About This Recipe

Banana mug cake is the solution to the most common kitchen dilemma: the very ripe banana sitting on the counter, too soft to eat out of hand but too good to throw away. In four minutes it becomes a warm, moist, intensely banana-flavoured cake with chocolate chips throughout and a cinnamon warmth that makes it taste genuinely considered rather than thrown together.

The riper the banana the better. A banana with a fully blackened skin and a near-liquid interior has concentrated its sugars and developed its complex banana flavour to the point where it contributes more sweetness and more intense banana character to the batter than a yellow one. Half a very ripe banana is enough for one mug cake and provides all the sweetness the recipe needs alongside the small amount of additional sugar.

The chocolate chips folded into the batter melt during cooking and create pockets of liquid chocolate throughout the cake that cool and resolidify as the cake is eaten. The combination of warm banana sponge and melted dark chocolate produces one of the best flavour pairings in the mug cake repertoire and makes this particular version the one that most people make on repeat.

History and Origins

Banana bread has been a fixture of American home baking since the 1930s when the mass availability of refrigeration meant overripe bananas became a common household ingredient requiring practical use. The translation into mug cake format maintains the core technique of ripe banana as both sweetener and flavouring agent while adapting it for single-serving microwave preparation.

Why It Is Fast To Make

A very ripe banana requires no preparation beyond mashing. Microwave cooking. Four minutes total.

Speedy Banana Mug Cake

Recipe by By butter u0026 berriesCourse: Cake

Servings

1

servings

Prep time

2

minutes

Cooking time

2

minutes

Calories

420

kcal

Ingredients

• •tHalf a very ripe banana mashed

• •t1 large egg

• •t1 tbsp brown sugar

• •t2 tbsp plain flour

• •t0.5 tsp baking powder

• •t0.5 tsp cinnamon

• •t1 tbsp milk

• •tPinch of salt

• •t1 tbsp dark chocolate chips

Directions

• Mash the banana thoroughly in a large mug until completely smooth.
• Add egg, brown sugar, milk and cinnamon. Mix well with a fork.
• Add flour, baking powder and salt. Stir until just combined.
• Fold in chocolate chips.
• Microwave on high for 60 to 90 seconds until just set.
• Eat warm directly from the mug.

Notes

• Mash the banana until completely smooth with no lumps. Visible banana chunks produce uneven texture.
  Use the ripest banana possible. The flavour is dramatically more intense from a blackened banana than a yellow one.
  This cake is naturally sweet from the banana. Taste before adding extra sugar and adjust.
  A tablespoon of peanut butter added to the batter makes this the banana and peanut butter mug cake that many people consider the best version.

Make Ahead Tips

Mash the banana and pre-measure dry ingredients in the mug for a 90-second assembly next time.

Storage and Serving

Eat immediately while warm. Does not store well. Make fresh in four minutes whenever needed.

Variations and Substitutions

Add a tablespoon of peanut butter to the batter. Replace chocolate chips with white chocolate chips. Add a pinch of nutmeg alongside the cinnamon. Top with a drizzle of honey and a few banana slices after cooking.

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