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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.
Ms Stoneiy
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.
Sara
I love your idea with the lemon. It sounds delicious!
Geo
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!
Sara
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!
Josie
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.
Sara
Glad you liked it, Josie!
Prisha
For the icing it was too sugary
I tried making it with heavy cream and without butter and it tasted like doughnut icing!
Sara
That sounds so good!
ChocolateLoaf
This mug cake is ok... I could really taste the vanilla and it was kind of light and airy. I guess I'll continue to make chocolate mug cakes instead. Threw this one out.
JJ
I love this!!
Carole
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.
TJ
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! ^_^
Aditi
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
R
Amazing! Instead of the glaze I used strawberries with sugar.
Urooj
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.
Muneer
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.
Sara
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Great idea with the cinnamon!
Rae
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
Amanda
thank you so so much for this. I made this and put diced strawberries and whipped cream on mine. Yum!
Bethany E
Hey, I want to make this but I don't have baking powder. What could I use to substitute it?
Sara
You could try baking soda and lemon juice if you have that. Measurements are a teaspoon of lemon juice plus a ¼ teaspoon baking soda to make 1 teaspoon of baking powder.
R
I used self rising flower and left out the baking soda