This moist and delicious keto chocolate mug cake is the perfect size for one. Made with almond flour and cocoa, it has a perfect cake texture.
If you’re a woman, you probably understand what I’m about to say, but sometimes I could literally go-out-of-my-mind for something chocolate. It doesn’t matter what it is – a chocolate smoothie, a chocolate cookie, a chocolate truffle, or a piece of chocolate cake.
When this chocolate craving hits, I don’t want to get out 12 ingredients and wait 40 minutes for a keto cake to bake. I want something fast and delicious and NOW! But, it has to be a single serving cake because, Lord knows, I would eat a whole cake if it was available. (Okay, so that was an exaggeration, but not by much!)
Keto Chocolate Mug Cake
My chocolate craving buster of choice is this keto chocolate mug cake. It’s super easy and the texture and taste is like the real thing – we’re talking a real chocolate cake in a mug!
I like to use cute ½ pint wide mouth mason jars for my cakes because I LOVE THEM. They are the perfect size for this 6 oz (volume) chocolate mini cake, but a small cappuccino cup works, too.
The fact that the chocolate cake cooks in just 50-60 seconds is even more attractive. There’s no excuse to go out and grab a snack from somewhere else when you can make this at a moments notice.
And because keto mug cakes are a single serving, I could literally eat a whole cake and not feel guilty about it. Something this delicious is the perfect cheat.
I know many of you are into “cheat days”. While some of you go off-plan, I think it’s fun finding something on-plan that tastes great and kills that chocolate craving.
Next level keto chocolate mug cake!
To take this cake to the next level try some of these ideas.
- add a few berries to the batter
- add 1/16-1/8th teaspoon flavoring extract to the batter
- put a spoonful of sugar-free jelly in the center of the batter
- place a small square of dark chocolate in the middle of the batter before cooking
- put a spoonful of sugar-free chocolate hazelnut spread in the center of the batter
- top with sugar-free homemade hot fudge or store bought sugar-free chocolate sauce
- top with whipped cream or whipped coconut cream
- sprinkle cinnamon, cocoa powder, powdered sweetener or grated chocolate on top
Why this keto chocolate mug cake is different:
Most mug cakes call for a whole egg. While this is efficient, it produces really dense and tough cakes. It took me about 15 tries to get this recipe just where I want it in taste and texture. The secret is using just the yolk and some mayonnaise. The yolk adds structure to the cake and the mayo makes it nice and moist.
This recipe works very well as a peanut butter mug cake, too. Make sure to see the peanut flour mug cake recipe I did for Sukrin USA.
What to do with that leftover egg white!
So now you have a leftover egg white. What do you do with it? Add it to another baking recipe, add it to the egg when making homemade mayonnaise, Whip it and fold into cream cheese clouds, or add it to your morning eggs.
Egg whites freeze really beautifully. I freeze three at a time so I always know how many are in any container I pull from the freezer. They are especially great in psyllium bread recipes or in buttercream frosting.
This easy Keto Chocolate Mug Cake is 3 net carbs per cake.
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This moist and delicious keto chocolate mug cake is the perfect size for one. Its taste and texture is just like a real cake! It's also dairy-free, gluten-free and sugar-free.
- 2 tbsp almond flour
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp Sukrin :1 (Swerve or Lakanto)
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tsp water
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Fluff up the almond flour with a whisk before measuring and sift the cocoa powder if it's clumpy. (I sift any cocoa powder I buy and keep it in an air-tight container. This breaks apart any lumps for more accurate measuring.)
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Measure the dry ingredients into a mug or jelly jar and mix completely with a fork.
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Add the mayonnaise, egg yolk, and water, stirring completely making sure to get it all from the bottom. Let batter sit 1-2 minutes.
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Microwave for 50 seconds, depending on your microwave. 3 Net Carbs.
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NOTE: Although the texture is a little different, 1 large egg white can be used instead of the large egg yolk, solving the problem of a leftover egg white.
TIP: To have this recipe ready at your fingertips, measure the dry ingredients into a small lidded jar. When you are ready to have your cake, add the yolk and mayo, mix, and cook. (I often have several jars of this mix ready to go in the pantry!).
