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This chocolate cake for one bakes in a single ramekin in 30 minutes. It’s a rich, moist single serving chocolate cake made with simple pantry ingredients and no leftovers.
Featured Comment
“I’ve made similar “one serving” desserts in the past and have not been impressed. But tried this recipe and it tasted like a delicious piece of chocolate cake! So thrilled. Will definitely make again.”
– Kate
Quick Look
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Equipment: 10-ounce ramekin
- Cook Method: Oven-baked
- Servings: 1
- Difficulty: Easy
An easy chocolate cake for one baked in a ramekin with cocoa powder, heavy cream, and an egg white.
Why I Love This Single Serving Chocolate Cake
I make this single serving chocolate cake when I want something warm from the oven without the work of a full layer cake. It’s baked in one ramekin and takes about 30 minutes from start to finish.
The texture is what I care about most. Egg white instead of a whole egg keeps the crumb light and tender. In a recipe scaled this small, a whole egg adds too much liquid for the amount of flour. The batter gets runny, and the cake bakes up dense and heavy instead of soft. The white alone gives the cake structure and lift without throwing off the ratio. You’ll have one egg yolk left over, which I use in any of my egg yolk recipes for one.
Heavy cream does the rest. The fat in the cream coats the flour proteins and keeps the cake moist a day later, which milk can’t do.
I usually eat this individual chocolate cake straight from the ramekin with a spoon. Sometimes I dust it with powdered sugar. Other times I top it with my single serving chocolate frosting or a spoonful of homemade whipped cream.
This is one of my favorite small cake for one recipes because there are no leftovers sitting on the counter for a week.
If you like small chocolate cake recipes, try my chocolate lava cake for one, mini flourless chocolate cake, and mini devil’s food cake.
Ingredient Notes
Below is everything you need to make this single serving chocolate cake, with notes on why each ingredient matters. If you have ingredients leftover, our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder will help you put them to use.
Salted butter: Melted butter gives this small chocolate cake its richness and a soft, tender crumb. I use salted butter so I don’t need a separate pinch of salt for such a small batch. If all you have is unsalted, add a small pinch of salt to the dry ingredients. A neutral oil like canola or vegetable can be used instead of butter, though the cake will lose the buttery flavor.
Granulated sugar: Sugar sweetens the cake but it also keeps it moist. Sugar holds onto water in the batter as it bakes, which is why a properly sugared cake still tastes soft a day later.
Egg white: Just the white, not the whole egg. The white is mostly protein and water, which sets the structure of the cake as it bakes and helps it rise without weighing it down. You’ll have one yolk left over, which I use in chocolate pot de crème for one, single serving custard, French breakfast puff for one, or a mini German chocolate cake.
Vanilla extract: A teaspoon and a half is more than most cake recipes use per ramekin, and that’s on purpose. Vanilla rounds out the cocoa and keeps the chocolate flavor from going flat.
All-purpose flour: The structure of the cake. Spoon and level it into the measuring cup instead of scooping straight from the bag. Scooping packs in too much flour and gives you a dry, dense ramekin chocolate cake. A 1:1 gluten-free flour blend works as a direct swap if you need it.
Unsweetened cocoa powder: This is where the chocolate flavor comes from, so use a brand you actually like. Natural cocoa (like Hershey’s) gives a bright, classic chocolate taste. Dutch-process cocoa (like Guittard or Ghirardelli) is darker, smoother, and less acidic. Either works in this recipe.
Baking powder and baking soda. I use both. Baking powder gives the lift, and the small amount of baking soda neutralizes the acidity in the cocoa powder so the chocolate flavor comes across clean instead of sharp. The combination matters in a small cake where there’s no margin for off-balance leavening.
Heavy cream: This is what keeps the cake moist. Heavy cream has more fat than milk, and that fat coats the flour proteins so the crumb stays tender for longer. Half-and-half or whole milk works in a pinch, but the cake won’t be quite as rich. Use leftover cream in single serving chocolate ice cream or a single nanaimo bar.
Recipe Variations
Here are a few easy ways to change up this mini chocolate cake recipe without rewriting the recipe.
Peanut butter chocolate cake: Drop a teaspoon of peanut butter into the center of the batter before baking and swirl with a knife.
Mexican chocolate cake: Add a pinch of cinnamon and a small pinch of cayenne to the dry ingredients.
