With this easy microwave gluten-free vanilla mug cake recipe, you're just five minutes away from a fluffy dessert for one. With this gluten-free vanilla mug cake, you personal cake the toppings to your heart's content. Mix in sprinkles or cookie dough and top with whipped cream, fresh fruit, or ice cream!
This post is sponsored by Andronico's Community Markets, a year-long partner of Snixy Kitchen, but the opinions are all my own.
Someone jokingly asked if I'd be making my own birthday cake this month. Usually yes, with the help of my kids. Don't get me wrong, I love baking with my kids, but sometimes I just want to relax on my birthday.
So this year, I planned ahead. For the past month, I've made over 30 mug cakes to develop the perfect recipe for gluten-free mug cake. Sure, I could have just made a couple of normal-sized cakes at that rate, but I was dedicated to the cause.
Here I'm sharing the perfect fluffy gluten-free vanilla mug cake recipe, but if chocolate is more your style, I developed the perfect rich gluten-free chocolate mug cake recipe as well!
By the time my birthday rolled around, we could each have our favorite flavor cake in less than 10 minutes from start to finish, leaving plenty of time to snuggle up on the couch with a movie.
What is a mug cake?
A mug cake is a single-serving cake that's mixed up and microwaved in a mug. Best eaten warm with a spoon right out of the mug. You can serve it as is or get creative with your favorite toppings (see below!).
Mug cakes satisfy your cake cravings quickly without the need to pull out all your baking equipment or preheat the oven. These microwave cakes are no fuss and cook in 1-3 minutes.
Why you'll love this mug cake
This vanilla mug cake cooks up light and fluffy with a sweet tender crumb. Add sprinkles for optimum fun. Serve warm with a dollop of whipped cream and/or fresh berries!
Andronico's: Ingredients for Gluten-Free Vanilla Mug Cake
This gluten-free vanilla mug cake has endless flavor mix-in or topping variations. The ingredients are simple baking staples, all of which I've stocked up on at my local Bay Area Andronico's Community Market. I love that Andronico's carries high-quality organic sugar, and a wide array of Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flours. Both of these recipes use Bob's Red Mill Oat Flour, which I always keep on hand! Don't forget to swing by their seasonally rotating sprinkle aisle while you're at it!
- Gluten-Free oat flour: Don't have oat flour? Grind up rolled oats in a blender and sift to make oat flour
- Almond flour: Using just oat flour will create a gummy cake, but almond flour helps it turn into a light and fluffy mug cake.
- Sugar: Just enough to taste like cake and not oatmeal
- Baking powder: For extra fluffiness
- Milk: Either dairy or dairy-free
- Unsalted butter or vegetable oil: I prefer butter in a vanilla cake because of the flavor it adds, but you can also use vegetable oil or plant butter.
- Egg yolk: No white needed as it will dry out such a small cake
- Vanilla extract: For that classic flavor
- Optional: sprinkles!
Can you Make this Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Mug Cake
To make this mug cake dairy-free, replace the milk with your favorite non-dairy milk, such as oat milk or almond milk, and use the oil variation!
Can you Make a Vegan Gluten-Free Mug Cake?
I think a flax egg should work (sub out the egg for ½ tablespoon flax meal + 1.5 tablespoons water), but I haven't tried it! If you do, please leave a comment below!
How to make Gluten-Free Cake in a Mug
Making a gluten-free mug cake is as simple as 1-2-3
- Whisk together the wet ingredients in a 12-ounce or larger microwave-safe mug. For a cleaner appearance, you can mix up the cake batter in a separate bowl and then pour it into the mug to microwave.
- Whisk in the dry ingredients using a fork until smooth. Fold in any mix-ins.
- Microwave!
How to microwave a gluten-free mug cake
Given that a mug cake "bakes" up super quickly in a microwave, it does require a bit of finessing to figure out the timing for your particular microwave. Follow these tips!
- Use a large mug. Your mug should hold at least 12 ounces. Anything smaller and your cake will overflow in the microwave, making a giant mess. If you aren't sure, fill up your mug with water, then pour it into a measuring cup to check. Anything smaller and your cake will overflow in the microwave, making a giant mess. Here's the mug I like for mug cakes.
- Start with less time, then add. Each microwave performs differently, so it's best to err on the shorter side of time. After 1 minute, check to see if the cake looks fully baked and is no longer sticky on top, adding 15 more seconds at a time until it's done. Overcooking a mug cake will lead to a dry rubbery cake. No one wants that. When in doubt, take it out! Slightly undercooking a mug cake is 1000x better than overcooking a mug cake (gooey cake with ice cream on top? I'm listening...).
