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!
Will B. says
Heather, thanks for this nifty recipe! It works like a charm! I sometimes add a few drops of almond extract as well as vanilla and occasionally I'll add a layer of raisins between the cake and streusel layers (but tonight I added fresh blueberries). To cut down on some of the fat, I omit the butter in the cake part, and just have it in the streusel. The possibilities are endless!
maddie says
In the recipe, 1 tablespoon of butter is listed twice.
maddie says
Nevermind silly me. Great recipe
Heather says
No worries! 🙂
nicole says
I've made this many times and it's so good. Today, I didn't have any applesauce so I subbed half of a small very ripe banana and it is amazing!!
Heather says
Ooh, good idea! I'll have to try that.
Colleen says
Wow, delicious! This was my first time trying a mug cake, will make again, very enjoyable! Thanks!!
LAGraham says
I generally make the 3-2-1 mug cakes (3 tbsp. cake misture, 2 tbsp. water, 1 minute in microwave) BUT I use other cake mix flavors that just chocolate; I can mix a box of white, pineapple, red velvet, devilsfood - you name it - with a box of angle food cake mix and stove in ziplock bags, readh whenever I want to indulge. Chocolate is at the bottom of the list of flavors I'd make.
Robert Perkins says
I would like to serve 12 of these at one time and let my guests keep the mugs. Do you have a recipe for making a batch of these coffee cakes?
Heather says
I would just multiply the recipe by 12 and split it up evenly amongst the mugs. Good luck, that's a fun idea to have them keep the mugs!
Nan Trapp Messer says
This is all I hear,read about!! So...MUST,MUST see what all the fabulous reviewers are talking about!!
Lynne says
Love your recipes. I will look forward to the newsletter!
Jennifer W says
Has anyone ever made this in an oven? We don't own a microwave.
Chocolate Lover ^.^ says
Thanks for the recipe!
For some reason, I'm going through the mug cake/cookie phase.
I will try this soon!
Chocolate Lover ^.^ says
Just read my name and you'll know me 🙂
Dark Chocolate is one of my faves.
I can't wait to try this recipe.
Is it fine if I add like 1/2 tsp of espresso powder ?
Peg says
Totally want to try