Best Pumpkin Spice Mug Cake
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You know that delicious pumpkin bread or cake at Thanksgiving that you can’t resist having a slice of? Well, this is exactly what this single-serving pumpkin mug cake tastes like.
It’s so tasty and so fast! A normal pumpkin cake takes an hour to bake. This one takes 1 minute and 15 seconds.
I’ve made a lot of pumpkin mug cake variations, but this is by far my favorite. It’s got all those amazing spices: ginger, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon. It’s soft, fluffy, moist and pumpkiny. Excuse me while I go make myself another one!
By the way, if you enjoy this recipe, it’s one of the nearly 100 recipes in my new 5-Minute Mug Cakes book.
Want more pumpkin ideas? Be sure to check my round-up of 35 Pumpkin Recipes!
Pumpkin Spice Mug Cake
You know that delicious pumpkin bread or cake at Thanksgiving that you can't resist having a slice of? Well, this is exactly what this single-serving pumpkin mug cake tastes like, but it doesn't take an hour to make!
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp all purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp granulated white sugar
- 2 tbsp fat free milk
- 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp pumpkin puree
- 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/16 tsp ground ginger
- 1/16 tsp ground cloves
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients into an oversized microwave-safe mug. Mix ingredients with a small whisk until batter is smooth.
- Cook in microwave for approximately 1 minute and 15 seconds. Cake is best consumed within a few hours of it being cooked.
Notes
Excerpted from 5- Minute Mug Cakes by Jennifer Lee. Copyright © 2014 by Jennifer Lee. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. This is not a comprehensive list of all the nutrients in the recipe (i.e., does not include vitamins, cholesterol, etc). I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating and review below!
I have been using this recipe for years! A couple times a year I get a late night pumpkin spice craving, and this recipe has been my go to for many years! But tonight I pushed a Lindt white chocolate truffle into the center before microwaving. Omggggg!!! So amazing!!
Thank you for sharing! I love the idea of adding a white chocolate truffle to the center
Is there a reason that whenever I make mug cake it comes out too dense? I added a little extra baking powder so it wouldn’t happen, but it still did. I also reduced the sugar and added almond milk instead.
reducing the sugar will make the cake dense. also you may want to make sure your baking powder is still fresh and active.
I don’t know if this is why it wasn’t very good, but I used oat flour (I can’t have wheat) and it came out like sludge. I’ve used oat flour with a peanut butter mug cake/cookie recipe (as well as half of a banana) and it was great. I also used oat flour with a mug cookie recipe that called for an egg yolk and it turned out really well. Will be using egg from here on out.
oat flour is definitely the reason your cake didn’t turn out right. it’s a very wet batter and the oat flour would not be able to absorb enough of it compared to wheat flour so it won’t work as a 1:1 substitution
Okay, it’s 2020 and I “needed” a late-night comforting snack and found your recipe. I’ve tried many “mug cake” recipes – all were terrible. NOT yours! It comes out exactly as it says: moist and delish! I used almond-coconut milk and spelt flour, and dropped a few choc chips on top when it came out of the m/w — my m/w cooked it perfectly in exactly 1 minute, not over. Thanks for a way to use that weird dab of pumpkin left in the can after making other things. YUM.
I’m so glad you enjoyed!
These are the BEST! Quick, easy and so delicious! My fiance LOVES them and during the holidays he asks me to make him one just about every night for dessert.
Question: We want to bring these for our family to try as well. If I make a large batch of the batter and wanted to cook them all together in a cupcake pan to be smaller in size and more of a hand held treat,, would the recipe work baking them in the oven? If so, for how long and at what temperature?
THANK YOU FOR THIS RECIPE!!
Sorry I have not tested baking these. I’m so glad you like them though. And I do have several pumpkin bread and muffin recipes that are baked. https://kirbiecravings.com/pumpkin-bread-3/
https://kirbiecravings.com/pumpkin-donut-muffins-oil-free/
I used pumpkin baby food rather than buy a whole big can of pumpkin puree. I’ve got two mug cakes out of my jar, I might be able to squeak out one more.
what a good idea!
Thank you for this recipe, it was absolutely delicious! I used unflavored almond milk and Pillsbury gluten free all purpose flour and it came out perfect! Topped with cream cheese frosting. This was SO easy to do and made with ingredients I already had on hand. I have a feeling I will now be eating way too much cake because of this recipe! Even my husband who isn’t a huge pumpkin fan thought this was tasty.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! yay!!
Sooooo good easy to make, thanks for sharing
Perfecto,,,,,!,,
so glad you enjoyed this!
Do I have to use ginger? I don’t really like the taste.
it’s usually used in pumpkin bread/cake, but of course you can leave it out if you don’t like the flavor
What is the icing or drizzle you added in the picture?
butterscotch caramel!
This is the best mug cake I’ve had! I used a heaping 1/4 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice instead of the individual spices and added chocolate chips and it was perfect. Thank you!
so glad you enjoyed it!
I just made this subbing coconut milk and light olive oil and it was delicious! I cooked for a minute and a half.
yay! glad you liked it
(cont). mug cake.
*ginger
To the poster above who wanted to make puree -I made it this weekend.
There are two ways.One involves roasting it in the oven for 45 mins. and then pureeing it in a mixer/blender.This is the most common method found online.
The other involves boiling and then pureeing it. I did this method.Cut the pumpkin, pressure cook it for 10 mins per 200/250 gms, then puree it in the mixer/grinder. You can boil it w/o the pressure cooker, it’s just faster with one.
It lasts in the freezer for about 6 months and a few weeks in the fridge.
I used it for the above recipe. I used whole milk and had to add an extra tablespoon of milk for the correct consistency/smoothness, and microwaved it for 1 min @ 900 degrees C. @ 1350 W. My microwave is pretty strong and it generally requires 1 min, so I don’t think more time is needed for fresh puree.
Late at night, out of milk,, so I used pumpkin spice creamer and used a little more than 2T.
YUM! Thank you!
ooh sounds good!
This is literally the best mug cake I have ever tasted! I had to have a second! Pumpkin is my favorite flavor, all year long! I added a few chocolate chips. Exquisite!
yay! so glad you like it!
Do you think that you could use pumpkin pie spice instead of ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon?
yes and no. yes it will work. but i think adding in the spices individually make a difference because it’s a different ratio.
I need to buy some more pumpkin so I can try this out! I always love the mugs you use.
Hehe, thanks! I am so obsessed with mugs.
What kind of effect do you think replacing the milk with soy milk might have?
hmm, I’m not quite sure. I think it will work but it won’t taste exactly the same.
Mug cakes are just my favourite thing to make ever – they are the perfect quick and easy comforting desserts! I have never made a pumpkin version before and you definitely have inspired me to do so. Pinned!
hope you enjoy!
Hi, I would like to make this mug cake but I live in Australia and we don’t have the pumpkin puree that comes in cans. Could you maybe make a post on how to make pumpkin puree at home that is able to be used like canned pumpkin puree because I’ve heard that homemade pumpkin puree is much more watery than canned.
Thanks
yes homemade pumpkin puree is usually much more watery. Sorry I dont have a recipe to replicate canned pumpkin puree. Perhaps if you search on the internet you can find one
For homemade pumpkee puree that is not watery, bake in oven at 325ºF until soft (fork tender). Let cool completely, then process in batches in food processor or blender. Easy peasy!
thanks for sharing!