Mug cakes are the easiest way to get a sweet craving under control. Learn how to make a basic vanilla mug cake in no time.
This recipe requires ingredients that you can find in every panty. You can make it in less than 5 minutes and the only thing that you are going to use is a mug. No dishes, no baking trays, zero washing tons of dishes. You won’t find any recipe easier than this!
This vanilla mug cake recipe is super versatile. It’s like a blank canvas: you can add sprinkles, chocolate chips, raisins, nuts, etc.
How to make a spongy vanilla mug cake?
When you make any type of cake it’s all about proportions. Sugar + flour + raising agent + oil + liquid + egg. That is the classic formula that will always give a spongy and moist cake.
For this particular mug cake, I had to readjust the ingredients to be perfect for 1 person — 1 mug — portion.
The ingredients I used:
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 4 tbsp self-raising flour
- 3 tbsp milk
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- + some sprinkles for a colorful touch. I made 1 mug with rainbow sprinkle — for me 🙂 — and other with chocolate sprinkles — for my boyfriend.
BTW, these are our everyday coffee mugs. We bought them at IKEA (1 pink and 1 blue) and they were our first purchase for the kitchen when we move together. Those days when I was starting to cook more frequently.
I like to look back to my first recipe in the blog and see how much I’ve progressed.
Because I wanted this recipe to be as easy as possible I decided to use self-raising flour, this way you use 1 ingredient instead of two. But if you have regular flour you will have to use ½ tsp baking powder to get the same result.
How to “bake” this mug cake?
The great part of this cake is that you don’t even need an oven. This is a microwave recipe that only takes 90 seconds to “bake”.
This cooking time varies from microwave to microwave. I recommend using the highest setting (not in broil mode) and cook for 1 minute then increase as much as needed (not more than 2 minutes). In my case, I cook my mug cake for 1 and a half minute. It’s better to add 20 seconds at the time than end up with overcooked mug cake.
The mug cake when comes out of the microwave will be a little runny on the top. This is totally normal. The cake will start to dry as soon as you take it out of the microwave. After I use the microwave I let the cake chill in the mug for at least 2 minutes.
Then you can serve it in the mug or place it in a plate — it won’t look perfect but it will taste amazing. I prefer just to eat on the mug just to not use more dishes that I will have to clean after. I’m that lazy!
I hope you enjoy this easy vanilla mug cake recipe and I see you in the next one!
Vanilla Mug Cake
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 4 tbsp self-raising flour
- 3 tbsp milk
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- Chocolate or Rainbow Sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
- Put the butter into the mug and take it to the microwave for 10 sec to melt it.
- Add the sugar, the egg, the flour, the milk, and the vanilla. Mix well until you get a homogeneous batter. If you want to add some sprinkles.
- Take to the microwave for 90 seconds or until the cake is completely done.
Nutrition
I’m Maria and I love cooking—and mostly EATING—food from all around the world. I’ve been sharing my abuela’s secret Latin-American recipes for the last 7 years with the world on this blog. I’ve been a full-time food blogger for many years and I’m always trying new delicious meals that don’t require a culinary degree or a Michelin-star chef. I also love traveling, cats, and knitting.
Love this! So easy and delicious!
Thanks Karly! I looooove your blog so much <3
Nice recipe!