This Coffee Cake In A Cup Recipe is the perfect remedy for a sugar craving! If you've tried other coffee mug cakes and weren't sold, you have to try this one! It takes about a minute to bake in the microwave and about that much time to mix it together. It's fluffy, light, and has an irresistible streusel topping!
Coffee Mug Cake
I usually try to stay FAR, FAR away from the microwave when it comes to anything besides reheating food. In fact, Baking in the microwave pretty much goes against everything I believe in. Until now.
I'm guessing you've probably tried a coffee mug cake by now and have been underwhelmed by it, am I right? I know I have! I think we all want to believe that we can spend a few minutes mixing something up, throw it in the microwave and have a decadent creation presented to us by the microwave gods 1 minute later. Because, well, that would be cool.
Well, I'm here with some good news! I have a coffee cake in a cup recipe that doesn't suck! 🙂 And when I say it doesn't suck, I mean it's reeeeeaaaalllly dang good. Like, the microwave gods are really pleased with themselves and how this coffee mug cake turned out.
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If you've been following the blog for a while, you know that I posted this coffee cake in a cup recipe a long time ago-- 5 ½ years ago to be exact! And, I figured it was time to take some updated pictures (aka- give myself an excuse to make some cake).
Does Coffee Cake In a Cup Have Coffee In It?
If you read through the comments at the end of the post you'll see a pretty common thread-- "Why doesn't this have coffee in it?!?" Well, here's the answer: Traditional coffee cake DOESN'T actually have coffee IN it. Instead, it's a cake that is commonly served WITH coffee.
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Tips for Making Coffee Cake In A Cup:
- Make sure your mug is big enough to allow the cake to rise about 1 inch. Nobody likes cleaning out the microwave. 🙂
- Microwave ovens all vary so your cooking time will vary, too! My microwave cook this cake in a cup perfectly at the 6o second mark. I suggest starting at 50 seconds and going up in 10-second intervals until the center is set. You can check this by inserting a toothpick into the middle and if it comes out with only a few moist crumbs, it's done!
- The BEST way to eat this cake in a cup is straight out of the microwave when it's nice and hot! Of course, you can let it cool as to not burn your face off, but once it's cooled completely it loses some of its magic.
Want More Coffee Mug Cake Recipes?
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{2 minute} Coffee Cake in a Cup
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 2 Tablespoons applesauce
- vanilla extract few drops
- ¼ cup All Purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- In a mug soften 1 tablespoon of butter in microwave, about 5 seconds. You don’t want it melted, just soft. Stir in 2 tablespoon of sugar and mix until well incorporated. Stir in applesauce, vanilla (just a tiny bit, we’re talking drops), flour, baking powder, and pinch of salt; stirring until just combined. Use the back of your spoon to smooth it out in the bottom of the mug.
- Want struesel? Of course you do! In a separate, small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of butter, 2 tablespoon of flour, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon. Use your fingers to to pinch the butter and mix it in with the other ingredients. When it starts to look like lumpy sand (appetizing, eh?) and all ingredients are combined, pour on top of cake batter in mug.
- Cook in the microwave for 50-80 seconds depending on your microwave. At 1 minute, my microwave cooks it perfectly. It will look just barely set on top. You don’t want to overcook it and things tend to get ugly fast in the microwave. I suggest cooking it 50 seconds, and then in 10 second intervals checking after each interval until done. Eat white it’s still warm. Once it cools off, it tends to loose some of it’s magic!
Jesse says
Wow! This is perfect. I didn't have applesauce so I used 1/4 of an apple, diced, and 1 tbs of plain greek yogurt. Microwaved for 1 min 15 sec and came out perfectly cooked and moist. Thanks!
Fabelicious says
This came out beautiful for me. Not doughy at all unlike other cakes in the mug. I subbed the white sugar in the cake part with brown sugar and it was just enough sweetness for me. Perfect and dangerous for that late night cravings!
Kristen says
I found this to be really sweet :O
But I had run out of Vanilla extract earlier in the week so I tried it with Almond extract. I had thought that the almond would make it more coffee-like but it just made it too sweet.
Heather says
Yeah, the almond extract might do that.
Kathleen says
I screwed it up unfortunately, it smelled doughy and didn't look dark brown on top like the pictures (now assuming you used dark brown sugar vs. light) and so I overlooked it. It was chewy and inedible, totally my fault though. Oh well.
Heather says
Oh no! The top doesn't brown, it just stays the color of the brown sugar. I used regular brown sugar, though the picture might look a little dark. It's totally worth a try again! 🙂 Good luck! It doesn't take much longer than a minute.
Dee says
Just saw this on Pinterest and tried it immediately. Loved it! This was my first cake in a mug because I've heard mixed reviews on others. This was dynamite - thanks for sharing!
Daniela @ food recipes HQ says
I love coffee, good to know I can make desserts with it other than tiramisu!
Lisa says
Totally hit the spot...thanks for sharing!
Brenda says
Oddly enough the cake was good, but the crumble was way too wet! I will tweak that next time and lessen the sugar as I found this really sweet. GREAT base cake, tasty and not rubbery! So excited to have found a 'cup' cake that isn't chocolate!
Lisbeth Ramirez says
My 10yr. old daughter cooked this one cup cake and we all love it. It very easy for children to make and it satisfies a sweet tooth. I did add the flax seed and I like it even better. thanks for this great recipe.
Shona T. says
Loved it! I have made it two mornings in a row, hahaha, there goes my diet! I did cut it in half the second time around, and I used my homemade yogurt for the applesauce. It turned out a little more doughy than a real coffee cake, but definitely better than most microwave cake recipes. Thanks!
Becky says
Just tried this.... couldn't hold a candle to my grandma's coffee cake, but is BY FAR the best mug cake I've ever eaten! Thanks!
Hannah Williams says
Oh this was delicious! I've been looking for an instant breakfast food I can make and this is perfect. I just softened the butter a little longer than you suggested and waited until my struesel topping looked like wet sand. Thanks for sharing.