How to Make a Mug Cake (plus 38 Mug Cake Recipes)

Mug cakes are the perfect treat for one and are easy and quick to make with just a mug and a microwave. I’ve shared countless mug cake recipes over the years and today I’m sharing how to make an easy vanilla mug cake plus 38 of my most popular mug cake recipes.

I first made a mug cake back in 2011 and since then I’ve shared 185 mug cake recipes on this site! They are one of my favorite treats to make because you only need a mug, a microwave and, depending on the recipe, just a few ingredients to make one. I love that I can make a simple single-serving dessert whenever I get a craving for something sweet. My mug cake recipes are some of the most popular ones on the blog.

I even wrote a cookbook about mug cakes! 5-Minute Mug Cakes*  has close to 100 creative and fun mug cake recipes for every occasion. (*This product link is an affiliate link. This means I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.)

Recently, I realized the one mug cake I haven’t made is a simple vanilla mug cake. So, I decided to create one to add to the collection.

Vanilla Mug Cake

This vanilla mug cake is easy and a classic. It’s simple but full of vanilla flavor and a quick and easy way to get a cake fix without having to bake an entire cake or batch of cupcakes. If you’ve never tried making a microwave mug cake, this is a great one to start with.

I’ve also rounded-up some of my most popular mug cake recipes after the vanilla mug cake recipe including keto mug cakes, flourless mug cakes, and, of course, chocolate mug cakes. So, I hope you find some new mug cakes to try!

How to Make a Mug Cake

You will need the following ingredients:

• flour
• baking powder
• sugar
• vanilla bean paste
• milk
• oil

• Add all ingredients into a microwave-safe mug. I always recommend starting with a larger mug so you have enough room to mix all your ingredients and have enough room for the cake to rise. Since this is supposed to be a single serving dessert, the end result should only be about the size of an unfrosted cupcake. You can then replate the cake in a smaller mug, which is what I did here.
• Once all ingredients are added, whisk with a small whisk until batter is completely smooth.
• Cook the cake at full power in the microwave for about 1 minute. I used an 1100 watt microwave. Your cooking time may vary depending on the wattage of your microwave.
• Once the cake is done, you can decorate it however you wish. I love adding some whipped cream or Nutella spread. You can also add a glaze, frosting, syrup, fruit, jam, etc.

Vanilla Mug Cake

Servings: 1

Prep Time: 4 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 minute minute

Total Time: 5 minutes minutes

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

A simple and classic vanilla-flavored mug cake. This cake is light, fluffy and cooks in the microwave in about 1 minute.

5 from 10 votes

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Ingredients

• 4 tbsp cake flour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 3 tbsp fat free milk
• 2 tsp canola oil

Instructions

• Add all ingredients into a large microwave-safe mug. Mix with a small whisk until batter is completely smooth.
• Cook cake at full power in the microwave for about 1 minute or until cake is done. I used an 1100 watt microwave. You may need to adjust cooking time depending on your microwave wattage.
• Let cake cool a few minutes. If desired, you can plate in a smaller mug. Top with toppings of your choice. The cake is best eaten soon after it is cooked.

Notes

• You can use all purpose flour but your cake won't be quite as light in texture. I normally don't use cake flour for my mug cakes, but because this cake is just vanilla cake with no other mix-ins, I wanted to create something lighter.
• Vanilla bean paste is used because it adds more natural vanilla flavor to the cake and specks of vanilla bean too.
• You can substitute fat free milk with other milks or milk substitutes.
• I recommend making the cake in a large mug and then replating in a smaller mug if desired. It is easier to mix the ingredients in a large mug and it will ensure you cake has enough room to rise.
• Since this cake is supposed to be a single serving, it is only the size of an unfrosted cupcake. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1cake, Calories: 254kcal, Carbohydrates: 37g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 21mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 16g, NET CARBS: 36

The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.

Did you make this recipe?I'd love to see it! Mention @KirbieCravings and tag #kirbiecravings!

More Mug Cake Recipes

I’ve rounded up a few favorite mug cake recipes including my favorite keto mug cakes and flourless mug cake recipes, but you can browse all of my Mug Cake Recipes for even more ideas!

