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Bitz & Giggles

Delicious bitz & tips for a happy life.

Easy Vanilla Mug Cake

Easy Microwave Recipes
Easy Vanilla Mug Cake – Ready in 90 seconds! This mug cake is moist, delicious and topped with a lovely vanilla icing that soaks into the cake and infuses it with sweetness!

Vanilla Mug Cake - Ready in 90 seconds! This mug cake is moist, delicious and topped with a lovely vanilla icing that soaks into the cake and infuses it with sweetness! #mugcake #vanillacake #recipe #easymugcake #microwavedessert #bitzngiggles

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So, eating healthier and getting in shape are part of my goals each year. . .mine and a bazillion other people’s no doubt. It has to be the reason I’m craving sweetness now more than ever. You always want what you can’t or shouldn’t have, right?

Well, to satisfy my sweet tooth but keep the portion size in check, I made this yummy and easy Vanilla Mug Cake.

This little cake is moist, delicious and topped with a lovely vanilla icing that soaks into the cake and infuses it with sweetness! Pretty smart, right?

Vanilla Mug Cake - Ready in 90 seconds! This mug cake is moist, delicious and topped with a lovely vanilla icing that soaks into the cake and infuses it with sweetness! #mugcake #vanillacake #recipe #easymugcake #microwavedessert #bitzngiggles

I’ve never really “trusted” mug cakes. So many have turned out dry and tasteless. It took a little experimenting until I achieved the sweetness I was looking for.

And in my opinion, cake isn’t really cake if you eat it out of a mug. Cake out of a mason jar, now that’s a different story. You can “see” through a mason jar so it can still be “pretty.” You following me?

Vanilla Mug Cake - Ready in 90 seconds! This mug cake is moist, delicious and topped with a lovely vanilla icing that soaks into the cake and infuses it with sweetness! #mugcake #vanillacake #recipe #easymugcake #microwavedessert #bitzngiggles

So, this is usually my hot chocolate mug from which I drink the most wonderful hot chocolate in the world. Alright, so I’m a little biased, but you can’t get much better than ice cream AND white chocolate.

Oh, man. I need to make more of that this winter. . .

What were we talking about again? Oh yes. This mug cake. . .

Vanilla Mug Cake - Ready in 90 seconds! This mug cake is moist, delicious and topped with a lovely vanilla icing that soaks into the cake and infuses it with sweetness! #mugcake #vanillacake #recipe #easymugcake #microwavedessert #bitzngiggles

All it takes is 90 seconds in the microwave, and you’ll have a little “mug” o’ heaven. Classic vanilla cake is just the best. In fact, vanilla truly IS our favorite cake flavor here in the house.

One of the most important tips I can offer if you’re going to make this cake is to make sure that your mug is at least 14 ounces or it may “bubble” over while baking in the microwave.

Watch that mug closely!! If you use a big enough mug there’s nothing to worry about. My cake took up about 3/4 of the cup, which was perfect.

I made sure to spray the mug generously with cooking spray before adding the batter and baking it. That way, when it was done, I just ran a butter knife around the edges of the cake to loosen it from the mug and flipped it over!

Vanilla Mug Cake - Ready in 90 seconds! This mug cake is moist, delicious and topped with a lovely vanilla icing that soaks into the cake and infuses it with sweetness! #mugcake #vanillacake #recipe #easymugcake #microwavedessert #bitzngiggles

Here’s the disclaimer. This is not about perfection. It may not look “perfect” when you flip it out of the mug. But in my opinion, it looks much prettier out of the mug than in it.

Top it with some sprinkles and you’ll begin to fall in love.

Vanilla Mug Cake - Ready in 90 seconds! This mug cake is moist, delicious and topped with a lovely vanilla icing that soaks into the cake and infuses it with sweetness! #mugcake #vanillacake #recipe #easymugcake #microwavedessert #bitzngiggles

Add some sweet icing, and you’ll forget the cake was ever even in a mug. What mug? See.

Vanilla Mug Cake - Ready in 90 seconds! This mug cake is moist, delicious and topped with a lovely vanilla icing that soaks into the cake and infuses it with sweetness! #mugcake #vanillacake #recipe #easymugcake #microwavedessert #bitzngiggles

I let the icing soak in a little bit while I filled a glass of milk. . .AND. . .put a few more sprinkles on top.

Vanilla Mug Cake - Ready in 90 seconds! This mug cake is moist, delicious and topped with a lovely vanilla icing that soaks into the cake and infuses it with sweetness! #mugcake #vanillacake #recipe #easymugcake #microwavedessert #bitzngiggles

Just look at how moist this is. Drag the cake right through that little pool of icing. Holy moly. Seriously now. Promise me you’ll try this. Believe it or not, the cake is fairly sweet without the icing.

If you wanted to switch out the icing for some whipped cream, you could do that, too. Heck, next time I may add some sprinkles to the actual cake batter!

