Our gluten-free vegan microwave chocolate mug cake recipe is so easy, so fast, and so delicious! In fact, we kind of have to restrain ourselves from not making one every day and overindulging, it is that easy and that good! Our vegan chocolate mug cake recipe does call for an all-purpose gluten-free flour, and we also give you the recipe for our gluten-free flour blend, but you can also use your own favorite all-purpose gluten-free flour blend if you have one. We’re easy like that. :~)

In addition to being easy (ahem, like that) we’re also curious, and so we were curious about the history of mug cakes. How did they become a thing and when did they come a thing? Who is responsible for this madness addiction deliciousness?

The History of Microwave Chocolate Mug Cake

According to radio station KRCU, mug cakes first came to widespread attention through a YouTube video that was posted in 2009, and the person who posted the video “said she got the recipe in an email.” However according to KRCU’s article, in 2008 the King Arthur Flour company had published a mug cake recipe “in the King Arthur Flour magazine”, and observing that the recipe was already making the rounds. According to KRCU, “The cake was dubbed “dangerous” in the ‘magazine’, “because its recipe puts you only five minutes away from chocolate cake any time day or night.”

Well, if you know anything about us, you know that we’re tenacious as well as curious when it comes to tracking down information, so we found that original ‘magazine’ article, which was actually a blog post. To be precise, it was posted on the King Arthur site’s blog section, known as ‘Bakers’ Banter’ on October 19, 2008. While the page itself is no longer up on the King Arthur site, according to the archive.org archived copy (which you can see here), the subject of that blog post was “RE: The 5-minute chocolate cake email. How desperate are you?” and it was posted by one of 5 possible King Arthur Flour blog authors: Allison Furbish, Jeff Hamelman, PJ Hamel, Susan Reid, or Tom Payne.

That first mug cake (well, one of the first known) was apparently less-than-wonderful. Said the anonymous but 1-of-5 author, “The result? Don’t try this at home. Unless you’re TRULY desperate. The best I can say for this chocolate thing is that it’s warm and chocolate. It was cake, kind of. A really rubbery cake. And (why didn’t I notice this?) without salt, very flat-tasting.”

Well, our microwave chocolate mug cake is a far cry from that. It is delicious, and smooth, and velvety, and chocol..excuse us, we’ll be right back, we need to microwave something.

Ok, back. Now, your results will depend a great deal on your microwave, and your mug (you must use a 16-ounce mug, or a pint canning jar – but if you use a canning jar be warned that it will become very hot, whereas with a mug there is a handle that will stay cool). We make this in our favorite 16-ounce stoneware mug, which is what you see in the picture.

Then there is the matter of how long to microwave it. We microwave this for 60 seconds, which gives us a very smooth cake, the center of which is slightly wet, like a nearly-set chocolate lava cake. If you prefer your cake fully set, go for 65 or 70 seconds. You will need to experiment because every mug and every microwave are different. Regardless, there will be no failed experiments, it will always be delicious!

Ok enough talk, let’s get on with the recipe, shall we?

Microwave Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Mug Cake Recipe