Mocha chocolate cake: Stir 1/4 teaspoon of instant espresso powder into the dry ingredients to deepen the chocolate flavor.
Mint chocolate cake: Replace 1/4 teaspoon of the vanilla with 1/8 teaspoon of peppermint extract.
Chocolate chip cake. Fold a tablespoon of mini chocolate chips into the batter before pouring it into the ramekin. Use mini chips rather than regular, since regular chips sink to the bottom of a small cake.
How To Make Chocolate Cake For One
These step-by-step photos show how to make this individual chocolate cake from start to finish. See the recipe card below for full ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
- Heat the oven. Preheat to 350°F (175°C) and lightly butter a 10-ounce ramekin.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter, sugar, egg white, and vanilla until smooth.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda.
- Combine. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until almost combined. Pour in the heavy cream and stir just until the batter is smooth.
- Fill the ramekin. Pour the batter into the buttered ramekin.
- Bake. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the top is set, the edges pull slightly from the sides of the ramekin, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool. Let the cake rest on a wire rack for 5 minutes before serving.
Eat this cake straight from the ramekin with a spoon, or run a knife around the edges, place a plate on top, and flip it over to slide the cake out. Top it with powdered sugar, a small batch of chocolate frosting, or homemade whipped cream.
Expert Tips
Use a 10-ounce ramekin. Anything smaller and the batter overflows. Anything larger and the cake bakes flat and dries out at the edges.
Spoon and level your flour. Spoon the flour into the dry measuring cup, then run a knife across the top to level it off. I never scoop directly from the bag. Scooping packs in too much flour, which is the most common reason a single serving cake bakes up dry.
Don’t overmix once the cream goes in. I stir just until the batter looks smooth. Overmixing develops gluten and the cake bakes up tough instead of tender.
Pull it at moist crumbs, not a clean toothpick. I take this cake out when there are still a few crumbs clinging to the toothpick. The cake keeps cooking from residual heat in the ramekin and finishes moist instead of dry.
Bloom the cocoa for deeper flavor. If you want a more intense chocolate flavor, whisk the cocoa powder into the warm melted butter before adding the rest of the wet ingredients. The heat releases more of the cocoa’s flavor compounds.
Troubleshooting
A few common things that can go wrong when you bake a single serving cake in a ramekin, and how to fix them next time.
The cake came out dry. Almost always too much flour. Spoon and level the flour into the measuring cup instead of scooping. Overbaking does the same thing, so pull the cake at moist crumbs on the toothpick.
The cake sank in the middle. Underbaked. The center wasn’t fully set when it came out of the oven. Add 2 to 3 more minutes next time and check for moist crumbs, not wet batter.
The cake came out dense and heavy. The batter was overmixed once the cream was added, or you used a whole egg instead of just the white. Stir just until the batter looks smooth and stick with the egg white only.
The cake didn’t rise. Your baking powder or baking soda is probably old. Both lose strength after 6 months of being open. Replace them and try again.
The cake stuck to the ramekin. The sides weren’t buttered enough. Use room-temperature butter and rub it up the sides as well as the bottom.
How to Store and Reheat
This ramekin chocolate cake is best the day it’s baked, but leftovers store well for a short time.
To store at room temperature: Cover the ramekin with plastic wrap or foil and leave on the counter for up to 1 day. Don’t refrigerate, since cold storage dries out a small cake faster than the counter does.
To reheat: Microwave the cake in the ramekin for 10 to 15 seconds before serving. This brings back the warm-from-the-oven texture without drying it out. Avoid reheating in the oven, since the small size means it overcooks fast.
To make ahead: You can mix the dry ingredients ahead and store them in a small jar at room temperature for up to a week. Don’t mix the full batter ahead, since the leavening loses strength once it hits the wet ingredients.
I don’t recommend freezing this cake. The texture changes after thawing, and the small size means it loses moisture quickly.
Frequently Asked Questions
The egg white gives this recipe the right structure for a small cake baked in a single ramekin. It contains the protein needed to set the cake without adding the fat and water that come with a yolk. Save the yolk for any of my egg yolk recipes for one.
Only if the mug is labeled oven-safe and holds at least 10 ounces. Check the bottom of the mug for an “oven-safe” stamp before baking.