So, yeah. There you have it. An easy vanilla mug cake perfect for one. . .or two, if you really wanted to share. But when it comes to cake is that even a consideration?

I’m going to go and grab an extra mug just to be safe. I’ll make you your own. Do you have 90 seconds to spare? After that, we’ll do PiYo in my basement. You in?

Easy Vanilla Mug Cake – Ready in 90 seconds! This mug cake is moist, delicious and topped with a lovely vanilla icing that soaks into the cake and infuses it with sweetness!

Easy Vanilla Mug Cake

Easy Vanilla Mug Cake - Ready in 90 seconds! This mug cake is moist, delicious and topped with a lovely vanilla icing that soaks into the cake and infuses it with sweetness! #mugcake #vanillacake #recipe #easymugcake #microwavedessert #bitzngiggles
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★★★★★

4.5 from 97 reviews

Ready in 90 seconds! This mug cake is moist, delicious and topped with a lovely vanilla icing that soaks into the cake and infuses it with sweetness!

Ingredients

For the Cake

  • 4 Tablespoons flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3 Tablespoons sugar
  • 1/2 Tablespoon butter, softened
  • 4 Tablespoons milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt

For the Icing

  • 3 Tablespoons powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon butter. softened
  • 1 Tablespoon milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

For the Cake

  1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl.
  2. Pour into greased mug (at least 16 ounces).
  3. Microwave on high for 1 minute 30 seconds (or 90 seconds).

For the Icing

  1. Mix all ingredients together and drizzle over cake either inside the mug or pop cake out of mug onto plate.

Notes

For thicker icing, add more sugar. For thinner icing, add a bit more milk.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1

Looking for More Delicious Mug Cakes?

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Easy Chocolate Mug Cake - Ready in 90 seconds! This mug cake is moist and delicious with melty chocolate fudge throughout!

Cinnamon Sugar Doughnut Mug Cake - This delicious mug cake literally takes about 60 seconds to make in the microwave. It tastes just like a cinnamon sugar doughnut!

And Who Can Resist a
Delicious M&M Microwave Cookie?

M&M Microwave Cookie - A soft, warm and delicious cookie you can make right in the microwave in less than 2 minutes!! Perfectly portioned for one or two!

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  2. This is the best mug cake recipe ever! It was moist, light and fluffy. I add sprinkles to the batter before microwaving and it made the perfect confetti cake. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

    • That’s music to my ears! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I really love this recipe, too, and I love the fact that you added sprinkles right to the batter!

      Reply

          • This actually does work out perfectly in the oven too! We use this recipe for oven mug cakes. I rarely eat sugar or junk but when I do it’s a mini oven mug cake lol 🖤 350 degrees F for 15-20 min…

  3. Very yummy, I would probably add a little more vanilla extract or sugar next time, but with the chocolate icing I put on myne it tasted very good and is fluffy!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  4. I’ve been googling mug cake recipes for months and every one I’ve tried is too buttery or gross. This is the first recipe I’ve used that was successful. Thank you for posting. I will definitely use it again. 🙂

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  5. Made this tonight after roast pork and served with icecream and stewed apple it was fantastic! Quite a large serve though ☺ very fluffy and light. Love the idea above to add sprinkles to batter my kids would love that!

    ★★★★★

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  7. I absolutley love this mug cake. It is much better than the other mug cakes I have tried. To make it vegan, instead of using regular butter, I used vegan butter! Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply

  8. Oh my! I’d given up on mug cake recipes and went looking for one on impulse….love yours. It’s delicious. I will be making it again. 🙂

    ★★★★★

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  9. I make mug cakes a lot but decided to try a new recipe tonight and came across this one. It’s definitely the best one I’ve made as agreed upon by both me and my partner. (And no I didn’t dare share mine with him, we doubled the recipe 🙂 )

    Reply

    • I’m so glad that you loved the recipe, Marina! From all the comments about other recipes, I think I’m sticking to this one, too! 😉

      Reply

  10. Best mug cake I have eaten it is not all mushy at all I typically do not home made cakes so, this was saying a lot that I enjoyed this it was moist, sweet, and flavorful. Thank you for sharing your ideas!

    Reply

  12. The cake was so delicious and fluffy! It’s perfect! However, when i made the icing, the margarine ( i used margarine) doesnt want to mix with the milk and sugar. Is it because i used margarine instead of butter?

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Karimina, try softening the margarine or butter in the microwave next time to the point of melting. That may help it mix better next time. So glad you enjoyed the recipe!

      Reply

  13. hi! i love this mug cake! but may i ask, what is the watt of your microwave? thanks! ?

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  14. I’ve tried so many vanilla mug cake recipes, and trust me, this is the best one I’ve tried. I normally don’t comment on things but I just felt compelled to for this one. Definitely going to keep using this in the future, thank you so much!!

    Reply

  15. This is really good and I’m so glad I tried it. I had made chocolate sauce for ice cream but didn’t realize we were all out of ice cream. I wanted something quick to pour my sauce over and this was perfect. Thank you.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  16. I love this Mug cake but I was wondering, what would be measurements for this cake if I would make it like a regular size cake??

