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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!
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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?
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?
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. . .
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 ¾ 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!
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.
Add some sweet icing, and you'll forget the cake was ever even in a mug. What mug? See.
I let the icing soak in a little bit while I filled a glass of milk. . .AND. . .put a few more sprinkles on top.
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?
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Easy Vanilla Mug Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 4 Tablespoons flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 3 Tablespoons sugar
- ½ Tablespoon butter (softened)
- 4 Tablespoons milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
For the Icing
- 3 Tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon butter. softened
- 1 Tablespoon milk
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
For the Cake
- Mix all ingredients in a bowl.
- Pour into greased mug (at least 16 ounces).
- Microwave on high for 1 minute 30 seconds (or 90 seconds).
For the Icing
- Mix all ingredients together and drizzle over cake either inside the mug or pop cake out of mug onto plate.
Notes
- Mind the Mug Size: Use a mug that is at least 16 ounces in size to allow for the cake to rise without overflowing during microwaving. Using a smaller mug may result in the batter spilling over and creating a mess in the microwave.
- Check for Doneness: Microwave cooking times can vary depending on the wattage of your microwave oven. After microwaving the cake for the recommended time of 1 minute and 30 seconds, check the cake's doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center. If it comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, the cake is ready. If not, microwave in 10-second intervals until done to avoid overcooking.
- Customize Your Icing: Adjust the consistency of the icing to your liking by varying the amount of milk added. For a thicker icing, use less milk, and for a thinner drizzle, add more milk. Additionally, feel free to add a drop of food coloring to the icing for a pop of color or swap vanilla extract for other flavor extracts like almond or lemon for a different flavor profile.
Richard Tunner
This was the easiest cake ever! It tastes best if you use a high quality pure vanilla.
Roger
I loved this recipe it was so flavorful but it did start crumbling at the bottom but other than that it was amazing.
Becky L
Such an easy and yummy dessert for one! I like lemon and raspberry so I subbed one T of the milk for lemon juice and added about 1/2 t of zest. I folded in raspberries, and made the icing using lemon juice instead of milk. Soooo good!
Sara
What delicious substitutions, Becky! Yum!
Jasmine
I love this mug cake, but the mug cake is too high on sugar so I just don't do the icing nor the sprinkles and I also don't put in so much sugar.?
Mindy
Just found this recipe...tried it and am SO PLEASED. I love that it doesn't need an egg. Could easily be paired with a little fruit for a very light, sweet dessert (or breakfast, to be honest!) and hits the SPOT with the thin frosting. I wish I could share this recipe with my grandmother...she lived alone for over 40 years and would have loved this quick, one serving dessert.
Sara
Thanks so much for your sweet message, Mindy! If you don't want to take the time to mix up the frosting, you could always just top with some Cool Whip as well!
Amy@ RidingwithEsther
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
Sara
Thanks so much for the sweet comment, Amy! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Adrianna Cahill
So surprisingly good! I'm going to try a matcha version.
Anonymous
I made it but mine went everywhere in the microwave
Sara
Your mug must have been too small. Try it in a larger mug next time!
Sue
Is that seriously 3 tablespoons of sugar for one mug cake? Or is it
Meant to read teaspoons?
Sara
Nope - it's seriously 3 tablespoons of sugar. If you feel it's too much, use less - just understand the taste will change.
Tia
Too sweet
Anonymous
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 🙂
Sara
I love your addition of the chocolate Easter bunny! Fun!
Christine Gonzalez
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!!!
Sara
So glad this satisfied those cravings! Best of luck to you for a safe and healthy delivery. Congratulations!
Vhunzai
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!
Sara
So glad you enjoyed it! Yay!
Liv
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!
Sara
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!!
steph
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!!