Ridiculously fast and easy, this delicious Vegan Vanilla Mug Cake is the perfect dessert for one (or two) and it’s almost impossible to mess up. Just mix up the wet ingredients, add the dry, microwave for about 2 minutes and you’ve got yourself one serving of fluffy and moist vegan vanilla cake.
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Hey Internet, remember my vegan mug brownie? Y’all seemed to love it, and I loved making it. So dang easy.
So here’s a new one: a vegan vanilla mug cake!
This one is so good, full of sweet vanilla flavor with a light, fluffy yet moist (sorry) texture and beautiful crumb.
For those of you who aren’t bakers, it’s also almost impossible to screw up. Just follow my recipe and instructions and you’ll have yourself a delicious single serving dessert.
That’s the other thing I love about it! While I like making cakes, there’s always so much in the house after.
Tempting me. Calling me. Liz, eat me. You won’t gain weight, I promise.
The cake is a liar. But enough of that.
This recipe is for one serving. Just one. Double or triple it if you want to make some mug cakes for other people, because this individual cake is just for this [dog] momma.
It’s also kinda customizable. You’ll see what I mean.
P.S. If you're into easy desserts, try my list of 50+ No Bake Vegan Desserts!
What You’ll Need
- Flour: I just used regular unbleached all purpose flour in this recipe, but you can use what you like. For a fluffier cake, I’d stick to the all purpose, but you can also try using whole wheat or spelt. If you’re gluten-free, try using a good quality blend like Cup4Cup or King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten-free flour. Oat flour or almond flour may also work, but they may make a slightly denser cake. Add a half teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to help with this.
- Baking powder: This just helps the cake rise and be more like a springy fluffy cake, but if you don’t have it, don’t worry about it. If you have baking soda, try using that and a half teaspoon of apple cider vinegar.
- Sea salt: Just a pinch for flavor and texture. If you’re keen on measuring like I am, it’s about 1/16 of a teaspoon, but really, just a tiny pinch is fine!
- Sugar: While I used organic cane sugar--mostly for color to be honest--any should work. A less refined option would be coconut sugar, but you can use anything you’d like, even date syrup or maple syrup (just use a tiny bit less non-dairy milk).
- Spotty banana: I promise the finished cake doesn’t taste like banana. We’re only using half of a small or medium spotty banana here, and mashing it up to replace the egg and oil. A good substitute would be applesauce, but remember it will be less sweet than the banana. Other options include vegan butter or oil, though I’d use a bit less.
- Solid coconut cream or milk from a can: Just a tiny bit--this helps the cake be fluffy and rich since it’s the only form of fat in the recipe. Vegan butter (softened) will also work fine here. I’ve also tried nut butter (same amount) and it works great. If you want your vegan mug cake to be fat free, skip this entirely.
- Non-dairy milk: I used unsweetened original flavor (not vanilla, but you could if you want) non-dairy milk that comes in a carton. You only need a tablespoon or so to make a thick batter but it has to have enough liquid to allow you to mix all the dry ingredients in properly.
- Vanilla extract: It wouldn’t be a vegan vanilla mug cake without vanilla flavoring, right? You can also use vanilla bean paste or vanilla bean powder.
- Sprinkles, optional: It doesn’t make or break the recipe. They’re just fun and tasty. Make sure to look for vegan sprinkles since many of them have shellac, which is derived from insects.
How to Make a Vegan Vanilla Mug Cake
- Note: Both a 12 oz and a 16 oz mug will work for this recipe. The 12 oz (what I used) will look a little fuller but it's the same amount of cake. Also the batter may puff up quite a bit in the microwave and look like it’s going to explode--don’t worry, it lowers once you open the door and a little more after that.
- Start by peeling and mashing the banana. You can mash it right in the mug if you’d like, but I find that slightly challenging angle wise and just mashed it in a small bowl instead.
- Add the coconut cream or softened vegan butter, non-dairy milk, and vanilla extract. Mix well. Add this mixture to the mug if it’s not already in there.
- Add the sugar to the mug, then add the baking powder, salt, and finally the flour. Mix well, making sure to scrape the bottom and sides to make sure the flour is mixed in. If you’d like to stir in some sprinkles throughout the mixture, go ahead and do that now.
- Add some sprinkles on top if you’d like.
- Microwave for approximately 1 minute and 30 seconds to 2 minutes and 45 seconds. Don’t overcook it! Start with 1 minute and 30 seconds, then add 15 seconds at a time after checking it. How long it takes will vary by microwave. We have a crappy microwave that’s older than me (it doesn’t even have a turntable!) so ours took a little longer. You’ll know it’s done when the top is tacky or smooth, not wet or sticky or when an inserted toothpick comes out clean, or with tiny crumbs on it (which is the best doneness because it’s super tender at that point).
- Oven Method: If you don’t have a microwave, you can still make a single serving cake in an oven safe mug or ramekin. Bake it on the top rack of your oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (or 177 degrees Celsius). You’ll want to bake it for 5-10 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Be extra careful when removing it from the oven.
- Serve with vegan vanilla ice cream if desired and enjoy!