- Take care removing it from the microwave. The mug will be hot! I recommend using a potholder.
- Let cool just 2-3 minutes. Like the mug, the cake will be hot when it first comes out of the microwave. Let it cool 2-3 minutes before digging in. This allows the crumb to set, creating a lighter fluffier texture. That being said, mug cakes have an optimum shelf life of about 30 minutes, so don't let it cool too long!
Mix-in Variations for Gluten-Free Mug Cake
With this classic vanilla mug cake base, the mix-in options are endless! Customize the cake to your current cravings. Here are some suggestions to dollop on top or mix in before cooking.
- ½ tablespoon of peanut butter or nutella dolloped on top
- A ball of gluten-free edible cookie dough inside
- A handful of chocolate Chips: white, semi-sweet, dark, peanut butter chips, or even toffee chips!
- Blueberries folded into the batter
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest folded into the batter
How to top a Gluten-Free Mug Cake
Not all cake needs frosting. Here are a few topping ideas to serve over your fully-cooked mug cake!
- Whipped cream or whipped coconut cream
- Ice cream
- Sprinkles (see also: fun)
- Chocolate or caramel sauce
- Buttercream frosting: I often have leftover frosting in my fridge or freezer - this is a great use! Alternatively, mash up 1 tablespoons room temperature butter with 2.5 tablespoons (20g) powdered sugar, a splash of vanilla extract, and a splash of milk until smooth.
- Toasted nuts
- Fresh fruit
- Quick fruit compote
Recipe
Fluffy 5-Minute Gluten-Free Vanilla Mug Cake
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (or vegetable oil)
- 1½ tablespoons milk, dairy or non-dairy
- 1 large egg yolk
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons (21 g) super-fine blanched almond flour
- 2½ tablespoons (21 g) gluten-free oat flour
- ⅜ teaspoon baking powder
- Optional: 1 tablespoon sprinkles
- Optional for serving: Powdered sugar, whipped cream, and/or ice cream
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a 12-ounce or larger mug, whisk together all the wet ingredients: oil or melted butter, milk, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. For a cleaner appearance, you can whisk together the cake batter in a separate bowl and then pour it into the mug to cook, or for fewer dishes, whisk it directly in the mug.
- Add the dry ingredients and whisk until completely smooth. If you mixed the batter up in a separate bowl, pour it into the mug. Fold in any mix-ins of your choice that you want to be dispersed throughout the batter: sprinkles, nuts, fruit, etc. For add-ins such as chopped chocolate, peanut butter, nutella, or edible cookie dough, dollop these on top without mixing.
- Microwave on high. For each cake, start at 1 minute, then add 15 seconds at a time until fully baked. Microwave 1½-3 minutes (on my microwave, it takes exactly 2 minutes 30 seconds). Let cool 2-3 minutes and serve with your favorite toppings, such as whipped cream or ice cream!
Notes
Can you bake this mug cake?
I knew you'd ask this, so I tried it. And while technically it works, the texture is not ideal. This recipe is specifically designed to work with a microwave. For a small oven-baked cake, bake ⅓ of this recipe in a 6-inch round cake pan: Gluten-free vanilla cakeStoring Mug Cakes
Don't do it. Mug cake is meant to satisfy your instant cravings. Due to the nature of microwaving the cake, it has an optimum shelf life of about 30 minutes, after which point, the texture changes drastically. I don't recommend microwaving the cake in advance. Rather, microwave it right when you want it! If you absolutely can't finish your mug cake, store it at room temperature and reheat it for about 10-15 seconds in the microwave to bring back some life to the texture.Help! My mug cake is dry or chewy/rubbery?
If your mug cake turned out dry, chewy, or rubbery, the culprit is more than likely overcooking. Just 15 seconds can make a drastic difference, depending on the microwave. Start with less time on the clock, checking the cake for doneness, and adding more time in 15-second intervals as needed.Did you make this recipe? Please leave a review and rating to let me and others know how you liked it!
Crystal Vo -
Delicious! I used Gluten free all purpose instead of oat flour and soy milk for dairy. Added a teaspoon of lemon zest and a few freeze dried raspberries to it! Super fluffy and satisfying! I will definitely come back to this recipe again!
Sheri Nix -
I love mug cakes for dessert! Can't wait to try these!!