Coffee Mug Cake

I’ve all been there. It’s 10:00 PM on a Tuesday, or maybe it’s a lazy Sunday morning, and you just need something sweet. You want that warm, bakery-style pastry smell in your kitchen, but you definitely don’t want to wash a dozen pans or wait an hour for the oven to heat up.

That is exactly why I’m obsessed with this Single-Serve Mug Coffee Cake.

I remember the first time I tried making a mug cake. I was in college, starving, and had almost nothing in my pantry. I expected it to taste like rubber, but I was so wrong. This recipe is actually based on those old-school New York crumb cakes. You know the ones? They have that thick, spicy cinnamon layer that sticks to your teeth.

I spent a few weekends tweaking this to make sure it stays fluffy and doesn’t turn into a “hockey puck” in the microwave. It’s fast, it’s cheap, and it’s perfectly sized for one person.

The Game Plan

Before you start, here is the “flight plan” for your snack. It’s super easy. Even if you haven’t had your morning coffee yet, you can handle this.

Feature	Details
Difficulty	Beginner / Very Easy
Prep Time	5 Minutes
Cook Time	45–60 Seconds
Best Tool	12oz Mug & a Fork
Yield	1 Serving

Pro tip: Use a fork instead of a spoon to mix the batter. The tines of the fork act like a tiny whisk. It helps break up those annoying flour clumps much better than a spoon ever could.

What You’ll Need

The best part? You probably have all of this in your kitchen right now.

The Base:

• 2 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder (this makes it fluffy!)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• A dash of vanilla extract

The Fats & Liquid:

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (or Greek yogurt if you want it a bit tangier)
• 1 tablespoon milk (regular or almond works fine)

The Topping:

• ½ tablespoon brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

I personally love using dark brown sugar for the top. It has more molasses in it, which gives it a much deeper flavor than regular white sugar.

Let’s Cook Together!

Step 1: Prep the mug. Give your mug a quick spray with some non-stick spray. Trust me on this. It doesn’t just make cleaning easier. It actually helps the cake “climb” up the sides of the mug so it stays light and airy.

Step 2: Mix the dry stuff. Grab your fork and stir the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder right in the mug. You want that baking powder spread out evenly so you don’t get a weird metallic taste in one bite.

Step 3: Add the wet ingredients. Pour in your oil (or yogurt), milk, and vanilla. Stir it gently. You want it to look like thick pancake batter.

Whatever you do, don’t over-mix it! If you stir it too much, the cake will get tough. Stop the second you don’t see any more white flour.

Step 4: The Cinnamon Top. Sprinkle that brown sugar and cinnamon right on top. Do not stir it in. We want it to sit there and melt into a crunchy, sugary crust.

Step 5: The “Bake.” Put it in the microwave. Most microwaves take about 45 seconds. You’ll know it’s ready when the top looks dry and the whole house smells like a bakery. If it looks wet or shiny, give it 15 more seconds.

Make It Your Own

Once you get the hang of this, you can get creative. It’s like a blank canvas for sugar.

• Make it Crunchy: Add a teaspoon of chopped pecans or walnuts to the top.
• Make it Chocolatey: Drop a few mini chocolate chips into the batter.
• Make it Seasonal: Use pumpkin pie spice instead of cinnamon in the fall.
• Dietary Tweaks: If you’re vegan, just use the oil and almond milk. If you’re gluten-free, a 1-to-1 flour blend works great here because the cook time is so short.

How to Eat It

Mug cakes are a bit like a diva—they want all the attention right now. They are meant to be eaten while they are warm. As they cool down, they can get a little dry.

If you can’t finish it, cover it with some plastic wrap, but try to eat it within an hour or two. I wouldn’t recommend freezing these. Instead, just keep a little jar of the “dry mix” in your cupboard so you can make a fresh one whenever you want.

Serving Style	Best Paired With
The Classic	A hot cup of black coffee
The Dessert	A big scoop of vanilla ice cream
The Breakfast	A side of salty bacon or berries

The good news? This process is so simple it’s basically easier than boiling an egg.

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