    Reply

  17. My first mug cake, and it was delicious! I used coconut sugar so it came out brown but still delicious. I also used coconut oil instead of butter because I was out of butter. I think it still came out just fine. Craving satisfied!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  19. I had a hankering for dessert tonight and this totally hit the spot. Thanks so much! I skipped the icing and threw some ice cream and a couple strawberries on top.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  20. I made this for breakfast (how is it worse than pancakes or donuts? I asked myself as I tried to justify cake for breakfast) and topped it with strawberry jelly and half a handful of mini chocolate chips. Fantastic!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  21. Not a success. Followed every ingredient and step exactly, and still came out terrible. Looked like something you’d get in a school cafeteria, and tasted like floury, slightly sweet play-doh. Had the texture of modeling clay.

    ★★

    Reply

    • Oh no, I’m so disappointed to hear that. I haven’t had any of my readers have this problem and I’ve never had this problem myself. It almost sounds like it either wasn’t cooked long enough or there was too much liquid in your mug? Not sure but I would love for you to try it again sometime – maybe in a different mug or microwave? So sorry you didn’t enjoy it. 🙁

      Reply

      • I had the same trouble. Ingredients are spot on, maybe my mug was too big? Came out a complete and total greasy looking blob of what looks like corn bread. I’m gonna try a different mug that’s not soo large.

        Reply

  22. I loved this recipe it was the best mug cake ever and instead of using powdered sugar I used one tablespoon of regular sugar and used cold butter put it in the microwave for 30 seconds and poured it over the cake and it tasted heavenly

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  24. This was delicious!! I only used 2 tbsp sugar for the cake and for the frosting, skipped the butter and drizzled the “fondant” over the cake and let it sink in. Yum!! I also softened the butter for the cake in the microwave in the mug I was going to use and therefore was able to eliminate to cooking spray! This is a keeper and perfect for me as it limits my portion size and prevents me from eating an entire cake. ?

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  26. Thus by far the best mug cake I have ever made. Most recipes call for an egg and it makeseems the cake heavy and eggy. This is light and delicious. Thank you so much

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  27. I’ve tried a few different mug cake recipes and this one is the by far best! The only change I made was I used coconut oil instead of butter. This will be my go to recipe from now on. Thank you! 🙂

    Reply

  28. I just broke up with my boyfriend and decided to make this cake. I love the recipe and it made me so happy making and eating this cake!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  31. Gluten Free Version – just substitite flour for gluten free all purpose flour. The cake tastes like warm sugar cookie dough. A little sweet for me but my daughter LOVED it! I have tried MANY mug cakes & she usually rolls her eyes when I aanounce I have tried a new mug cake recipe but this time their was not a crumb left. THANK YOU!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  32. I didn’t have any milk or normal milk substitutes so I tried using 4Tbsp of sweetened condensed milk + 1 Tbsp water, and it was a gooey disaster. Cant wait to go to the store and pick up some milk and try this right!
    Just don’t try doing what I did…it doesn’t work and is really a pain to clean up!

    Reply

    • Oh no! When you get your hands on that milk, let me know how you like the recipe! I can guarantee it will be better than what it was with sweetened condensed milk!!

      Reply

    • If ever you don’t have milk on hand, water does make a good substitute. Of course, water isn’t a good substitute in all recipes but should work just fine in a mug cake.

      Reply

  34. WOW WOW WOW. This mug cake is the bomb dot com. Super easy to make with ingredients that even a college student like me can source at 1:30 in the morning on a Monday night. I added a spoonful of nutella after 30 seconds in the microwave, hoping it would sink about halfway while cooking, but the cake was cooked in 60 seconds for me and the nutella just melted a bit and spread on the top. Oh well, every spoil is a style. This was honestly so good I’m craving another one but it was just the right size and sweetness I don’t think I could handle two.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Michelle, so happy you’ve found a midnight snack you love! Make sure to share the recipe with your friends and roommates! I think they’ll love it, too! The Nutella sounds heavenly!

      Reply

  36. Recipe turned out just how I wanted it too!! Super fluffy and delicious. I made a simpler icing by using 1/3 cup confectioners sugar and 1 tablespoon milk. Made the cake even better than it already was.

    Reply

  37. Wtf, this mug cake is one of the most delicious things I’ve ever tasted from a microwave. Major props, I might make this instead of baking regular cakes now.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  38. I didn’t have normal powdered sugar so I had to use cinnamon powdered sugar and it turned out so good. It almost tasted like a cinnamon bun❤️❤️.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  39. This was perfect! I’ve tried several mug recipes and have been disappointed with each one until this one. This hit the spot and tasted so good!