When I initially left a comment I seem to have clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now whenever a commment
is added I reciege four emails with the exact same comment.
There has to be a way you aare able to remove me from that service?
Thanks a lot!
I’ll look for it and delete your email, Volcano. Maybe that will do the trick. Let me know if you continue to receive them. -Kim
Did you comment under another name and email? I can’t seem to find any more comments by you. If you would prefer, you can email me and I will delete your email from the original comment. Let me know. -Kim
Made this for my wife so she could enjoy her birthday while everybody else enjoyed her birthday cake.
She LOVED it! I also made a small amount of keto whipped cream to put on top. She was really, really happy!
Thanks for a great cake recipe.
Fantastic, Randy. I’m so happy she enjoyed it! Please wish her a belated Happy Birthday for me. Enjoy your day. -Kim
Loved this recipe for a quick treat. Also my littles thought it was delish as well!
Thank the heavens! Finally a yummy keto mug cake. I kissed a lot of frog mug cakes before landing here. Great recipe! Thank you.
Lol! Thanks, Julia. -Kim
This hit the spot and was truly delicious! Thank you!
This just saved me…you have no idea! Love it!
I made this on my birthday as a quick treat for myself l. I wanted to stay keto and not cheat but still have something chocolate. This was perfect. The texture was great and still very moist. I added 2 frozen strawberries before microwaving and topped with whipped cream.
Happy Belated Birthday, Amber! I’m glad you could celebrate with cake and love that you added strawberries to it. Sounds super! -Kim
I can’t believe I just ate chocolate cake while on keto and my carbs for the day are at 18g! There are really no words to describe this cake, you’ll just have to make it and see for yourself. Yum
This is tasty!! I added a dollop of sour cream to the recipe just to experiment and it came out great!!! It actually taste like cake!! I made a little chocolate rum icing to add on top, and what a treat!! This gives me my “bread” fix!!!
This recipe was excellent! I didn’t get to make it with full-fat mayo so mine came out a teensy bit dry but I know it’ll be perfect next time when I can do it right. I want to try sprinkling a bit of espresso powder in too and adding a dollop of whipped cream on top. Can’t wait to make this again!
Could I make this using Splenda? Thank you.. Can’t wait to try this!
Yes, you can Splenda, Marie. I just want to caution you about Splenda, though. There is an erythritol based Splenda now which is a good one to use. The Splenda for Baking (the original formula) is not good to use. It is mostly maltodextrin which has a higher glycemic index than table sugar (85-105 and 68, respectively). Usually food with a high glycemic index spikes blood sugar. A Splenda packet would be better to use than Splenda for Baking as it has less maltodextrin. If you have any questions, please ask. Enjoy the cake. -Kim
This was so good! I’m trying to convince my friend that keto has great options and this helps tremendously! So easy to make and tasted like a traditional chocolate cake.
This mug cake is beyond awesome! Soooo moist! It has become my go to mug cake when craving a little something sweet or just in the mood for something fast and easy to go with my coffee. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe….makes keto that much easier.
I just tried this recipe and the flavor was amazing!! It came out a little on the dry side and I’m pretty sure it’s because I’m at high altitude. I will play with the flour to water ratio to see if that helps. (I also had to use wheat flour as I didn’t have almond flour on hand. Do you think coconut flour would produce the same results as the almond flour?) Thank you for sharing. I will definitely keep trying to perfect this one!! 🙂
Hi Erica, I’m glad you like the recipe. It might have been dry because you used wheat flour. Almond flour is very moist. I suggest making it as written before playing with it. I have not made an all coconut flour mug cake yet, but have it on my list. Lol. Since I am at 1000 feet above sea level, I have no experience with high altitude cooking and would love to hear if you have any suggestions. Thanks for taking the time to comment. Enjoy your week. -Kim
Hi Erica, I just made this with coconut flour and it was pretty good, though a bit dry, but I suspect I let it microwave just a tad too long.
Your recipe looks like a 10-star winner to me, but there is some confusion with how part of it is written.
