Snickerdoodle Mug Cake
Snickerdoodle Mug Cake bakes up in the microwave in just one minute, yielding a warm, cinnamon-sugary treat that will satisfy any sweet tooth!
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How many times have you had a sugar craving, only to discover that there's nary a cookie nor a cupcake nor a candy bar in the house? Now that's not always a bad thing, mind you. Sometimes the only thing that prevents me from ingesting too much sugar is the fact that I made a point not to buy or make sweets in the first place. 😉
Mug Cake Love
But other times, IneedsomethingsweetandIneeditrightNOW! And in those instances, spending a few minutes throwing together a microwave mug cake seems a bit more refined than scarfing chocolate chips straight out of the bag.
Did y'all happen to catch the One-Minute Chocolate Peanut Butter Mug Cake that I posted last spring? Because it is, to put it bluntly, awesome. In fact, I've had quite a few comments from people declaring it the best mug cake recipe they've ever tried. And while it's hard -- nay, impossible -- to top chocolate and peanut butter, sometimes I'm in the mood for something vanilla-based instead. So I decided to take my Chocolate Peanut Butter M.C. and attempt to remove the chocolate...and the peanut butter. And would you believe my efforts were a success?!
Cinnamon Sugar Mug Cake
I clearly have a thing for snickerdoodle treats, seeing as how I've already shared cinnamon-sugary variations of popcorn, candied pecans, quick bread, muffins, and coffee syrup. So what would be more natural than a cinnamon sugar mug cake that ends up tasting like a soft, warm, snickerdoodle cookie?
Snickerdoodle Mug Cake is just that...a moist, tender cake, spiced with cinnamon and layered with cinnamon sugar. And y'all...it can be crossing your lips in under five minutes from start to finish! Just a few basic ingredients are mixed, poured into a mug, and microwaved. And then, before your very eyes, the batter transforms into cake, rising up to the top of the mug and then collapsing a bit once the baking stops.
Most mug cakes end up having a less-than-desirable texture...dense and gummy and just kind of weird. But not this one! I feel like the secret to a light, tender, amazing texture in a mug cake comes from leaving out the eggs. That's right! No egg in this mug cake recipe (or any of my others). It's not only easier to make a mug cake without an egg, but it turns out so much tastier!
(Oh, and I realize that y'all are smart enough to figure out how to layer the batter with cinnamon sugar, but I was playing around with baking one of these in a clear mug...so you get a photo. It was actually fun to watch the batter transform into cake, like some nerdy food blogger science experiment.)
This recipe is perfect for those there's-nothing-sweet-in-the-house sugar cravings. But since making it does require minimal effort, it's easy enough to stop at one. And one batch can even be shared! I actually make a couple of mug cakes for dessert sometimes and split them between our family of five.
Tips & Tricks
- The strength of individual microwaves can vary, so the first time you make this recipe, you'll need to experiment a bit to make sure that 1 minute is the perfect length of baking time. The nice thing about this treat is that even if it is undercooked, you don't have to worry about raw eggs!
- My Snickerdoodle Mug Cake was done to my liking in one minute and 15 seconds. This is slightly longer than I bake my Chocolate Peanut Butter version, since I prefer that one to have a molten center.
- Unsalted butter will work just fine in this recipe, but I find that using salted butter (or adding a tiny pinch of salt) adds a small flavor boost.
- A tall, cylindrical mug with straight (not angled) sides will ensure that the cake bakes evenly. I found a 14-ounce mug (the same dimensions as these) to be the perfect size to allow the cake to rise up while baking without overflowing. (I filled my mug to the top with water and then transferred the water to a measuring cup to determine its capacity.) If you use a smaller mug, you may want to bake the cake on top of a plate or paper towel to catch any possible overflow.
- I also advise you to place a plate under your mug the first time you make this treat to catch any potential spillage.
The bottom line is that this recipe is pretty darn flexible. Experiment with what you've got and you'll quickly figure out the winning formula!
If you like cake...if you enjoy snickerdoodles...if you're a fan of instant gratification...if you own a mug...this Snickerdoodle Mug Cake recipe was made for you! Please say that you'll try it and let me know what you think? And then go ahead and try the chocolate peanut butter version and let me know which one you like better.
Because for me? Honestly, it's a toss-up at this point. They're totally different but equally scrumptious. Guess I'll keep making them both until I can decide a clear winner. <insert fake sigh> Food blogging is a tough job, but somebody's got to do it... 😉
More Effortless Mug Cakes
Snickerdoodle Mug Cake
Video
Ingredients
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ cup milk, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons salted butter, melted and cooled
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For layering/topping:
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon until thoroughly, completely combined, with no streaks of any ingredients remaining. Blend in milk, butter, and vanilla until batter is smooth. Into a 14-ounce (or larger) microwave-safe mug with straight sides, scoop a big spoonful of batter, then sprinkle with a spoonful of cinnamon sugar. Alternate layers, ending with cinnamon sugar.
- Microwave on high for 1 to 1 ½ minutes, or until cake is done to your liking. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes before serving.