Chocolate Mug Cake Recipes

I love brownies, cookies, and cakes but sometimes when a chocolate craving hits, I want something quick. That’s where these chocolate mug cakes come to the rescue. Whether you want just a pure chocolate treat or one matched up with peanut butter or Nutella, these single-serving cakes hit the sweet spot.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Mug Cake | This mug cake combines so many of my loves: chocolate, chocolate peanut butter cup candy, and peanut butter. The peanut butter gives this cake a very rich, creamy and moist texture. The chopped chocolate peanut butter cups melt slightly when cooked so there are pockets of melted chocolate throughout the cake.

4 Ingredient Molten Nutella Lava Mug Cake | I love molten chocolate cakes. For me, my ideal lava cake has a very light, delicate cake shell, with a hot, molten, liquid center.  This is exactly how this cake turns out. And it’s Nutella flavored, which just makes it even more amazing. For a simpler cake, try my 4-Ingredient Nutella Mug Cake, too.

Brownie Mug Cake | This single-serving brownie is rich, chocolaty and fudgy. It comes together in just a few minutes and makes a delicious treat, late-night snack or dessert.

Hot Chocolate Mug Cake | This cake tastes just like hot chocolate in a cake form. It’s a perfect treat for cold days and is best served warm with the marshmallows still gooey.

Chocolate Chip Mug Cake | This single serving microwave chocolate chip mug cake starts with a fluffy brown sugar cake base mixed with chocolate chips. It cooks in just 1 minute and tastes like a chocolate chip cookie that got turned into a cake.

3 Ingredient Nutella Brownie Mug Cake | This mug cake is so fantastically easy and is always such a hit when I make it. It’s chewy, fudgy, Nutella-y. If you really want to kick it up a notch, you can top it with ice cream and fudge sauce and make a whole brownie sundae out of it.

Skinny Chocolate Ice Cream Mug Cake | Got some chocolate ice cream in the freezer? Use it to make this easy 3 ingredient chocolate mug cake! Check out the post for all my best tips for making this cake.

Keto Mug Cake Recipes

In the last few years, a lot of my readers have adopted a keto diet and so I’ve taken some of my regular mug cake recipes and reinvented them to be keto-friendly. These keto mug cakes are low-carb and easy to make and you don’t have to be on keto to enjoy them! I hope you find some new ones to try!

Keto Lemon Mug Cake | This cake gets its lemon flavor from both lemon juice and lemon zest. The lemon juice soaks into the batter and makes the batter ultra-moist. The lemon zest really enhances the lemon flavor throughout the cake.

Low Carb Snickerdoodle Mug Cake | This is a fluffy cinnamon cake that tastes like a snickerdoodle cookie in cake form. It’s an easy single-serving cake that cooks in the microwave and is gluten-free, low carb and keto-friendly.

Keto Brownie Mug Cake | I love brownies and it’s so fun to come up with new ways to make single-serving brownies in the microwave. This keto brownie is easy to make and rich and fudgy. It will definitely cure a chocolate craving. You might like my Keto Chocolate Mug Cake, too.

3 Ingredient Keto Almond Butter Mug Cake | This mug cake is fluffy with a subtle nutty almond flavor. I like to top the batter with chocolate chips before I pop it in the microwave.

3 Ingredient Keto Peanut Butter Mug Cake | This easy mug cake has a flourless souffle-like texture. If you love peanut butter this low carb cake is the perfect treat.

Keto Blueberry Cake | This blueberry-studded mug cake is perfect when you’re craving a fruit dessert. It starts with a light and fluffy vanilla cake and is mixed with fresh blueberries. You can also use other berries like strawberries or blackberries.

Keto Chocolate Chip Mug Cake | This cake is like my regular chocolate chip mug cake, but keto-friendly. The cake is a light and fluffy vanilla cake and it’s studded with mini chocolate chips.

Flourless Keto Pumpkin Mug Cake | During the fall I love to create pumpkin treats and this easy pumpkin mug cake is a great way to get all the fall flavors without all the carbs.

Keto, Low Carb Microwave Cheesecake | Regular cheesecake can be a pain to make, but this easy microwave cheesecake is simple to mix up and it makes just enough for one serving. I also have a regular (non-keto) version with a graham cracker crust, so be sure to check out my 10 Minute Microwave Cheesecake Mug Cake.

Keto Chocolate Peanut Butter Mug Cake | Chocolate and peanut butter is one of my favorite combinations so I had to create a keto-friendly mug cake to feature those flavors! If you love peanut butter cups you will love this mug cake.

