Self Saucing Malt Chocolate Mug Cake (One Pot, One Portion)
This Self Saucing Malt Chocolate Mug Cake is a microwave-baked, single-serve dessert designed for maximum comfort in minimal time. Made directly in one mug, it creates a soft chocolate sponge with a rich, molten sauce underneath as it cooks. The flavour is deeply chocolatey with a nostalgic malty note from Horlicks, giving it a cosy, pudding-like finish. Ready in minutes, it’s a one-portion dessert that’s perfect for solo treats. Practical, fast, and indulgent, it’s ideal for those moments when you want dessert without committing to baking.
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This Self Saucing Malt Chocolate Mug Cake is a microwave-baked, single-serve dessert designed for maximum comfort in minimal time. Made directly in one mug, it creates a soft chocolate sponge with a rich, molten sauce underneath as it cooks. The flavour is deeply chocolatey with a nostalgic malty note from Horlicks, giving it a cosy, pudding-like finish. Ready in minutes, it’s a one-portion dessert that’s perfect for solo treats. Practical, fast, and indulgent, it’s ideal for those moments when you want dessert without committing to baking.
Why You’ll Want to Make This Recipe
Single Serve, Instant Gratification
This recipe makes one perfect mug cake, meaning no leftovers, no sharing, and no temptation to eat cake for three days straight.
Dessert in Under 7 Minutes
From melting the butter to digging in with a spoon, this dessert is genuinely fast. Ideal for evenings when you want something sweet now.
One Mug, No Washing Up
Everything mixes and cooks in a single microwave-safe mug, keeping effort and clean-up to an absolute minimum.
Chocolate Pudding Meets Cake
As it cooks, the sauce magically sinks beneath the sponge, creating a fudgy, saucy base with a soft cake on top. Comfort food at its finest!
Eleanor’s Top Tips for the Perfect Self Saucing Mug Cake
- Use a large microwave-safe mug to prevent overflow as the cake rises.
- Mix the batter thoroughly before adding the sauce layer to avoid dry pockets.
- Smooth the batter flat so the sauce distributes evenly underneath.
- Pour the boiling water gently over the topping so it doesn’t mix into the sponge.
- Cook on a low microwave setting for the best texture.
- Check early rather than late overcooking will lose the sauce.
- Let it stand for 30 seconds before serving to allow the sauce to settle.
Ingredients and Tools You’ll Need
Essential Ingredients
For the Cake
- 25g Butter: Richness and moisture
- 25g Granulated Sugar: Sweetness
- 30g Self-Raising Flour: Structure and lift
- 10g Cocoa Powder: Chocolate flavour
- 15g Horlicks (or malt powder): Malty warmth
- Pinch of Salt: Balances sweetness
- 20g Boiling Water: Loosens the batter
For the Sauce
- 10g Granulated Sugar: Sweet base
- 10g Horlicks: Malty depth
- 5g Cocoa Powder: Chocolate richness
- 45g Boiling Water: Creates the sauce
To Serve
- Vanilla Ice Cream: Cold contrast to the hot pudding
Essential Tools
- Microwave-safe mug
- Spoon
- Microwave
Dietary Variations
Vegetarian
This recipe is vegetarian as written.
Dairy-Free
Use dairy-free butter and serve with dairy-free ice cream.
Gluten-Free
Swap the self-raising flour for a gluten-free self-raising flour blend.
Extra Flavour Ideas
Add a pinch of espresso powder, a splash of vanilla, or a few chocolate chips stirred into the batter.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: Why does this mug cake create a sauce underneath?
A: The sugar, cocoa, and boiling water sink during cooking, forming a sauce beneath the sponge as it sets.
Q: How long should I microwave this mug cake for?
A: Depending on your microwave, cook for 1–5 minutes on low until the sponge is just set but still saucy around the edges.
Q: What size mug works best?
A: Use a large mug (at least 350–400ml) to allow room for rising and sauce.
Q: Can I make this without Horlicks?
A: Yes. You can replace it with extra cocoa powder, though you’ll lose the malty flavour.
Q: Can I reheat leftovers?
A: This dessert is best eaten immediately, as the sauce thickens when cooled.
This self saucing malt chocolate mug cake is proof that cooking for one can still include warm, nostalgic desserts made just for you. No oven, no fuss, and ready in minutes.
Ingredients
For the cake
25g Butter
25g Granulated Sugar
30g Self-Raising Flour
10g Cocoa Powder
15g Horlicks (or other malt powder)
Pinch of Salt
20g Boiling Water
For the sauce
10g Granulated Sugar
10g Horlicks
5g Cocoa Powder
45g Boiling Water
To serve
Vanilla Ice Cream
Instructions
- Place a microwave-safe mug on your scales. Measure the butter into the mug, then melt this in the microwave for 30 seconds or so. Weigh in the sugar, flour and cocoa powder and add the salt.
- Mix together, then add the boiling water and mix again until you have a smooth batter.
