the oven on this hot August night. The applesauce binds it and keeps it nice and moist, and the chocolate chips make it extra good. I just happened to have those ingredients on hand, and from now on they will ALWAYS be in my pantry, just for making this recipe!
I’m so glad this worked out well for you!
Moist and better than regular size cake.
I’m so glad you liked it!
Wow! How awesome is this?I had just made a chocolate mug cake from mix a minute before I made YOUR recipe. It came out like an old hockey puck! So I looked in my ‘files’ and found this one. THEE best mug cake I have made, and I’ve been making them for several years now. Thank you so much for this recipe.
So glad you loved it! We have tons of other mug cakes recipes – you can find them all under the Mug Cakes category!
Hi, I wanted to make this, but I don’t have applesauce and was wondering if I can do it without applesauce?
yes, look at the notes in the recipe box
Have you tried this with canned pumpkin?
No, we haven’t – let us know if you do! Are you thinking about subbing the applesauce for pumpkin?
I have a recipe that uses a chocolate cake mix, i use sugar free, and a small can of pumpkin puree it turns out very good but more like a brownie.
Thanks for sharing that!
What size mug do you use? I am trying the recipe today with yogurt instead of applesauce. I do not have applesauce. Thank you.
Liza
8oz mug
In one spot you said you hadn’t tried it with yogurt and in another you said you had experimented with yogurt. Not trying to be picky but I was wondering about using yogurt as well and hoping you could tell me what you didn’t like about that version.
Thanks! (love your recipes)
I responded that I hadn’t tried yogurt back in January of last year. Later on, I did experiment with yogurt but didn’t like the results, hence the other response a few months later to another comment regarding yogurt. Unfortunately, I don’t remember what exactly was wrong with the yogurt version as it’s been over a year and I am constantly testing new recipes. I’m guessing the texture was off, maybe too chewy or doughy.
I made this last night for my husband, who has a never-ending sweet tooth. He liked it so much that he asked me to make a second cake. This is a great recipe for those times we’ve run out of cookies and ice cream and other sweets. Thanks for all the testing and the recipes. Now if I can just convince my husband that he’s fully capable of making a mug cake on his own!
So glad you both enjoy this recipe!
Not going to lie I highly doubted this would come out yummy , but oh boy was I proved wrong . I was craving something sweet but on a strict diet . I found this box of cake in my pantry and decided to try this and yum yum came out perfect and is great for portion control ! Thank you so much !
I’m so glad you enjoyed!
Really good, tastes good.
I’m so glad you enjoyed!
I am a teacher for children with autism, and we do weekly cooking to work on “life skills”. This was an awesome way to get them to very simply “cook” a dessert all by themselves, and all my students ate it up pronto! Thank you!
I’m so glad this recipe worked out well for them!
Just what I wanted. Not bad for a quick snack.
I’m so happy to hear that!
I love this! You said it took youseveral trials before you made a version you were happy with. What made the difference? The amount of water? Thanks!
I tried it a lot of different ways including just water, just oil, yogurt, etc.
OMG, just made this with Pillsbury Sugar Free Devil’s Food Cake Mix. Totally decadent, even without chocolate chips cuz I didn’t have any. I am going to assemble ingredients as a “kit” and gift to a friend tomorrow for her birthday!
I hope your friend enjoys your kit!
Haven’t tried it yet, but wanted to thank you. I have a son with milk and egg allergy. I am going to purchase a box he can have and have cake ready so quickly on special occasions, like tomorrow for Father’s Day! Where have you been all his life (25 years). Thank you so much!
I hope he enjoys!
Just want to thank you for this single cup receipe idea. As a senior I don’t buy whole cakes because it is just my husband and I. This is the best idea I have seen and tried. Worked great because sometimes I get a craving for cake and my husband does not. For 2 seniors, I can make a cup as we feel like it. Best part is “No waste!”
I’m glad you like it!
Yay! Love this recipe! Was looking for something to make with the leftover Funfetti cake mix I had opened a few weeks ago, and this worked great! I added applesauce like was mentioned (healthier than oil or butter) and put in white chocolate chips. So moist and tasty! Thank you for the great recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed!
Have made these a few times using the oil method & they are great! So easy to make! Tonight I used the applesauce method and switched out chocolate to peanut butter chips & added some crushed almonds to it! So good!!
So happy you liked the recipe!
Yummy
I really wanted cake tonight. So I found this recipe and gave it a whirl. Both my hubby and I loved it. A great quarantine treat! Thank you
So glad you both enjoyed it!