Keto/Low Carb Mug Bread | So, this isn’t a cake but I had to share this mug bread here because one the hardest things about keto for some people is giving up regular bread. So, I created this easy microwave keto bread that looks like bread and has a very similar texture. Be sure to read the comments to learn how readers are using it to make toast, pizza, garlic bread and more!

Flourless Mug Cakes

Years ago, I made my first flourless cake and I fell in love with the rich and fudgy texture. It wasn’t long after that I figured out how to make flourless mug cakes, which are just as good as regular cakes. Without any flour, these cakes are so easy to make!

Flourless Chocolate Avocado Mug Cake | This flourless chocolate avocado mug cake is super fudgy and chocolatey. It’s also paleo, vegan and gluten-free. And it cooks in the microwave in about 2 minutes.

Flourless Nutella Banana Mug Cake | I love the combination of banana and Nutella, but I don’t always want to make a whole loaf of banana bread. So, this easy mug cake is the answer when I get a craving.

Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Mug Cake | This flourless mug cake features a peanut butter cake studded with melted chocolate chips. It’s easy to make in just a few minutes!

4 Ingredient Flourless Chocolate Mug Cake | Whether you’re in the mood for a quick treat or you’re looking for something easy and special to make for dessert, this flourless chocolate mug cake should do the trick. 

Flourless Almond Butter Cake | This flourless almond butter mug cake is just four ingredients and ready in minutes. It is fluffy, moist and you won’t believe it doesn’t contain any flour. I also have an easy Flourless Cashew Butter Mug Cake, too.

Flourless Pumpkin Mug Cake | This gluten-free mug cake tastes just like my favorite pumpkin bread in a single-serving size.

Nutella Pumpkin Mug Cake | Or, if you want a Nutella twist, you should give his easy pumpkin mug cake a try.

4 Ingredient Flourless Chocolate Peanut Butter Mug Cake | With just four ingredients, you can have a chocolate peanut buttery treat in just minutes. I like to drizzle mine with some chocolate fudge to dress up the cake a little.

3 Ingredient Flourless Nutella Mug Cake | This single-serving Nutella mug cake is ridiculously easy to make with just 3 ingredients. It’s rich, dense, chocolatey and everything a flourless cake should be.

3 Ingredient Flourless Peanut Butter Mug Cake | This cake is peanut buttery, but also light and fluffy. You won’t believe it’s flourless. If you have peanut butter, eggs, and sugar you have everything you need to make it!

More Creative Mug Cake Recipes

Like I mentioned, I have over 100 mug cake recipes and I couldn’t include them all in this post. So, here are a few of my favorite mug cakes that have a creative spin on them.

Red Velvet Lava Mug Cake | This red velvet mug cake has a molten lava chocolate center. It’s a festive cake for the holidays that is ready in just a few minutes.

Cookies n’ Cream Mug Cake | A white chocolate cake base with crushed Oreo cookies throughout. This microwave cake cooks in just 1 minute. If you want more chocolate you might like my Chocolate Cookies and Cream Mug Cake.

Lemon Cloud Mug Cake | This lemon mug cake is so light, it’s like eating a cloud. It has just the right amount of lemon flavor and is paired with an airy whipped cream frosting and lemon peel curls.

Baileys Irish Cream Mug Cake | This easy mug cake has an adults-only twist with some Baileys Irish Cream in the batter. It’s great year-round, but especially at St. Patrick’s day when you want a festive treat. Want a flourless version? Be sure to check out my Flourless Baileys Chocolate Mug Cake, too.

Triple Coconut Mug Cake | If you love coconut, this is the cake for you. It’s made with coconut oil, coconut milk with coconut flakes inside the cake and on the top.

Avocado Mug Cake | This naturally green colored avocado mug cake is light, fluffy and delicious. Sweet avocado is a surprisingly delicious flavor.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Mug Cake | Creamy, fluffy, eggless peanut butter cake mixed with melty chocolate chips. If you love peanut butter and chocolate, you’ll love this mug cake.

Cinnamon Roll Mug Cake | A cinnamon roll but in mug cake form! This fluffy cinnamon cake has actual swirls of cinnamon sugar throughout and is topped with cream cheese icing. You can even make a giant one and eat it like a regular cinnamon roll.

Blueberry Mug Cake | This simple fluffy cake is not overly sweet and is bursting with fresh blueberries. It works for breakfast, an afternoon snack, or any other time of the day.

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