These Chocolate Banana Bread Mug Cakes are ready in about 5 minutes and they're SO easy to make. Filled with rich, moist banana bread and stuffed with gooey chocolate chunks, they are the perfect dessert for two!
Mug cakes. You either love them, or you have never had one.
There is a reason people make such a fuss over these tiny cakes in a mug. Not only are they delicious, but they are incredibly easy to make (and by that I mean hard to mess up too)!
These chocolate banana bread mug cakes are made with 1 bowl, simple ingredients, 2 mugs, and takes about 5 minutes to make them start to finish. This recipe makes 2 mug cakes, which you can share with a friend, or you can eat both by yourself. No judgment here!
Ingredients needed:
This mug cake recipe has your standard ingredients, but I want to point out a few things below:
- maple syrup- this is used as our sweetener (besides the natural sweetness of the bananas). If you prefer your cakes less sweet, use 1-1.5 tbsp of syrup instead.
- banana- obviously! This is the perfect solution to your overripe bananas. This recipe calls for roughly ½ cup of mashed banana, which for me was 1.5 bananas (I had a little under ½ cup). You want these mug cakes but you have unripe bananas? Don't worry, I got you- scroll down to see how you can ripen your bananas quickly!
- cocoa powder- I like to use high quality, unsweetened cocoa powder for my baking recipes. Hershey's is a great cheaper option, and Ghirardelli & Guittard make good ones at a bit of a higher price point.
- chocolate chunks- These are my go-to for this recipe because they give you amazing pools of chocolate with every bite. You can buy chunks, cut up a chocolate bar to make your own, or just buy chocolate chips (just as good, I promise).
How to make these mug cakes:
step one: make the batter
In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter. Add in the mashed banana, egg, maple syrup, and vanilla and mix until combined.
Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt straight into that same bowl and mix until everything comes together. Your batter will be lumpy from the bananas. Fold in the chocolate chunks.
step two: microwave
Divide your batter equally into two microwave-safe mugs. I added some extra chocolate chunks to the tops of mine (totally optional, but more chocolate is always good).
Microwaving one at a time, bake them for 1 minute and 30 seconds to start. If they don't seem almost cooked, put them bake in for another 10-15 seconds. 1 minute 30 seconds was perfect for me, but every microwave is different. You don't want to overbake your mug cake either, so it's better to underbake at first.
step three: enjoy!
Your mug cakes will be pretty hot right after baking them, so I advise letting them cool for a few minutes before you dig in. Add a dollop of peanut butter for some extra deliciousness!
How to ripen bananas quickly
There are a few ways to do this. If you know you want to make these in a day or two, stick your bananas in a brown paper bag and let them sit in there to ripen more quickly.
If you are in a pinch, turn your oven on to 300 degrees F, put your bananas on a baking sheet, and bake for about 20-30 minutes. Your bananas will turn dark brown/black and will be squishy to the touch. Let them cool completely before using them in the recipe.
Is it safe to eat a microwaved mug cake?
Absolutely! Your microwave cooks those little cakes just as your oven would, only a tiny bit faster. I do advise eating them right away (aka not making them super ahead of time). Mug cakes are meant to be a want-cake-now, eat-cake-now kind of recipe!
Your mug cake will deflate a bit once it stops cooking, but don't worry about that- It's normal!
Storing
If you aren't planning on eating these immediately, you can take cover the mug and store in the fridge for only a few days. You can reheat it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds before eating.
Want to try more recipes?
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Chocolate Banana Bread Mug Cakes Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1½ tbsp unsalted butter melted and cooled
- ½ cup mashed over-ripe banana I used 1 and ½ bananas
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup all purpose flour
- 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅓ cup chocolate chunks plus extra for topping
Instructions
- In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave the butter until melted, about 30-45 seconds on high. To that same bowl, add the mashed banana, egg, maple syrup, and vanilla. Mix together until fully incorporated.
- To that same bowl, add in the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until combined. Fold in the chocolate chunks.
- Spray your mugs with a little bit of non-stick spray. Split the batter equally into the two microwave-safe mugs. I topped mine with a sprinkle of extra chocolate chunks before baking. Microwave 1 mug at a time, for 1 minute and 30 seconds. Every microwave is different, so if that doesn't seem fully cooked to you, put it back in for another 10-15 seconds until done. Mug cakes will be very hot right out of the microwave so let them cool a little before enjoying.
Notes
- How to ripen bananas quickly: If you know you want to make these in a day or two, stick your bananas in a brown paper bag and let them sit in there to ripen more quickly. If you are in a pinch, turn your oven on to 300 degrees F, put your bananas on a baking sheet, and bake for about 20-30 minutes. Your bananas will turn dark brown/black and will be squishy to the touch. Let them cool completely before using them in the recipe.
- If you aren't planning on eating these immediately, you can take cover the mug and store it in the fridge for only a few days. You can reheat it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds before eating.
Skyler says
So easy and delicious!! Definitely adding it to my list of things to do with overripe bananas!
bakeandbacon says
Thank you so much for trying this recipe, Skyler!
Kim says
Very good do you have any more mug cake recipes
bakeandbacon says
Thank you so much!! This is my only mug cake recipe on my blog so far, but I will definitely work on getting some more up there!