This is the first mug cake I have tried. I used Duncan Hines butter cake mix and only 1 tablespoon of mini chocolate chips. My family liked it a lot. I like that it has no oil or egg, and I will definitely be making this again. Thanks!
I’m so glad you enjoyed!
I have used this recipe twice now with my students at school, they absolutely love it and its so easy to do and less mess, they have requested that we do this every year!! Thanks for giving me this idea, I only have access to a microwave so it was a nice treat that we could make at school!
I love that you were able to make this with your students!
Has anyone tried it in styrofoam cups?
We don’t recommend using styrofoam.
Made this recipe a couple of time and it’s great! I did just try it with iced coffee replacing the water, and it was sooo good!
what a great idea!
Claire. January 8, 2020
I made this cake tonight. I only had chunky applesauce. So I spent a little time mashing it before adding it to the cup. I microwaved it for 80 seconds. Maybe it took longer because of that applesauce or different type cup or microwave or whatever. It turned out great. Then I made myself clean up the kitchen just so it could cool a bit. I topped the cake with whipped cream and actually went to food heaven. I love this recipe. I am glad I can store the remainder of the mix in the cabinet. Thank you so much for the recipe and the advice.
I’m glad the recipe worked out for you!
Just made this tonight as I was craving chocolate cake. So very moist and utterly delicious. I omitted the chocolate chips and topped it with some cream cheese icing. Will never buy the store bought ones again. When I tried them, I found them dry. I am dieting too so avoiding processed foods.
Was wondering how you store the leftover cake mix? Also, would you have nutritional value?
Thank you for sharing this recipe.
unused cake mix can be stored sealed in your pantry. The nutrition value will vary depending on the cake mix you choose
Hi, can I use yogurt instead of the applesauce?
I have not tested it with yogurt
Heavenly! I’ve tried a number of recipes for mug cake. While good and satisfying the “hummer,” they didn’t really taste “cake-y.” I wanted to give mugs with a gingerbread cake mix (Betty Crocker) for Christmas gifts. I tried this in my search for recipes to include. Perfect! Light, fluffy, warm Gingerbread Cake! Dollop of whip cream! Heavenly!
I’m so happy you liked it so much!
I used Duncan Hines triple chocolate cake mix and a 1 1/2 tsp oil I mixed it in a sprayed soup individual casserole about 3/4 c cake mix. And just enough water to make a cake batter. I put 1 TBSP of caramel on the top of the batter. Microwaved for 1:50 I got a wonderful moist cake with a lava center. MAKE SURE TO LET IT. THE CARAMEL WILL BURN.
I’m glad you got it to work for you
Can’t wait to try the mug cake recipe but have a question. Do you use regular dry cake mix or can the Super Moist mixes work too?
Thanks
I’ve done it with the supermoist mixes too.
Loved this mug cake! Have made it half a dozen times now… Yummm!! I tried it both ways, with applesauce and with melted butter/margarine. Maybe in a white cake mix the applesauce would be good but I didn’t care for it in the chocolate.
Substitute: I didn’t have vegetable oil so I put 2 tablespoons of water in my mug with 1 tablespoon of butter or margarine (I’ve used both) then nuked it for 30 seconds to melt. Added the 6 tablespoons of Betty Crocker chocolate cake mix and approximately 1 tablespoon of chocolate chips and then put in the microwave for 1 minute. I let it set there for a minute while I’m getting my spoon and the vanilla ice cream out of the freezer. Top it with the ice cream and then dig in!
This is the BEST mug cake I’ve tried and I’ve tried too many to find the tastiest one. This is it! Thanks
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for taking the time to leave such a lovely comment sharing your experience.
Disclaimer-i didnt follow this exactly as I am in the UK and we dont have applesauce to hand, but I had a tin of peaches in the cupboard and some cheap lidl cake mix, so i blitzed them to a puree, added 3 tbsp of the peach puree to replace the applesauce and water- and it was a perfect mug cake! Light, fluffy, moist… no oil and no egg. Love this!
So glad you enjoyed it!
I don’t usually have cake mix on hand but they were on sale for a dollar! I used Devil’s Food cake and the applesauce, as recommended, in a large Tim Horton’s cup for 70 seconds…(what can I say … Canadians love Timmies lol). I was out of chocolate chips, (don’t know how that happened? … ha ha)so I dusted the cake, once cooked, with icing sugar. Great little treat! Thanks for sharing.
I’m glad you liked it!
Went ahead & rated this because it sure looked delicious and can’t wait to make one…..I’ve been wanting to for a long time but every recipe I saw was too much work….and I like easy recipes and this one was the best of all…
I noticed you did not use Duncan Hines Cake Mix, but I buy nothing but that…..so I will assume it will even be better than I think 🙂
Thanks for posting….and would love to receive your blog….and when I make this, I will let you know….
