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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.
Georgina
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.
Sara
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?
Georgina
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.
Mug cake lover
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
Sara
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.
Ria
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 ?
Sara
I'm so glad you and your girls enjoyed the recipe. I love the fact you paired it with a cup of tea. That sounds divine!
Denise
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!
Sara
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!
Anny
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
Sara
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!!
Babs
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.
Shiana
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.
Sara
Thank you, Shiana! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Jo
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....
Sara
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!
Noshi
Can I use Baking soda instead of Baking powder??
Sara
Unfortunately no. They are not the same thing. You'll need to use baking powder or you won't be happy with the results.
Samantha
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.
Sara
I'm not sure I know anyone who likes complicated recipes! So glad you enjoyed the mug cake!
Sonia
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.
Sara
Good work on such creative thinking! It sounds like your version turned out wonderfully!
Belles Macklemore
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.
Sara
Thank you so much, Belles! I'm so happy you enjoyed the mug cake!
Mic
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!
Sara
I love the idea of adding in Nutella!!
Lauren
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.
Sara
Lauren, I'm so glad you enjoyed it! It's such a quick go-to treat. Perfect for the coming winter season!
Becky P
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!
Sara
I love the addition of chocolate chips!