    Reply

  41. I whipped this up last night for a personal sized quick dessert. I added some fresh raspberrys and a handful of white chocolate chips before popping into the microwave. Seriously best mug cake I have ever had! My hubby stole half of it. I will certainly be making it again!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  42. It’s astonishing that I still have faith in the internet with recipes, but for this mug cake, I’m glad I still do.
    There are two recipes from the internet that I have fallen in love with. This one, and single-serve chocolate chip cookies from Chelsea’s Messy Apron (if you are looking to make chocolate chip cookies I strongly recommend looking it up and trying the recipe. I have started to make a dozen cookies and sticking the dough in the refrigerator so that it’s very easy to have delicious cookies. Healthy? Probably not.)
    Every recipe (and there have been many, many, online recipes) that I have tried from online have failed me except for these two. Thank you for making an actually good mug cake! If I can make it and it tastes good, it must be a miracle.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Well, that’s quite an honor to be in your top 2 recipes from the Internet! Chelsea is great and if you think her cookies are good, you need to try more of her recipes! Thanks so much for taking time to comment. Comments like this always make my day. Thanks so much! I hope you stick around for more fun recipes and ideas. I’d love to have you!

      Reply

  43. I bet its really good, but im a terrible cook, and couldn’t even make the frosting X3 or maybe this recipe isn’t for me, but still thanks for sharing ^-^

    Reply

    • Bethany, just make the mug cake and top it with some Cool Whip if you’re having trouble with the frosting. I KNOW you can make this cake. Try it one more time and let me know how it goes!!

      Reply

    • Every microwave is different. I hope you try again and maybe just put it in for a minute – then check it. You can always put it back in a little longer. Sometimes microwave recipes take a bit of experimentation. Good luck!

      Reply

  48. It’s a good cake, I just wish you had nutritional information posted somewhere in here. Not because I wanna see how healthy it is but it’s easier to put it into my calorie tracker lol

    ★★★★★

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  49. Just made this, and it was delicious. I didn’t add the icing, just sprinkled a little cinnamon on top before nuking. I was scraping the mug when I was done.
    Thank You my dear.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  50. My husband was craving cake and I tried this recipe and he said it’s amazing thanks a lot I’m gluten allergic so myself couldn’t try it.

    ★★★★★

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  52. I just made it and followed your instructions all the way. Love it!! This is only the second mud cake I’ve like and would definitely make it again (maybe even multiples of it for a low-key birthday celebration). Thank you <3

    Reply

  53. I’m genuinely shocked as to how good this was! I was super sceptical at first. I didn’t have vanilla extract, but I did have milky bar, and so threw some of those into the mix. Nice and melt-y addition! ^_^

    ★★★★★

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  54. I accidentally used bread flour! But it still came out good. I drizzled salted caramel sauce while still warm. Then topped it with whip topping.Yum! The texture is somewhat like malay cupcake? Next time I’ll make sure it’s all purpose flour.

    ★★★★

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  57. For the icing it was too sugary
    I tried making it with heavy cream and without butter and it tasted like doughnut icing!

    Reply

  58. I loved this recipe, the only thing was that the icing for my vanilla cake had a bit too much vanilla. I think it mixed in well though and was very balanced.

    Reply

  59. This tasted like an egg patty and the smell is not inviting at all. Like someone farted in my microwave. I’m still not for sure on using a whole egg. An entire cake recipes calls for only 3 and i don’t think the mug was the equivalent of a 1/3 of a cake recipe. I’ll give it another try, I guess the bonus is that I didn’t waste a whole lot of ingredients on this recipe. Happy Caking!

    Reply

    • Well, so first of all, you made me giggle a little today about your microwave comment. Your problem is an easy one and I can help! There are NO eggs in this recipe. Take a look and try it again. I promise you’re going to love it the second time around with NO egg!

      Reply

  60. My my my, what a wonderful cake in a mug recipe. I’ve never made one before but have heard quite a few horror stories about them. Last night I really wanted a quick sweet cake, so I searched the internet for quite a while and thought I’d try this one and I have no regrets. I made minor changes, instead of cooking spray I used butter to grease the inside of my cup and used lemon instead of vanilla. It came out like a very fluffy sponge. It’s perfect, thanks.

    ★★★★★

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  61. Made two just now and they both came out perfect! I added mini chocolate chips to mine and it was definitely very sweet. I think next time I’ll add a bit less sugar but keep the mini choc chips!

    ★★★★★

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  62. This is hands down the best mug cake EVER! Super easy and tastes fantastic. One this that is great about it is that it takes up the whole mug, not just halfway.

    Reply

  63. This is really good. Moist and not too sweet and not too many ingredients. Made it several times. I stirred in some Nutella and my son likes it. Thank you for sharing the recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  64. OMG this recipie was very delicious and so moist!! Your definetly doing your job RIGHT Sara!! Doing this recipie next time I get another craving.

