Vanilla Mug Cake

This vanilla mug cake is perfect when you just need one serving or don’t want to fuss with making a big dessert. This recipe can easily be doubled if you need extra!

I really love to bake – at least sometimes I do. Other times, I just want a piece of cake. And part of intuitive eating, I’ve learned to honor my hunger and satisfy my cravings. Unfortunately, I can’t always have everything I want when I want it. Sometimes, I forget to put certain things on my grocery list. Other times, it’s just not reasonable to satisfy a craving at that moment, or I don’t want to go through the work (like baking or going back to the store) to satisfy.

I love this mug cake recipe for that reason – I can truly satisfy my craving with minimal effort. It’s a mug cake made with ingredients that generally go into larger cakes (and none of that cardboard tasting diet-y stuff), and it’s easy. (Side note: it’s not diet-y to use some substitutes for ingredients that I mentioned below if you’re opting for a more plant-based eating pattern or adapting for an allergy like celiac disease. I’m referring to the substitutes just for the sake of low calorie.) While this “serves 1,” it’s okay if you need more – intuitive eating teaches us that no one else knows our own hunger or desires, so it can be easily adjusted to give you the right amount for you and what you want.

Ingredients for the Vanilla Mug Cake Recipe

Butter: I love the taste of real butter in cake, but if you’re plant-based or vegan, you can use your favorite buttery spread.  

Sugar: Plain old white sugar is best to use. You can sub in brown sugar, honey, or agave nectar, but it might change the texture.   

Milk: I used 2% milk because it’s what I had, but again feel free to use a plant-based milk if you want. Vanilla-flavored plant-based milks might give a little extra vanilla kick for more flavor.  

Vanilla extract: Do yourself a favor and always buy the 100% vanilla extract, not the imitation – the flavor is so much better.  

Baking powder: No swaps here – baking powder is needed to make it rise.   

Salt: Just a tiny pinch is all you need. Salt makes the flavors more pronounced.

Flour: I used all-purpose flour. You could go with cake flour also, but if you’re gluten-free, I would try a gluten-free baking mix of flours or this one here.

Toppings: My favorites are whipped cream, mixed berries, and/or sprinkles, but you do you – top with whatever you like!

How to Make a Vanilla Mug Cake

Mug cakes are the easiest thing to make on the planet. Just like making a regular cake, you’ll mix your wet ingredients separate from your dry ingredients and then mix them together until smooth. I used a large ramekin for mine, but all you need to “bake” the cake is a large coffee mug. You’ll microwave the mug cake about 60 seconds, then top with your favorite toppings.

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