Equipment Needed
Notes
- A tall, cylindrical mug with straight (not angled) sides will ensure that the cake bakes evenly. I found a 14-ounce mug to be the perfect size to allow the cake to rise up while baking without overflowing. (I filled my mug to the top with water and then transferred the water to a measuring cup to determine its capacity.) If you use a smaller mug, you may want to bake the cake on top of a plate or paper towel to catch any possible overflow.
- The strength of individual microwaves can vary. The first time you make this recipe, be prepared to experiment a bit to make sure that 1 minute is the perfect length of baking time. The nice thing about this cake is that even if it is undercooked, you don't have to worry about raw eggs!
- Unsalted butter will work just fine in this recipe, but I find that using salted butter adds a tiny flavor boost.
Nutrition
Adapted from One-Minute Chocolate Peanut Butter Mug Cake
Originally published on January 15, 2015
This was really good! I've made mug cakes in the past but this one was the best!
I used Cup4Cup gluten-free flour and substituted milk with some leftover half-and-half. It tasted like a cinnamon roll!
Yum! Just for fun, I made this with the “help” of my two-year-old granddaughter yesterday. I’ve tried a few mug cake recipes in the past and really wasn’t too impressed by them. This one takes mug cakes to a whole new level. I’m a big fan of snickerdoodle cookies and just couldn’t resist giving this recipe a try. I’m so glad I did. Can’t wait to try the chocolate peanut butter one next. Thanks for sharing the recipe.🙂👍🏻👍🏻
It baked well but was bland. Not much flavor. Its ok in a pinch
I've only tried a mug cake once and that was years ago. It was terrible, but I was having a real sweet tooth a few moments ago and decided to give this recipe a shot based on all the great reviews. The recipe was simple to follow of course and I'm really impressed with how it turned out! I went really light on the cinnamon sugar layers this time since I tend to not like my desserts 'too sweet', but will be using the suggested amount next time. The texture was the winner for me... wasn't dry at all. It was the perfect texture. Thank you for the recipe! I will be adding this to my favorites 🙂
This is a great mug cake recipe! Has a nice cake crumb that doesn’t fall apart and had great flavor. I talked mine with canned whipped cream and it was perfect.
This was good and had good taste . I will be try again
Delicious! I especially loved that there is no egg- in the past when I have attempted mug recipes, all you can taste is the egg.
Thank you for sharing! I will be using this again often!
Tastes delicious!! Easy to follow recipe
I think this might be my favorite mug recipe ever!
This is definitely the best mug cake I have made. The only thing I changed is that I used buttermilk. Thank you for this recipe!
This is actually delicious! I've tried mug cakes before and they've always been off to me. This is the first one that tastes like cake. This is not just cake but really good cake. I love snickerdoodle cookies and this is a really good cake version.
This is such a good recipe! I use it all the time. I would recommend microwaving it on power mode 7 or 8, and let it cook for about a minute after it gets out of the microwave.
One of the best mug cake recipes! It cooked really nicely & evenly, and tasted like a “real” cake! Will totally make it again!
This was delicious! Will definitely be making again. I don't usually trust mug cake recipes but this is one of the better ones out there
this is really good totally making it again
Not bad! Tastes more like a really good muffin than a cake, but I did enjoy it. I did like that is has a moist texture than most cake mugs recipes.
Most mug cake recipes that I try are too dry and pretty bland. That’s not the case with this recipe - it was SO GOOD. I’m impatient so I microwaved my milk on 30% power for 15 seconds instead of waiting for it to get to room temp. Worked great! I’d also recommend adding a tiny bit of extra salt - it makes it taste even better.
This was so tasty OMG.
This sounds super good! I want to make it with my middle school cooking club. Do you think we can make it in microwavable paper cups?
Hi Monica! I haven't tried it myself, but I Googled it and found an article saying that paper cups will reportedly work. 🙂 https://www.thekitchn.com/5-important-things-to-know-about-making-any-dessert-in-a-mug-233961
So good!!
After looking online for a vanilla mug cake recipe, I eventually found this one. It was perfect. Loved the addition of the cinnamon sugar to make it snickerdoodle! It was really good. I would absolutely make it again. I made a few changes bc that is what I had: used buttermilk in place of milk; added 1/8 tsp baking soda for the buttermilk; added a dash of nutmeg with the cinnamon/sugar layer mix; used 1 TBS melted butter + 1 TBS oil.
I didn’t want to overbake it, so I microwaved it for 55 seconds, but then had to add about 15 seconds. Thanks for a great recipe!
Really good! I never usually comment on these things but I felt like I needed to here. 🙂 Made the recipe exactly how intended, and it turned out fluffy, not overly sweet, and moist without being raw. I hate vanilla mug cakes, and this has been the first one I actually enjoyed!
Wow! It taste great even after I cut the sugar(I used 1 1/2 tbsp)and so easy to make. I love it!
This has been my go-to mug cake recipe for quite a while now! It's perfect to fulfil a cake craving at the end of the week. I've tried a few other mug cake recipes but they often end up rubbery. I make this recipe exactly as described and it's soft, fluffy and amazing! It's a rainy, gray day today; just the right day to make this recipe with the kids!