    Reply

  65. Due to an oven mishap in our new place, we missed out on having dessert this Thanksgiving, so I was really craving something sweet today. This was my first time trying a mug cake recipe and it was heavenly! I am semi-lactose intolerant, meaning I can have dairy but it has to be cultured like buttermilk, yogurt, cream cheese, etc. So, I substituted sour cream for the milk, hoping for the best. I also didn’t have a mug larger than 12 oz, so I used a 2 cup shallow ceramic baking dish instead. I also added about 1.5 oz. of cream cheese to the icing to make cream cheese icing. It was just delicious. Thank you so much for the recipe.

    ★★★★★

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  66. I’m a lazy girl, and this cake is just so yummy! I used a homemade icing on mine, and it’s heavenly!
    I’ll probably make this more often.

    Reply

  68. Dont know what is wrong with ingredients. My cake turned out hard.very hard.i just substituted butter with vegetable oil and clarified butter.sooo sad the taste is totally horrible. Can you tell me what mistake i did….

    Reply

    • Hi Jo, it sounds like you may have made too many substitutions. Next time, try the recipe as written and see if you have different results. I’ve tested this recipe many times and I’ve never had it turn out hard. As others have also written here, the recipe is really delicious. Hope you try again following the recipe as written. Good luck!

      Reply

  69. After a lot searching and many unsatisfying recipe attempts, I can honestly say that this is the best one I’ve tried- in terms of flavour AND consistency.

    ★★★★★

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  70. I adore this recipe but I think you have a typo. I think it’s supposed to be 1 TEASPOON of milk for the icing. A tablespoon is too much but a teaspoon makes the perfect icing.

    ★★★★★

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  71. Amazing mug cake! So moist, light and fluffy. One the fluffiest mug cakes I’ve ever made plus I had everything i needed in my pantry already!
    So amazing, I will for sure make it again

    ★★★★★

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  72. This recipe is absolutely sinful. I love it. The cake is so soft and fluffy and soaks the icing like sponge which is madness. I had it with my left over full cream milk to balance out the sweetness and it was divine. I’m currently a college dormer looking for a pick me up and don’t think I’ve ever had mug cake this perfect! Thank you so much for this!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • I hope you share the recipe with your entire dorm! Please do! LOL So glad you enjoyed it and let me tell you what. . .I know what those dorm days are like and when you need something sweet. . .you need something sweet. So glad this mug cake recipe came to the rescue! Thanks so much for your comment and rating!

      Reply

  73. I made it today with my girls. It’s perfect for a rainy afternoon… matched with a cup of tea. Love it so much. Thankyou for this recipe and greetings from Indonesia ?

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  74. Omg this looks intresting but i have no baking powder ,can i use baking soda insted if not what can i use (i have no cream of tatar) and if i use lemon juice will it be sour

    Reply

    • If you use baking soda, you will still need to add some acidity. If you have no cream of tartar, you could try plain yogurt. It’s your best best for adding some acidity without the flavor.

      Reply

  75. When i made it even with your ingredients, it turned out absolutely rotten that I had to dump it. I really was dissapointed that the cake mix tasted rather salty.

    ★

    Reply

    • Oh no! I’m not sure why it would have tasted salty – only a very small pinch is in the recipe. Maybe next time omit the salt? Not sure why your results were so different from others’. Wish it would have turned out better for you. Maybe try again with unsalted butter and no salt when preparing?

      Reply

      • Well I suppose i should’ve not bothered with the salted butter and I put in bread soda instead of baking soda, would that have made a big difference? I was so mad at myself since I never baked for myself before.

        Reply

  76. This didn’t work for me at all, it was either under cooked, or overcooked. No in between. The frosting was more like a glaze, and they both tasted…. bad. Sorry for the hate, but this recipe really, REALLY doesn’t work

    ★

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  77. I made this recipe today but found that the kids had polished off the milk earlier in the day. I substituted vanilla coffee creamer powder. It worked perfectly!

    ★★★★★

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  78. it’s really moist but it doesn’t really taste like anything. I was really hoping that it’s would have some kind of taste to it

    ★★★★

    Reply

    • Hmmm. Maybe add more frosting if you really like sweetness. Place a dollop of pre-made frosting on top of the cake in the mug as it comes out of the microwave and it will melt around it.

      Reply

  81. I made it with almond milk instead of regular milk and maple syrup instead of vanilla (I’m a college kid so I have weird ingredients on hand) and I also put some canned chocolate frosting on top and it’s really good!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Maddy, I love your substitutions. I know all too well what it was like to be in college and use whatever you have on hand to make a quick snack. So glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply

  82. So…i bought mini ramekins from Michael’s and tried this recipe. I was pretty tasty but VERY tough and chewy. Almost like eating warm bubblegum?. I’m going to try to adjust the time and maybe power…

    ★★

    Reply

      • Update! I played with the recipe. The ramekin is a good size, around 5x3x2. 4 Tbs. of mix, 4 Tbs. of milk, 2 drops of vanilla extract and then microwave for 1 min….its perfect!

