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!
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 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
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.
Video
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
When you give up chocolate for lent, and everything in the house is off limits, this hit the spot. I had to give it 2 1/2 mins and it didn’t rise or very little but tasted great 👍
Ha ha, yay! And chocolate is quite the sacrifice...stay strong! 😉
I made this and it turned out REALLYY stiff I think I was my flour... but I tried it dipped in the “topping” mixture and it’s tasted exactly like a churo and it was lowkey really good sooo
Recipe came out good! Not sweet enough for me though, even with all the sugar so that was weird! My microwave also must be terrible because I had to cook it on max power for about 3 minutes for the cake to be cooked (with the anticipation that it will cook a bit more while it's cooling). Will definitely try this again with some tweaks!
This recipe was awesome!! I am a vegan and gluten intolerant, so I made the appropriate substitutions. Absolutely perfectly cooked in the microwave. This was the perfect amount and very filling. Thank you for this recipe.
Always found mug cakes “gummy” but LOVE the texture of this one. I cut back the sugar in the batter to make room for the pretty cinnamon sugar layers
Had to tweak it for my husband who needs lower fat-so I used light margarine and skim milk. Definitely didn't think it'd turn out right but he loved it!!! He couldn't believe it was microwaved. Thanks for posting!
This thing was dry, bland, and overall just a waste of ingredients.
thank you for this recipe! the texture is beautiful and doesn’t taste at all like a shortcut recipe. very moist and delicious.
I made this last night and it was amazing! It wasn't too sweet at all. Just right 🙂
Excellent recipe even though I baked it too long! (I was nervous because this was my first mug cake). The cake was moist and the flavor was ahhhmazing!!! This will definitely be my new go to for "there's nothing sweet in the house!" 😁 I added caramel sauce and whipped cream which sent it over the top. Thank you so much!!!
Delicious!!! Great texture and so easy to make. I added a touch of water to my cinnamon / sugar mixture, microwaved it for 20 seconds and made a bit of a streusel for it.
Will make again. Thank you! And GREAT idea to put it in a clear mug. How neat!!!
I have never eaten a mug cake, so I can't compare, but this is delicious. Super quick and easy, with ingredients I always have in the house. Will make this often. Thank you😀
This is a great recipe. I'm lactose intolerant so I swapped the milk for almond milk and it tasted amazing.
I am lactose intolerant also. I only have browned butter. Will let you know how it comes out.
My new favorite comfort food! I love baking and eating desserts, but when you don't have much time, this mug cake is perfect! It's super moist and perfectly sweet. Yum!
I made this just now because it was nearly 11 at night on my sister's birthday and we clearly weren't going to have a proper cake. Well, this was of course smaller than the cakes we normally make, but just as satisfying.
Our cylindrical mugs are barely 10 oz, so I used one of my mom's very curved larger mugs. I think that somehow kept the cake from rising properly (could be the baking powder, but I've used it for other things in the last two weeks and not had any problem) because it was barely higher than it started afterwards, and didn't have any of the internal hole pattern that such things normally have. I bet a chocolate cake would have been problematically dense if the same thing happened to it, but with the lighter flavor of a cinnamon cake it was honestly perfect. Halfway between a snickerdoodle cookie and a cinnamon coffee cake... Wonderful.
Great recipe! I used double the amount of cinnamon and sugar because I have a sweet tooth. I cooked for 1 minute, checked it and added 10 more seconds. It was perfect, but I did add cool whip.😀
This is truly amazing!! It is one of many that actually cooked!!!
Oh my! Wow! I didn’t have any flour, only baking mix. This is amazing!
Made this tonight. I warmed the butter and milk together. Made the batter kind of creamy. It turned out fabulous! Will definitely make this again!