- Next, make the sauce. Smooth out the batter until flat, then sprinkle the sugar and cocoa powder in an even layer over the cake mix. Gently pour over the boiling water, trying to cover the sugar and cocoa without mixing the water into the cake batter. You can swirl the mug to distribute the water more evenly.
- Microwave on low for 1–5 minutes, depending on the power of your microwave. You want the sponge to have risen slightly and be sort of firm to the touch, but fudgy and saucy around the edges.
- Serve with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.
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"One Pot One Portion is, to borrow from The Parent Trap “a brilliant beyond brilliant idea”…I know many feel that it’s too much bother to cook ‘just’ for themselves — a sad admission, I feel — and to those people, and many others besides, I say: get this book and prove yourself liberatingly wrong!…Thank goodness for books! And thank goodness for Eleanor Wilkinson, a young talent to lift the spirits…There are so many people who could benefit from this book…this book is a boon and a blessing"
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I buy a lot of cook books and this is genuinely one of the best l've ever bought. I've tried 6 or 7 recipes so far and they're all winners. I'm well used to scaling recipes down to one portion, but not having to calculate measurements as l go along feels like a little luxury. One of the best things about the book is that all the recipes are actually cooked in one pot - in a lot of other so-called books you still have to make your side dish in a separate pot. With these recipes, even if they include rice or pasta, it's all cooked together. No mountains of washing up! Highly recommended.
I have been following Eleanor on IG for a while and have made several of her dishes before the cookbook came out. I was thrilled to see so many new things to try and have already made about 6 of them. Her recipes are approachable, the dishes are delicious, and they make me feel like I can cook! Highly recommend.
If you love eating good home cooked food but can't be bothered to cook just for yourself, then this is the book for you. Using ingredients that are easy to find, then mixing, cooking and eating from the same pan or dish means a minimum of washing up. Every recipe I have tried so far has been delicious and have all turned out well which isn't always the case with many cookery books. Definitely recommend!
Following Eleanor on Instagram and seeing her recipes come to life is one thing but then having them in my own kitchen is quite another. Not only are the recipes easy to follow and delicious she also help you not to waste food. This book is like having all your favourite foods in one place with the added bonus of an old friend showing you the ropes. Congratulations Eleanor when can I pre-order the next one?
Bought this for my sister who cooks for one. She absolutely loved it finding it inspiring! So many great recipes to motivate and keep you cooking when it's just you eating!
Follow Eleanor on socials and knew I NEEDED this book immediately! SO glad I paid extra and had it shipped from the UK (to US). Eleanor's voice is loud and clear in every recipe. The pictures are beautiful, the instructions are perfectly clear, and I want to make EVERYTHING. I cannot recommend this book enough!
This is perfect, as far as influencer chefs go, I find this book refreshing in what has become a cohort of lauded influencers who really aren't doing much more than the bog standard meals most people make anyway, or making googled recipes and adding their own "flair". This book is different as it's your normal fare you'd likely make yourself, given a little bit of a twist to speed up the process / use less utensils / ingredients / food waste, in really creative and tasty ways, all perfectly portioned for one.
Great present! Bought this for my sister who cooks for one. She absolutely loved it finding it inspiring! So many great recipes to motivate and keep you cooking when it's just you eating!
Great present! Bought this for my sister who cooks for one. She absolutely loved it finding it inspiring! So many great recipes to motivate and keep you cooking when it's just you
Follow Eleanor on socials and knew I NEEDED this book immediately! SO glad I paid extra and had it shipped from the UK (to US). Eleanor's voice is loud and clear in every recipe. The pictures are beautiful, the instructions are perfectly clear, and I want to make EVERYTHING. I cannot recommend this book enough!
This recipe book is stunning and fulfils its role brilliantly in catering for individuals who want to eat delicious meals, but don't want to prepare family sized portions or devote their entire evening to cooking. Who'd believe you could make an entire roast for one person and only use one pan in the process! She is a genius and I couldn't recommend this book any more highly.
One of the best things about the book is that all the recipes are actually cooked in one pot - in a lot of other so-called books you still have to make your side dish in a separate pot. With these recipes, even if they include rice or pasta, it's all cooked together. No mountains of washing up!
This is the book I've been waiting for! I (very happily!) live alone, love to cook and read cookery books, but every recipe is for two people or more. This gorgeous book contains recipes perfectly proportioned for one person (and I'm always a very hungry one person!) which ensures more variety, less food waste, and pure, gluttonous joy.
It's so nice to finally have a recipe book that I can go to if I want a quick easy meal with minimal cleaning up required! Everything l've tried so far is delicious. And I salivate at the thought of everything in there!
Totally reignited my cooking mojo which had been MIA for a while. I'm going to buy my daughter a copy to take back to Uni too as everything is simple and delicious - perfect for a student!
Best cookbook for somebody single!
The fact I know I won't have loads to wash up really feels motivating and l've earmarked so many of the recipes already.
This book is like having all your favourite foods in one place with the added bonus of an old friend showing you the ropes. Congratulations Eleanor when can I pre-order the next one?