Question: The Recipe Notes say, in order to quadruple the recipe, to “Use 1/4 cup with 1 egg yolk and 1 tbsp of mayo to make each cake.” This is REALLY confusing. Use 1/4 cup of “what”. And then to use 1 egg yolk for the entire quadruple recipe? When I use the recipe converfter on the recipe itself, it quadruples everything in the recipe! So, which version would be correct?
Also, when typing this question, your website forces us to use an extremely light gray color for the VERY TEENY font that is literally nearly invisible to me, and even though I have a computer with a 27″ screen, I have to really strain to see what I am currently trying to type into this site’s comment window. Many of us readers, of various ages, have low vision due to various causes. This very light gray, very teeny font size, may be fine for you and others with near-perfect or perfect sight, but it is definitely EXTREMELY difficult to read and type for the rest of us.
The type you use for your entire site, as near as I’ve seen so far, is a medium gray, in larger type, and is easier to read, Black fonts, or darker gray fonts with just a little bit more-substantial letters, would help considerably. Could you kindly change these issues to make it SO MUCH easier for ALL of us to read your wonderful recipes? It shouldn’t bother your fans who are lucky enough to have great vision; plus, I am certain that those of us with low vision issues would all be SO grateful!! 🙂
Hi Cheryl. I love this kind and helpful comment. I have tried to make the instructions regarding keeping the mix on hand a little more clear. I hope it reads better.
Regarding the font and color of the comment section. I see what you mean. I used to be able to change things like this, but I see my theme no longer lets me do this. I will see if I can get a professional hard code this for me. I absolutely agree that it is too small and too hard to read. I hope you have a wonderful week. -Kim
Tried this tonight after seeing the recipe earlier today. Definitely worth trying if you just have a hankering for some cake. I am more of a lazy keto guy. I typically just eat 0 carb meats, eggs, and a little cheese. Very little vegetables. This has more carbs than I am really comfortable with, but it did satisfy my sweet tooth desire, and I will definitely do it again.
My absolute favorite keto dessert! I love how quick it is to make and you can’t over eat since it is only 1 serving.
Thanks, Lori! I’m glad you like the recipe. Enjoy your week. -Kim
Thank you for sharing this was great!
I’m looking to fulfill my sweet treats with my coffee in the morning, I work in an office and the are donuts almost daily and I miss that with my coffee! Anyways, there isn’t really a wonderful area at work to mix these ingredients there, but I’d be so curious to know what you thought if I mixed the ingredients a couple hours in advanced and kept it in the fridge. Would 50 seconds still be the right time?
Two things, Abby. First, I make up 6-8 small jars of the cake mix at a time in small jam jars and keep them in the cupboard. I guess you could add the egg yolk and mayonnaise to the mix before you bring it to work and mix before you cook it. You could also cook it before work and just gently reheat before eating. I don’t know what would happen if it sat for a long time before baking. I remember reading old cook books introducing calumet baking powder which said that cakes could be mixed hours in advance before baking, so you may be alright? You may need to experiment which idea works best for you. Enjoy the cake. -Kim
I’m getting 21 total carbs for this recipe. How are you keeping it down to 7 total?
Hi Marsha. It sounds like your program is counting the sugar alcohols as carbs. I used fatsecret.com and I do not count the erythritol since it is zero calorie, zero carb and is not absorbed by the body. Also, be careful which mayonnaise you choose. Some of them have added sugar so choose one that has zero carbs. -Kim
I use the Swerve Erythritol and it has 3 carbs per tsp which would make it 9 carbs! I use fatsecret.com also and it counted all those little carbs. What Erythritol do you use?
Hi Jodi. Erythritol has no effectual carbs. It is not digested in the body and is therefore a zero calorie and zero carb product. Don’t count the sugar alcohols in erythritol. Convention on low carb/keto blogs is to not include the numbers for erythritol. -Kim
This is the BEST keto mug cake! Tastes just like real cake. Really hit the spot. I’ve had recipes that call for both almond and coconut flour and it was too dry!
Gonna try this – but I am not a baker lol. What would a whole egg & mayo result be?
