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
Units
Scale
- 1/2 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)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder (see note 4)
- A pinch of sea salt (like 1/16 teaspoon if you’re set on measuring it)
- 1/4 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