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Family Kitchen
Two Minute Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
This, friends, is where procrastination gets me.
I was staring at the computer, mired in writers’ block. I clicked on that Stumble button I installed in my toolbar but never use. Oh look! A new webpage has popped up! On it, a recipe for single-serving peanut butter cake you mix and microwave in a minute. Like those mug cake recipes that have been taunting me for years – only without the mug. You could, of course, cook it in a mug – but doing it in a ramekin allows you to invert it onto a plate, real-dessert like. It warranted immediate mid-afternoon experimentation. It’s all in the name of research, right?
The chocolate:peanut butter ratio wasn’t quite right, and so I made the cake chocolate with a spoonful of cocoa. It took about a minute to spoon in and mix up.
Chocolate chips are a must – they turn into gooey pockets of melted chocolate in the finished product.
Butter or spray a ramekin, or do it right in a mug. You already know they’re heatproof.
It took mine a minute to cook, rather than 30 seconds. Microwaves vary.
Note to self: pick up some vanilla ice cream.
Two Minute Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
with thanks to Cassie of Back to Her Roots!
1 egg
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp peanut butter
1 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp cocoa
1/4 tsp baking powder
a small handful of chocolate chipsIn a small bowl, stir the egg, brown sugar, peanut butter, flour, cocoa and baking powder with a fork. Stir in the chocolate chips and pour batter into a greased ramekin or mug. Microwave for 1 minute. Eat straight from the ramekin or mug, or invert onto a plate. Serves 1.
Peanut butter AND portable? Dig into this Peanut Butter Cups Cake in a Jar!
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50 Comments
Laurie commented on Aug 16 11 at 7:29 pmOk…that looks really good. I’ve made cakes in a mug before, but gonna have to try this. I’ve even got the vanilla ice cream! Thanks.
Astrid D. commented on Aug 16 11 at 8:10 pmI want to try this, and I’m thinking of using hazelnut butter for that “Nutella” taste! And because, I am celiac, I’ll use non-gluten flour. Looking forward to it.
Katherine Sacks commented on Aug 16 11 at 9:28 pmThis looks so good (and so easy); can’t wait to try it out!
layla commented on Aug 18 11 at 4:17 pmthis looks delicious! would it still come out right if you omitted the peanut butter?
Lauren commented on Aug 18 11 at 4:25 pmThis looks amazing. I’m definately gonna try it… might try Nutella like Astrid said.
Cassie @ Back to Her Roots commented on Aug 20 11 at 1:45 pmThanks for posting my recipe! Glad you liked it. :)
There is also a Nutella version, for those of you wondering: http://backtoherroots.com/2011/08/04/90-second-nutella-chocolate-cake/
Amber commented on Aug 25 11 at 12:38 amWould you be able to cook this in a toaster oven? Or regular oven? I don’t own a microwave anymore…but it looks yummy!
brianna commented on Aug 29 11 at 6:03 amwhat kind of cocoa did you use? sweetened or unsweetened? and brand, perhaps? just out of curiosity. it looks nice and dark and chocolatey. i actually used regular old nestle hot cocoa mix and, while not a strong chocolate flavour, was still really really good. granted, i doubled up on the measurement. and i think next time i make this i’ll double up on the brown sugar as well. it’s an awesome, quick recipe, perfect when you don’t want to make a whole cake.
Carly commented on Aug 29 11 at 7:33 amWhat Amber said :)
JulieVR commented on Aug 29 11 at 10:13 amAmber – I’m sure you could! it would just take longer than a minute!
Brianna – hot cocoa mix is not the same as cocoa powder – it contains sugar, milk powder and other ingredients, so you won’t get a strong chocolate flavor. I used good old Fry’s cocoa – unsweetened cocoa powder will give you a far more intense chocolate flavor and deeper color!
Hannah commented on Aug 29 11 at 11:15 pmI just made this and it came out surprisingly well! (Not to knock the recipe, I’ve just never made cake in a microwave before and was skeptical.) I used ghiradelli milk chocolate chips and they were amazing.
brianna commented on Aug 30 11 at 12:04 ami know they’re not the same, i just didn’t want to rummage through the cupboard for my cocoa powder, and the cocoa mix was sitting out on the counter. xD it was still good, but like i said that’s because i also used twice as much. i’m going to try the peanut butter version tonight, and i already have the cocoa powder out and ready. :]
Kristen commented on Sep 07 11 at 10:03 pmI just made one of these and even though I followed the measurements and recipe, it came out like a kitchen sink sponge. A sponge that’s been sitting in chocolate water and possibly has some chocolate chips stuck in its crevices. Bleck. Maybe I need more chocolate chips? I don’t know. I just know that it isn’t worth the calories involved to consume it.