        Reply

  83. I know this is an old blog post, but I recently came across this because I was looking for a simple recipe that I can mix up ingredients for different flavors of fun. Everyone has different recipes for their mug cakes and you can’t always change ingredients.

    I used olive oil instead of butter and 1/4 teaspoon of lemon extract instead of 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla. After I microwaved it, I topped it with some strawberries and my homemade lemon icing. Oh man! I had to write this down. This will be my go-to when I need a little sweetness.

    I want to thank you for sharing this recipe. It’s super simple and versatile.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  84. I’ve had some garbage mug cakes but this one really blew me away. Easy and delicious. I replaced the white sugar for turbinado sugar and added a few drops of orange oil to the icing, omitted the sprinkles. Amazing!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  85. So moist and delicious ?!
    I tasted great with this homemade apricot jam?. Thank you for making this. What would be the measurements if I wanted to use this for a full cake ?

    Reply

    • Oh, gosh. Hmm. . .I’ve never made this into a full cake so I’m not sure of the measurements. Glad you enjoyed the recipe in mug form!

      Reply

  86. Loved it so much just one thing I always add a little more milk because 4 spoons isn’t enough so I addon’t another spoon full.

    ★★★★

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  87. This is such an amazing resipe. I loved making it and it came out perfect. Totally made makimg dessert easier?. I was wondering though if you can make the vanilla cake a chocolate one by just adding cocoa powder or is it going to mess up the cake?

    Reply

  88. This mug cake is definitely the best I’ve ever had and I’ve been making mug cakes for about 10 years! I doubled the recipe, subbed butter and milk for vegan butter and almond milk, and subbed 1 tbsp milk for lemon juice in both the icing and the cake. I cooked it in a glass Tupperware container and it was amazing!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  89. Definitely the best vanilla mug cake! I’ve tried so many recipes and hated the consistency! This one is a winner 🙂

    Reply

  90. Made this without the icing and added some chocolate chips instead. Very fluffy and yummy without the eggyness. Thanks for the recipe. Love this.

    ★★★★★

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  91. My batter only came up to 1/4 th of my cup, and the mug was not uncommonly large. How ever, I used all of the ingredients in the right amounts. What happened?

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    • The batter won’t fill your mug, Julia. When the cake cooks it will begin to fill the cup. Did you try cooking it? Did it turn out after you placed it in the microwave?

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  92. I used coconut oil instead of butter and omg! This was so good and fast and simple to make when u are craving sweets and nothing is in the house.

    ★★★★★

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  93. It tastes good, but no matter how long you cook it for, it is still slimy and undercooked in some places.

    ★★

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    • Hi Cece, well that doesn’t seem right. Have you tried cooking it in different mugs? Sometimes microwavable crock soup bowls work well also. So many people love this recipe. I hope you’ll try it again. You may have to experiment a little with different mugs and cook times to get it right for the microwave you’re using.

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    • I don’t have much experience with lactose-free milk so I probably can’t help there. The good news is, because it’s a mug cake, the amount of ingredients used is small so you it gives you a bit more freedom to experiment with the recipe! 🙂 Let me know how it turns out with the lactose-free milk if you try it.

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  95. Just made this because I was really craving cake and wanted to watch my portion.. oh my gosh it was PERFECT! I mixed sprinkles into the batter to make it a confetti cake and skipped the icing because I’m not a fan personally. It was so moist and tasty <3

    ★★★★★

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  96. The best vanilla mug cake I’ve tasted so far! I did make some adjustments after the first batch. I use coconut oil instead of butter, 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream + 2 tbsp water instead of the milk, and increased cooking time. Also, if I feel like having chocolate cake, I just add 1 tbsp of dark cocoa powder and changes above to the recipe. Delish!

    ★★★★

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  97. Wanted a little something to go with the last of the vanilla ice cream, so I doubled the recipe and made a couple of mugs. Wonderful cake, moist and fluffy. Didn’t come out of the mug in one piece, but we were too busy scarfing it down to care. This is a diet wrecker, way too easy to make!

    ★★★★★

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    • I don’t include nutritional information on the recipes I share. I used to have a plug-in that calculated it for me but I saw too many inaccuracies. I didn’t feel comfortable providing information that I wasn’t sure was correct. I hope you understand!

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  99. This cake is very good! I have Celiac Disease but I decided to try it anyway and it was so good! What I did was I replaced the regular flour with rice flour and it worked the same. I also switched the milk for Dr. Pepper, another happy surprise! It tasted great and I bet you could switch the milk for any kind of soda. I like this recipe because its easy and it doesn’t take a ton of ingredients. Don’t be dumb like me and eat it straight from the microwave, I’d give it a minute or two. Great recipe easily made gluten-free.

    ★★★★★

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    • Well, technically yes but it’s not a 1:1 substitute. For every 1 teaspoon of baking powder, you would need to combine ½ teaspoon cream of tartar plus ¼ teaspoon baking soda. The other option is to use lemon juice and baking soda (it may affect the taste a bit more, though). You’d use a teaspoon of lemon juice plus a ¼ teaspoon baking soda to make 1 teaspoon of baking powder. Hope this helps!

