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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.
Bella
Pretty good but mine was WAY TO DRY I put it in for 90 seconds
Sara
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!
Abbey
This mug cake is amazing. I used soy milk instead of regular milk it was so yummy!
Bethany
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 ^-^
Sara
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!!
Emily
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.
Sara
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!
Alycia
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!
Sara
What a great idea to add raspberries and white chocolate chips! You're making me hungry!
Leigh
Loved it but it looked so good husband stole half next time need to make two
Sara
Ha! Ha! Yes, next time double it up!
Christina M.
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!
Sara
I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Christina!
Caitlin
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❤️❤️.
Sara
Ooh, what a great idea! I never heard of cinnamon powdered sugar!
Jenny
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.
Sara
🙂 It's sure a lot faster than baking a full cake, isn't it?!
Emma M.
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.
Sara
I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Emma!
Aiza
Mine turned out perfect. It's delicious. Thank you! Love from Malaysia.
Michelle
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.
Sara
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!
Sophia
I LOVED this recipe. I really needed a pick me up and it was perfect!!! Thanks for sharing your recipe!!
Samantha
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!
Sara
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!!
Monique
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.
Bonnie
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!
Sara
I love it!! Thanks for such a sweet message, Bonnie! I'm glad your daughter approves!!