Sheli commented on Sep 11 11 at 9:38 pmI made it too and followed the directions…it was too dry and not sweet enough… yuck!
Quiescentmind commented on Sep 14 11 at 11:53 pmI think the peanut butter adds a twist to the mixture.
Quiescentmind commented on Sep 14 11 at 11:56 pmSheli you should try adding a little more sugar and peanut butter for added taste.
http//:quiescentmind.com
Angie- Bigbearswife commented on Sep 15 11 at 7:23 pmlooks delish!
Jaime commented on Sep 17 11 at 10:53 pmI made this by the directions. No flavor and was too spongy and dry. Disappointing.
Missy commented on Sep 28 11 at 10:58 pmI used Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa, and Raisinets instead of chocolate chips. It was spongy and a little dry, but I’m not complaining for a 1-minute microwave cup of cake. I’m going to send some batter to work with my husband tomorrow.
Susi commented on Oct 04 11 at 2:05 pmI made it following the instructions and it turned out very dry like some of the others here said. I was surprised that, in spite of all the fat in the peanut butter it was so dry. Did I cook it too long? Could I add something for moisture, like apple sauce?
Suzy commented on Oct 12 11 at 5:57 pmJust tried this and was disappointed. It is definitely a sponge cake- very soggy, which is fine with me, but the cake itself has no flavor. I used semi-sweet chips but the chocolate was overwhelming. I am going to try this one more time, but I am going to omit the cocoa powder and chocolate chips, and add more peanut butter, some vanilla, 1 more TB flour, 1 more TB brown sugar and butterscotch chips..wish me luck!
debeemes commented on Oct 22 11 at 10:39 amWe loved it! It was great BECAUSE it wasn’t so terribly sweet. I even used unsweetened peanutbutter and less than called for in the recipe. The cake itself was spongy which was quite ok, because of the little islands of melted chocolate scattered throughout. Only addition: vanilla extract.
Baked about 1 Minute on 800W. Wonderful.
… but ice-cream would definitely go very well with it.
jo commented on Oct 23 11 at 2:18 pmLooks delicious! I am going to make it right now! But I did read the comments first for some supplements in the recipe: I am going to use Nutella instead of peanut butter and perhaps add some vanilla powder as well.
Callie Colwick commented on Nov 14 11 at 4:12 pmI found this recipe off of pintrest and I LOVE it!
Just made it the normal way and it was DELICIOUS, not dry at all, and wanted to make it again… all to find out that I had ran out of cocoa powder :( So, I added a little more peanut butter and chocolate chips, and it still turned out delicious! Thanks for the awesome recipe! <3
Margretta commented on Nov 16 11 at 12:30 amLove the photos on your site! Really nice. And the desserts look yummy too. Thanks for sharing.
Kay commented on Nov 27 11 at 10:09 pmAwful. And I can cook. I think perhaps I expected too much from this. If you like tasteless sponges, then enjoy…
Valerie Pegg commented on Nov 29 11 at 5:48 pmJust made this and it turned out really well!
ryne muller commented on Nov 30 11 at 9:08 pmWe followed the recipe and it sucked. You can’t bake in a microwave.
Melissa commented on Dec 04 11 at 7:41 amI, too, was skeptical about any type of cake that cooked in 1 minute in a microwave. However, I was pleasantly surprised. The first time I made this, it did have a more spongy texture. I tend to enjoy more interesting textures, though, so that was not a problem for me. It was also a little dry. So, I made a second batch and tweeked the ingredients to suit my own tastes: about 3 Tbl. peanut butter, a Tbl. vanilla extract, a slightly larger handful of milk chocolate chips, and a pinch of crushed Himalayan salt (for that sweet / salty combo). The result was a moist, rich, decadent cake that I LOVED!
Charlotte commented on Dec 05 11 at 10:14 pmI just made, but I had to alter it because I didn’t have all of the ingredients!! I used 2 tablespoons of ovaltine instead of coco powder. I also omitted the chocolate chips and used chunky peanut butter. While it’s not extremely chocolaty I am still enjoying it very much!!
Chris commented on Dec 16 11 at 12:35 amI just made this but instead of egg I used 1/4 cup applesauce. I think I used too much applesauce… since my mug cake was “too moist”. Nevertheless it still tasted good— next time I will try 1/8 cup applesauce.
miranda commented on Dec 20 11 at 1:44 ami just made this as a test for some holiday desserts and it came out super dry! i altered it a little bit and then it became a tasteless sponge.
