Name: Vegan Vanilla Mug Cake
Prep time: 3 min
Cook time: 2 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 6 tbsp flour; 3 tbsp sugar; 1/2 + 1/8 tsp baking powder; 1/8 tsp salt; 4 tbsp dairy free milk; 1 1/2 tbsp neutral oil ((sunflower, coconut or vegetable)); 1/4 tsp vanilla extract; 1 tbsp vegan sprinkles, (optional)

If you’re looking for a solo treat without the hassle, then this vegan vanilla mug cake is the perfect treat that you need!

A hand holding a vegan vanilla mug cake sitting next to another mug of cake.

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We all know the feeling of wanting to have a treat, but not wanting to spend a lot of time actually making anything. Insert: vegan vanilla mug cake.

Mug cakes are just what they sound like. Cake made inside of a mug. In this case an oversized mug.

They take about 3 minutes to mix together in the mug and then less than 2 minutes inside of the microwave.

That’s right, a complete cake in just 5 minutes. This is enough for 2 small servings or 1 large serving

Two white mugs with vegan vanilla mug cake.

Frequently Asked Questions

My vegan mug cake tastes spongy, chewy, or rubbery. What happened?

Overcooking can happen very quickly with a mug cake leading to an undesired texture.

Under microwaving is better than over microwaving it and you can do it in increments after checking.

How do I know when my vegan mug cake is done?

The middle of the top of the cake will no longer be wet/moist when the cake is done.

My cake is dry. What happened?

There are a few reasons that this can happen.

Inaccurate measurements — since this is mostly tablespoons, make sure that you do not add heaping tablespoons. Level off the ingredients, especially the flour as this is the usually culprit.
Overmixing – You want to mix just until combined. The more you mix the cake, the tougher it will be. Do make sure that you get to the bottom and stir up all the flour.
Overcooking – As soon as the middle is no longer moist, the cake is ready. You don’t want to over cook it as the longer it’s in the microwave the harder it will get.

Why is there flour at the bottom of my mug still?

Flour is left if you did not completely stir the mixture together. Make sure when mixing that you get all the way to the bottom and stir together.

A spoonful of vegan vanilla mug cake resting on the mug of cake.

CAN I MAKE THIS A TOP 8 ALLERGEN FRIENDLY VEGAN VANILLA MUG CAKE?

There are a few ingredients that we are looking at for Top 8 allergens, but it is possible to make these Top 8 safe.

To start, use a gluten free flour (we like this GF flour).

Then, use a safe for you dairy free milk. We like oat, but you could use hemp or flax or pea milk for a top 8 free milk.

And finally, the melted coconut oil can be swapped with another oil like canola or you can use a soy free, dairy free butter like Earth Balance soy free in the red tub.

Can I make vegan vanilla mug cake in advance?

We don’t recommend making this up in advance. It only takes 5 minutes to make and is really is best served as soon as it is made.

If you did want this to go even faster, then you could make little containers filled with the dry ingredient mixture and then all you’d have to do when ready is add the wet ingredients.

Can I make this oil free?

Yes, you can replace the oil with the same amount of unsweetened, unflavored applesauce at the same stage the oil is added.

Note that oil is used for moistness, tenderness, and helping with the crumble that traditionally happens with cake. Swapping oil with applesauce can lead to a more dense cake.

Vegan vanilla mug cake with rainbow sprinkles and a small swirled dollop of chocolate frosting.

WHAT ARE SOME VEGAN FROSTING IDEAS FOR THIS CAKE?

One great thing about cakes is that you can mix and match frostings! We absolutely love doing this.

It’s important to note that you don’t have to make a frosting to go with this, it’s just an optional thing. Alternatively, you could just do some store bought vegan frosting.

Tip: Many store bought containers of frosting are made dairy free.

Some ideas for vegan cake frostings are:

The top of Vegan vanilla cake with star piped frosting and a single cherry on top.

WHAT OTHER DELICIOUS VEGAN DESSERTS SHOULD I TRY?

Once you have perfected these vegan vanilla cupcakes, you may be looking out for other delicious dairy free cupcakes or cakes. Here are some dairy free dessert recipe ideas.

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