More Easy Vegan Desserts
- Vegan Mug Brownie
- Smores
- Or if you want to get fancy: Smores Cookie Bake
- Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies (no chill)
- Matcha Pound Cake
- Lavender Nice Cream
- Apple Cake
- Mango Nice Cream
- Toasted Coconut Nice Cream
- Banana Bread
Anything Else?
As always, I hope you love this recipe–I know I do and so does Mr. Zardyplants. We keep making these over and over again. They’re seriously just the awesomest after a long day at work.
This vegan vanilla mug cake is:
- Fluffy
- Moist
- Tender
- Sweet
- Warm
- Cozy
- And the perfect dessert for kids and adults! It’s even easy for kids to make, though young children might need help removing a hot mug from the microwave.
Let me know in the comments below if you make this recipe or tag me @Zardyplants on Instagram so I can see your beautiful recreations! If you tag me on IG, I will share your post in my stories :)
Also, one quick request: if you love how this recipe looks or tastes, please leave me a 5-star rating and a nice comment–ratings help more people find my recipes which helps me keep providing them! Thank you!
<3 Liz
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Vegan Vanilla Mug Cake
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 serving 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Ridiculously fast and easy, this delicious Vegan Vanilla Mug Cake is the perfect dessert for one and it’s almost impossible to mess up.
Ingredients
- ½ medium overripe or spotty banana, mashed (see note 1)
- 1 tablespoon solid canned coconut milk/cream or softened vegan butter (see note 2)
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-3 tablespoons organic cane sugar or sugar of choice (see note 3)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder (see note 4)
- A pinch of sea salt (like 1/16 teaspoon if you’re set on measuring it)
- ¼ cup all purpose flour (see note 5)
Instructions
- Note: Both a 12 oz and a 16 oz mug will work for this recipe. The 12 oz (what I used) will look a little fuller but it's the same amount of cake. Also the batter may puff up quite a bit in the microwave and look like it’s going to explode--don’t worry, it lowers once you open the door and a little more after that.
- Mash the banana: Start by peeling and mashing the banana. You can mash it right in the mug if you’d like, but I find that slightly challenging angle wise and just mashed it in a small bowl instead.
- Mix wet ingredients: Add the coconut cream or softened vegan butter, non-dairy milk, and vanilla extract. Mix well. Add this mixture to the mug if it’s not already in there.
- Add dry ingredients and stir: Add the sugar to the mug, then add the baking powder, salt, and finally the flour. Mix well, making sure to scrape the bottom and sides to make sure the flour is mixed in. If you’d like to stir in some sprinkles throughout the mixture, go ahead and do that now.
- Add sprinkles: Add some sprinkles on top if you’d like.
- Cook: Microwave for approximately 1 minute and 30 seconds to 2 minutes and 45 seconds. Don’t overcook it! Start with 1 minute and 30 seconds, then add 15 seconds at a time after checking it. How long it takes will vary by microwave. We have a crappy microwave that’s older than me (it doesn’t even have a turntable!) so ours took a little longer. You’ll know it’s done when the top is tacky or smooth, not wet or sticky or when an inserted toothpick comes out clean, or with tiny crumbs on it (which is the best doneness because it’s super tender at that point).
- Oven Method: If you don’t have a microwave, you can still make a single serving cake in an oven safe mug or ramekin. Bake it on the top rack of your oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (or 177 degrees Celsius). You’ll want to bake it for 5-10 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Be extra careful when removing it from the oven.
- Serve: Serve with vegan vanilla ice cream if desired and enjoy!
Notes
- Note 1: I could not detect any banana flavor in the finished mug cake, but if you don’t have any overripe bananas, or you can’t have bananas, here are a few options: Sweet potato or pumpkin puree, unsweetened applesauce, or mashed avocado.
- Note 2: This helps the cake be fluffy and rich since it’s the only form of fat in the recipe. Vegan butter (softened) will also work fine here. I’ve also tried nut butter (same amount) and it works great. If you want your vegan mug cake to be fat free, skip this entirely.
- Note 3: While I used organic cane sugar--mostly for color to be honest--any should work. A less refined option would be coconut sugar, but you can use anything you’d like, even date syrup or maple syrup (just use a tiny bit less non-dairy milk).
- Note 4: This just helps the cake rise and be more like a springy fluffy cake, but if you don’t have it, don’t worry about it. If you have baking soda, try using that and a half teaspoon of apple cider vinegar.
- Note 5: For the BEST cake texture, I recommend either unbleached all purpose flour or a cup for cup GF flour like Cup4Cup or King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten-Free Flour. I’ve tested this recipe with a few different flours--and although the texture changes a bit, it definitely still tastes good.
- Prep Time: 3 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 minutes
- Category: Dessert, Snack
- Method: Baking, Microwave
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Vegan, Oil-Free, Soy-Free, Nut-Free, Can Be Gluten-Free, Can Be Refined Sugar-Free, Mug Cake, Vegan vanilla mug cake
Enigma Jones
This was a fantastic recipe and easy to make. It went great with a nice scoop of ice cream too :-)
★★★★★
Amie Jensen
Picky kid approved!
★★★★★