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  103. First time making mug cake this recipe is awesome very moist and light cake I’m not a great fan of sugar so I’ve only used 2 tablespoons of sugar

    ★★★★★

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  104. It turned out polvorised and it smelled like buttering and tasted like sugar and it felt like sand in my mouth. Was very dissapointed.

    ★

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    • Myka, I’m so sorry to hear that the recipe didn’t turn out for you. If you followed the directions closely, you shouldn’t have gotten the results you did. 🙁

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  105. The absolute best mug cake I’ve ever tried !!!!! I felt like I’ve tried every mug cake online and I’m excited to say that I found the perfect one! Thank you.

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  107. We didnt have anything fun to snack on in the house tonight but had these ingredients, so we tried this… and I’m so glad! I’ve tried other mug cake recipes before but this was hands down the best.

    ★★★★★

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  108. This recipe works great! I’ve tried many before and I was starting to think mug cakes were only for the professionals. This tastes soooo good!

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  111. I skipped the icing and instead topped the cake with sliced banana, hot fudge, and vanilla ice cream. So yummy! I was nervous because the batter seemed thin, but I trusted the recipe and stuck to the measurements. I’m glad I did, because the cake was perfect! I had to cook it for 20 seconds extra because I have a low-watt microwave.

    ★★★★★

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    • I’ve never tried it, but let me know if you do. I suppose you could always put a dollop of Nutella over the warm finished cake also if you didn’t want to put it in the actual batter.

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  115. Very moist and rich mug cake! For a coconut twist, I replaced the milk with coconut creme coffee creamer, and the vanilla flavoring with coconut flavoring in both the cake and frosting. Next time I will try a lime glaze instead of the frosting to cut the sweetness a bit.

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  116. I loved the cake.It turned out very soft and moist. I just had to add more milk in the batter as it was very dry with only 4 tablespoons milk. The cake tasted awesome though. Thank for the recipe!!:) I will definitely make it again.

    ★★★★★

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    • Mug cakes can vary based on the size of mug you choose to use, etc. I’m so glad you found the right amount of milk to achieve the consistency you were looking for!

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  119. So delicious and super easy. It even works substituting to make it diary free. So instead of butter I use coconut oil, and I use almond milk. I’m playing around with different extracts to see what happens. And get different flavor combinations. Today I tried kalhua instead of vanilla. 🙂

    ★★★★★

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    • Hmmm. I’m sorry to hear that. You need to make sure you’re using a microwave-safe mug. If the mug you were using was marked as microwave-safe, I would contact the mug manufacturer and let them know what happened. Good luck.

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  123. Just made this and I’m not even finished eating it but I had to give you another rave review right away. This is my go-to now for mug cake! I used Cool Whip as a topping and let me tell you it was fabulous! I used vanilla almond milk due to lactose intolerance and just left out the vanilla. Divine!!!!

    ★★★★★

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    • It’s possible you cooked it too long. Every microwave cooks a bit different so you’ll need to experiment a little to see how much time the cake needs in your microwave. The 90 seconds I shared for timing is pretty standard, however.

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  125. Absolutely delicious!! Easy to make and yummy to eat! It has a super fluffy texture and is super super sweet. I’ve been looking for recipes and every one I find is chocolate so I was glad to find a nice yummy vanilla recipe!!

    ★★★★★

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  126. I have to say, I don’t know how your recipe is so good, but that mug cake tasted and looked amazing! <3 I didn't have any vanilla essence so I used a bit of golden syrup instead and it tasted lovely. Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe!

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  127. my 9 year old son made it all by himself! So moist and yummy! Only used 2 tbs of sugar in the cake and came out great!

    ★★★★★

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  128. HEY! I ABSOLUTELY loved this recipe!! It was so amazing! But I was wondering… if I were to make the icing chocolate, how much cocoa powder would I add? Thanks so much!

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  129. I made the regular version. It was good but next time I will mix the dry ingredients first because it had a slight baking powder taste. Thanks for the easy recipe!

    ★★★★★

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    • Hi Dori! I have mug cake recipes on the site that use eggs as well. An egg often leavens and firms the cake. In my recipe, the baking powder helps with that. I often use an egg in chocolate mug cakes because it’ll make the mug cake much richer, too!

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  131. That was the best mug cake I’ve ever made! I was craving something sweet and needed to be a fat kid for a second. Thank you so much 🙂

    ★★★★★

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  132. I tried this and it was gross!!
    Don’t know what happened I followed the recipe perfectly and it tasted like it was poisonous ☠️. It took almost triple the time it said on here and I have a high power microwave.
    So disappointed because all over recipes on here are lovely this one was just not good.

    ★

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    • Oh no, Olivia. I’m so sorry to hear this. This recipe is a reader favorite but as I’ve said before, microwaves differ and maybe the combination between the mug and the microwave didn’t turn out? I’m not sure but I’m so disappointed this didn’t work for you!