I’m also looking for cookies recipe for cake mix, have a box of Devil’s Food Moist cake mix, and I guess they no longer put the recipe on the boxes :(….so went to the email address they gave, took me to pinterest and everything was just jumbled together….never did find it so ran across your recipe, so clicked on it and looked at your video and recipe and I will be making this, looks so easy….only thing, there are all sizes of mugs….approx. what size mug are you talking about? That would be helpful…
Thanks, Ms. Greer
This makes one small cupcake-size cake, so most mugs will work. I usually start with a 12oz mug.
I am going to try my 1st mug cake this snowy weekend.
Hope you enjoy!
OMG YES- I’ve never made a mug cake and I was craving a sweet treat after class and you totally nailed this recipe! I doubled it with super fudge cake mix, used one of my Dad’s ‘coffee bowls’, microwaved for 1 1/2 minutes- and it turned out perfectly! Topped it with some marshmallow cream afterwards. I paired it with a glass of low-fat milk and it’s perfectly delicious and warm! You even nailed it better than the usual way I make them haha
I think I’ll just make our little desserts this way from now on. It’ll save some money and lots of hair pulling 😀
I’m going to check out other recipes you’ve got! Thank you for sharing!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
I used 6 tbsp of red velvet cake mix, 2 tbsp of water and 1/2 tbsp of vegetable oil. I cooked it in the microwave for 1 minute and 40 seconds and it was PERFECT!!
yum, love red velvet!
I have been trying to find a good chocolate mug cake recipe, and this one is SO good! Will definitely make it again. ?
The Baker
I’m so glad you liked it!
Thank you for this recipe!! The cake turned out really well – I didn’t have apple sauce so i used butter.
I’d like to modify it.. could you kindly tell me How can I incorporate blueberries?
just add them in like you would the chocolate chips
I’m on a soft food diet while I had from jaw surgery. Boy am I glad I found this recipe! I didn’t like step number 2 in your recipe… self restraint isn’t my strong suit, but I managed. 😉 😀
Oh wow! I tried this a couple weeks ago with chocolate cake mix, and game changer!!! Tonight I used carrot cake mix with sweetened cinnamon (all I had on hand ?????) and OMG it was life altering! Lol Thank you so much, you’ve opened the world of incorporating applesauces into baking now for me!
I’m so glad you tried and liked this recipe!
I used Duncan Hines dark chocolate fudge mix added baby food pear sauce. Very moist and fudgie. Very delightful treat.
so glad you enjoyed it!
Tried this with white cake mix and cinnamon chips. Tasted just like a cinnamon coffee cake. And of course applesauce and cinnamon always go well together. Yummy!
Ooh love the idea of adding cinnamon chips!
Omg, so good! I have tried it with and without the apple sauce. It is good both ways but way better with apple sauce. I used sweetened cinnamon apple sauce. It was amazing. Make sure you have a big mug. My sister in law found out the hard way a regular sized mug will break from pressure.
there shouldn’t be any issues with mugs breaking from pressure. Perhaps her mug wasn’t microwave safe? Anyway, I’m glad it worked out well for you!
Lol there is no pressure when the top of the mug is open. Especially when you’re making CAKE!
I have some Red Velvet cake mix left after I used half of it to make a Red Velvet Cheeseball. I’m definitely going to try this. This will be a good way to use the rest of the cake mix. My husband and I really like mug cakes.
hope you enjoy!
I’d love to know what a red velvet cheese ball is!
I’d like to throw it out there that it’s works beautifully with gluten-free Betty Crocker cake mix too! I sometimes throw in a dollop of sunflower seed butter and/or add Enjoy Life chocolate chips to mix it up and while keeping it allergy friendly 🙂
thanks for sharing!
Turned out great! I added a dollop of nutella before cooking, yummy!
So glad you like it!
I frequently bake things with mayonnaise and applesauce plus a drop or two of vanilla extract. No lie my dad taught me when I was very very young.
Baking with mayo and applesauce is great!
Just made this because this momma needed a little treat. It was great! I frequently bake cakes with applesauce to make them a little lighter. Thanks for the mug recipe!
so glad you liked it!
I feel ya, most days actually I only have energy for a mug cake x) I love your blog and this was one of my favorite recipes so far!
Oh yay! So glad you like it!
Every post you blow me away with your creativity!
Thank you!
Aww you are too kind. Thank you!
Sooo delicious and less hassle and mess, thank you. Wondering if you know the macros? How many carbs per.mug??
that will really vary depending on the cake mix you use.