Maria of Culture-ist commented on Dec 20 11 at 8:59 pmGorgeous photos paired with a fabulous recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Ashley commented on Dec 31 11 at 1:08 amFor what it is (*microwaved* cake… bleh!), it was satisfying. I omitted the chips, but cut it in quarters and rolled it in white sugar for an extra hit of sweetness. Next time I’ll add more sugar and more peanut or almond butter.
Meryl commented on Dec 31 11 at 11:31 amI followed the recipe exactly, but mine cooked over out of the ramekin in the microwave and then had the consistency of a sponge. Didn’t look like the pictures at all!
Liz commented on Jan 11 12 at 11:39 pmTake kitchen sponge dip it in chocolate. Same texture. No offense it just tastes bad
Jessie commented on Jan 16 12 at 2:04 amSo I literally only have those ingredients in my cupboards and I think its time to put them to good use :D haha
L commented on Jan 16 12 at 1:39 pmI tried it and I really didn’t like it. I’m a baker and I just…wow. Did not enjoy it. Needs more cocoa and peanut butter.
Erica commented on Jan 25 12 at 1:20 pmYummy! I didn’t have cocoa powder so I substituted a TBLS of instant chocolate pudding. Delicious! Love that I had a warm, homemade dessert in minutes!
Redhen commented on Feb 11 12 at 6:39 pmLove it! I read all the comments before I started and decided to add a half teaspoon vanilla flavoring and cook the batter less than the time listed. My microwave is an 1100 watt and will cook an egg in 52 seconds. So, my suggestion is to cook the batter for about 45 seconds in a 1100 watt microwave and then let it set for two minutes before you enjoy the treat. I am enjoying mine now! Yummy.
jules commented on Feb 15 12 at 7:37 amI made these last night for me and my boyfriend having never heard of or made mug cakes before. I substituted unsweetened almond butter and used Taza Mexican style salted almond chocolate for the chips. When I tasted the batter it wasn’t sweet enough (I think she’s counting on folks using regular sweetened peanut butter), so I added more brown sugar. I also cooked them at 30-second intervals and ended up needing 2.5 minutes. We loved them! Yes, they cooked over the top of the ramekins, but God made dish soap and sponges for a reason. I was worried they were too spongy but we let them sit a minute or 2 before diving in and they were such a treat! My boyfriend had his with ice cream. Thanks for the recipe!
Jennie commented on Feb 25 12 at 2:12 pmjust made these…they are horrible. dry, bland, unsweetened and weirdly spongy. fail!
Jeannette commented on Feb 25 12 at 3:28 pmJust made it and was very disappointed. Very sponge like and little flaver. Followed the directions exactly, sorry but wouldn’t recomend.
Alyssa commented on Mar 05 12 at 7:40 pmAdded 1 tsp. vanilla and 1 tsp. milk, and was delicious! Only took 35 seconds in the microwave.
Debby commented on Mar 08 12 at 10:16 pmi’ve made mug cakes before and i agree with everyone else regarding the spongy texture. i added a touch of vanilla, more brown sugar and a pinch of instant espresso powder, which improved the flavor. because my microwave is so strong i decided to cook it slower at half the power level (about a min and a half). it seems to help with the dry factor and texture, but ultimately i think cooking a cake in the microwave is inevitably going to end up with a weird cake. i think it’s great in a pinch though if you’re craving chocolate anything. i’m going to try to add a touch of milk and only the egg yolk versus the whole egg with the next batch to see what that does.
Christin commented on Mar 08 12 at 10:27 pmTried it but instead of chocolate chips used peanut butter chips (YUM!). However, I was disappointed in the consistency, but then again I’m also a texture/consistency freak. Not bad for a quick, late night treat, but not something I would have as a regular treat. DEFINITELY needed some vanilla ice cream to make it palpable. :-/
Beckett commented on Apr 02 12 at 2:33 pmI Just made this. The Consistency was quite spongy. it was moist, but quite tasteless! I would say maybe add a little bit of cinnamon, maybe that will help! But all in all, not too bad for a cake made in 5 minutes and baked in the microwave.
Andrea commented on Apr 05 12 at 11:46 pmI’ve made a few of the mug cakes in this article, and this one was the best. Mug cakes are never going to be the consistency of oven-baked cakes. They’re always going to be a little bit gummy and dry. This one is a lot more flavorful than other mug cake recipes i’ve tried. It satisfies your sweet tooth (and crunch if you add crunchy organic peanut butter like I did), and is awesome with low-fat vanilla frozen yogurt!
Krista commented on Apr 09 12 at 11:36 amMy boyfriend just made this…i think i fell in love again …but really it was great and we had ice cream :)
Jan Cargill commented on Apr 25 12 at 11:46 pmHas anyone figured the Calorie count on this ??
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