Hi Marie. You will have a tall, tough, and eggy cake. That is why I used just the egg yolk. This recipe took me many, many times to get just like a regular cake. I did make the recipe with just 1 egg white and the mayo and it was also good, not as perfect as the yolk version, but very good and much better than using a whole egg. I hope this helps. -Kim
thanks for the recipe, did it this morning in the microwave, it was very good ! Tried again tonight and baked it in the oven and it was delicious !
Very good.
This is really great. I’d tried the mug cake previously with a whole egg and it was just so eggy. This is great, and a nice use of any extra egg yolks you might get in other recipes. Used this for birthday cake and we all enjoyed it. A great ni guilt treat.
Thank you,
What would be a good substitute for mayonnaise? My husband hates it and can taste it even if there’s just a tiny bit.
Hi Dinah. I’ve been thinking about this and trying to come up with something that would be just as easy, but have failed. I bet some mashed avocado and subbing the water with oil would work. You could also try just 1 tbsp of oil for the mayo and keep the water. I haven’t tested this version, but it may work. Simply using the yolk instead of the whole egg was a big improvement. Please let me know if either of these two suggestions work and I’ll add it to the recipe notes. Have a wonderful Sunday. -Kim
Try replacing 1 T of almond flour with 1T of THM or Lifesource oat fiber to lower the carbs even more.
Yes, Holly, oat fiber is just under 1 gram of carbs and just under 1 gram of fiber per tablespoon (4 tbsp = 3g carbs/3g fiber). I suggest adding 1 tsp of oil along with the 1 tsp water because it’s just a touch drier when subbing 1 tbsp of oat fiber for 1 tbsp of almond flour – I just tried it. Thank you for your suggestion. -Kim
Of course I had to discover this during a bout of insomnia at 3am. Will have to try for breakfast!
Lol! Doesn’t that figure? Enjoy the recipe. -Kim
How can I make this yummy cake without microwaving. I do not own one and never will but please tell me it’s still possible to make my cake and eat it too.
It should be possible, Charlene. I would bake at 350 until done. I can’t give you a time because I haven’t tried it yet. You might use a toaster oven. If you do, then put the heat at 325. Good luck. -Kim
Can this also be baked in a toaster oven rather than using the microwave? Loving your website, thank you!
I would think so, Audrey, but I haven’t tried. I would set the heat at 325 and bake until done. I don’t know if it would take 15 minutes or more? -Kim
This looks delicious… Planning to make it later. You mentioned adding the egg white tocream cheese clouds, But I don’t see a recipe for that. Can you help me? Thank you so much
Hi Sheryl. Cream cheese clouds are just sweetened equal amounts of whipped cream cheese and whipped cream folded together then frozen. If you aren’t afraid of raw whites, you could also fold the egg white into the “cloud”. -Kim
Thank you, I will make this delightful recipe this morning!
Kim, so glad to have a recipe to use all the egg yolks left after making your psyllium flax bread! Now I have the best of both worlds….perfect use for both the whites AND now the yolks.. Can’t wait to try this as I have always thought the mugs cakes that did not use something like peanut butter were too dry. This sounds like a great fix. Will be on the menu tonight for sure.
Great, Deborah. I’ll have to add some egg yolk ideas to the bread post for those folks who use whole eggs instead of store bought egg whites. I hope you enjoy the cake. -Kim
This really is the best mug cake I have ever tried! The texture is so light and airy you’d never guess it was a microwave mug cake. I devoured the first one while it was still warm. And then I made two more. Served them with whipped cream, sugar free chocolate sauce and chopped roasted almonds. Hubby loved it!
And he didn’t bat an eyelid when I told him there was mayo in the batter. I guess he was too busy stuffing his face.
BTW, I also tried it with defatted peanut flour (12% fat) instead of almond flour and it was equally good. Rose a bit higher and was even lighter.
Thank you for an amazing recipe!
Thanks for bringing this comment over from Facebook, Morgen. I’m so glad you and your husband like it, too. I did two very similar mug cake recipes for Sukrin USA, one of them with peanut flour, and you are right – the texture is so nice with it! Thanks again for taking the time to comment and rate the recipe. I really appreciate it. Have a wonderful day. -Kim