Avoid mugs with metal accents, since metal can warp or spark in the oven, and skip thin porcelain or decorative glass, since these are prone to thermal shock at oven temperature. Stoneware is usually the safest bet.
Don’t microwave the batter. This recipe is built for the oven, and microwaving changes the texture from cake to a dense, gummy mug cake. Bake at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes.
Double every ingredient and bake in a 5×5 inch baking dish, or split the batter between two 10-ounce ramekins and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Use 2 egg whites, not 1 whole egg, to keep the texture right when scaling up.
Yes, but the cake will taste different. Butter gives this chocolate cake its classic, rich flavor. Oil makes a slightly moister crumb but loses the buttery taste. Stick with a neutral oil like canola or vegetable if you swap. Avoid olive oil, since the flavor is too strong for a single serving cake.
A 10-ounce ramekin is the right size for this single serving chocolate cake. Anything smaller and the batter overflows in the oven. Anything larger and the cake bakes flat and dries out at the edges. If you don’t have a 10-ounce ramekin, any oven-safe dish that holds about 10 ounces works, including a small oven-safe bowl or a mini loaf pan.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this ramekin chocolate cake recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
If you’ve tried this chocolate cake for one or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
Also, if you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see it!
Chocolate Cake For One
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons salted butter -melted
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg white
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- powdered sugar -for topping.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and lightly butter a 10-ounce ramekin.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter, sugar, egg white, and vanilla until smooth.
- In a small bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until almost combined. Pour in the heavy cream and stir just until the batter is smooth.
- Pour the batter into the buttered ramekin.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the top is set, the edges pull slightly from the sides of the ramekin, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Let the cake rest on a wire rack for 5 minutes before serving. Dust with powdered sugar.
- Eat this cake straight from the ramekin with a spoon, or run a knife around the edges, place a plate on top, and flip it over to slide the cake out. Top it with powdered sugar, chocolate frosting, or homemade whipped cream.
Notes
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
This recipe worked great for a quick and easy, last minute dessert when my husband said “I’d eat a piece of chocolate cake right now.” Lol!
I didn’t read the whole post so I doubled the recipe, but baked it in a smaller dish than a 5×5 and it took a bit longer to bake. I just checked it every 5 minutes until a knife came out clean. I used your chocolate icing recipe and it hit the spot! I am curious why only use the egg whites and not whole eggs?
I love that this came together right when a chocolate cake was requested!
Using only the egg white keeps the cake lighter in texture and scaled properly for a small batch. A whole egg would add more liquid and richness than the recipe needs, which can change the structure and make it denser.
I’m so glad it hit the spot with the chocolate icing!
Hi. Made this cake and it is cooling. Cannot wait to taste it with your custard which I also just made and cooling in the fridge.
Wonderful! I hope you enjoy both desserts as much as I do.
This is delicious, not too seeet and a great little treat!
I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
I made this today & was impressed! It was delicious and was a generous portion. This cake yielded a tender crumb. I did not have heavy cream and in a pinch used sour cream. I will definitely make this again and again. Thank you for the recipe, I LOVE chocolate cake.
I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
Could I use half ‘n half instead of heavy cream?
Yes.
I’ve made similar “one serving” desserts in the past and have not been impressed. But tried this recipe and it tasted like a delicious piece of chocolate cake! So thrilled. Will definitely make again.
I am diabetic t dand have towatch my carbs would like this recipe but how could I cut down on the carbs
This recipe is a classic chocolate cake, so it naturally has a higher carb content. For a lower-carb option, you may want to explore recipes specifically created for diabetic or low-carb diets.
Great recipe and I will e doing this again. I am in high altitude Coloradoand did not need to make any adjustments
hi
can I substitute bakers chocolate for cocoa powder? also any suggestions for adding coffee ie the amount?
your recipes are awesome, I’m a senior living by yourself and I love to cook
thanks
Thank you so much! I’m glad you’re enjoying the recipes. For the chocolate cake, it’s best to use cocoa powder as it replaces some of the flour. You can add a bit of Baker’s chopped chocolate if you like, but make sure to keep the cocoa powder in the recipe. For adding coffee, replace 1 tablespoon of the heavy cream with coffee, so you’ll use 2 tablespoons of heavy cream and 1 tablespoon of coffee.
thanks for your help
Terrific recipe.