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  133. Does this recipe NEED the icing? If it tastes like a pound cake, that’s perfect. But if it’s a bit flavourless without the icing, then I’ll try something else. Just not a fan of icing I know, I’m weird).

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  134. i’ve always been sceptical of te idea of a mug cake (i mean…a cake…in a mug!…COOKED IN A MICROWAVE!?!) but this was simply delish. sadly, bc my microwave is older than me! some parts were not cooked (but that might’ve just been the way i mixed the butter in, next time i’ll use melted butter! or make sur met butter is soft enough!). def will make again!

    ★★★★★

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  135. I’ve never baked a mug cake. I was craving for a vanilla cake and google led me to your recipe. So good. So moist. Cravings satisfied 200%. (I only used 2 Tbsps of sugar as I am not a sweet tooth) thank you so much for creating this recipe…!

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  136. I love the recipe but could you make a flourless one for some of us who want to bake but don’t have all the supplies?

    ★★★★★

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  137. Love this recipe! I added some apples and cinnamon to mine and I really liked how it tasted although I had to cook it longer for the apples to be soft. Because i cooked it longer, it was a little dry. But still really yummy AND easy! Will have to use this as a date night dessert.

    ★★★★★

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  139. So good! I’ve made this every day since I found the recipe lol I like to add a little almond extract to give it a amaretto flavor ♡

    ★★★★★

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  141. Great recipe, I took out almost all the sugar and added some apple pieces that I cooked for about 10 mins with some cinnamon so yummy

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  142. Hi, I was wondering if I could use this vanilla mug cake recipe as base for other cake flavors. It looks pretty yummy and moist. Maybe just adding like baking soda if I make making chocolate mug cake? Would you agree? Thanks for the recipe. ?

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  143. Girl, oh girl, this recipe made for one ugly cake, but it was 100% delicious! I was craving something sweet and easy and this hit the spot! The recipe was perfect and the cake tasted great! I used some store bought frosting and sprinkles I had on hand, but I’ll definitely have to try the recipe you suggested. 5/5 stars!!!

    ★★★★★

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  144. Wow! Made this for my niece at 12am. She was telling me she wanted brownies or cake or something so I googled mug cake! My batter was really soupy so I was skeptical, might have added too much milk, but it actually turned out really qell! I think next time I’ll double the recipe though. Icing was tasty! I think overall I added a bit more vanilla. Thank you for the great recipe! It satisfied her late night sweet hankering.

    ★★★★★

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  145. This is the best mug cake I’ve made thus far. Usually they have a faint taste of baking soda, but this one does not. This recipe makes a cake that is moist, fluffy, and tastes great. Highly recommend! Don’t understand how it’s 4.5/5 stars, it is only a mug cake after all so you shouldn’t expect much.

    ★★★★★

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  150. In the recipe you call for baking powder, but in the video, it’s baking soda.. just want to verify which one the recipe calls for. Thanks!

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  151. It tastes good. The bottom was undercooked (which honestly doesnt surprise me) and the icing was more like a glaze. The cake was also a little dry. I probably won’t make it again but it had a good taste to it!!

    ★★★

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  152. I’ve made this many times and absolutely love it for a quick one serving dessert so that I don’t eat a whole cake. I often spread 1 TBSP of raspberry or strawberry rhubarb jam on the top and then pour 1/2 cup of vanilla custard or pudding over that. That ends up being 500 calories but it’s so indulgent that it keeps me on my diet! Just tried your chocolate mug cake today and love that too. The texture of both is perfect! Thank you!

    ★★★★★

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    • I’m so glad you’re enjoying both the chocolate and vanilla mug cakes. They’re just the right amount of sweet to keep a person satisfied!!

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  153. I’ve had some pretty terrible experiences with mug cakes but I can definitely say this is the best ever! My cake came out so light and fluffy and moist and I wanted more after it was done. I added blue food colouring to mine. Thank you!

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  154. I am 7 months pregnant and constantly struggling with a sweet tooth. This just changed my life!!! I used almond extract instead of vanilla and it was seriously perfection. Thank you!!!

    ★★★★★

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  155. Yummo! We’ve got little mugs at home that I wanted to try this with, so I roughly quartered the recipe. I used self raising flour instead of plain flour and baking powder, and added a tiny bit of a chocolate Easter bunny to it. Tastes delicious, thank you for sharing your recipe 🙂

    ★★★★

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    • Nope – it’s seriously 3 tablespoons of sugar. If you feel it’s too much, use less – just understand the taste will change.

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  160. BEST. MUG. CAKE. EVER. It is sweet and fluffy, drizzled in that heavenly icing that infuses the cake with more sweetness and moisture. I <3 this mug cake for all eternity, and this is bookmarked for sure! But then again, it isn't too hard to find based on how popular it is, which you should be super proud of Sara. Great recipe!

    ~Amy

    ★★★★★

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