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Picture the scene. It’s evening, dinners been cooked, eaten and the kitchens been cleaned. And then from out of no where you feel the stirrings of a craving…and it’s not gonna go away. So may I suggest for those times when you just want something sweet without falling totally off the wagon, you try this cinnamon mug cake. It’s soft, fluffy, sweet and cinnamon-y. Close your eyes while you’re eating it and you’ve got a traditional cinnamon roll!
Cinnamon Mug Cake
As quick puddings go, when you want something sweet you could do a lot worse than this cinnamon mug cake. Being pretty huge cinnamon fans here this is appealing to start with but it’s more than that, it’s exactly what you need at those times when cravings hit you. And they do hit you, even with the best will in the world there’s going to come a time when you’ve just got to have something!
This cinnamon mug cake is a healthier, Real food version. We love the fact it’s mug sized, it helps to keep portions in control and doesn’t leave you with leftover cinnamon cake which I for one, would find almost impossible to sit there and look at without tucking in.
You could make these smaller for little kids too. I’ve out the recipe here for one mug, as that’s what my bigger kids have all to themselves but you could split this between two smaller mugs if you have them. If your kids are anything like mine they love having something all to themselves, so feel free to split the recipe in two for tinies. If you do this you’ll need to reduce the cooking time by half before checking to make sure they’re cooked.
This cinnamon mug cake has no egg in it and relies on the baking powder to give it a little rise.
What Are Mug Cakes?
Mug cakes are literally cakes that are cooked in a mug. I know. I t feels like they should have some ‘other’ deeper meaning but it doesn’t, it is quite simply a cake batter that’s made, usually in portions of one, and cooked in a mug in the microwave.
Do they haver to be cooked in a microwave? Uhmmm I’m not sure, I’ve never tried. Cooking these in the oven seems way more involved than the microwave and I’d start thinking if I’m going to bother I should make a while cake and since these are a last minute thing, I stick to the microwave. If you try the oven baking, let me know!
The Ingredients You Need
Much like baking a regular cake this is a cake batter, just in smaller quantities:
Flour
I use a regular baking flour for this cake as wholemeal can feel too heavy. Einkorn is the flour I’ve used here, it’s a clean flour that’s light enough for baking and won’t weight your mug cake down
Cinnamon
Ahhh cinnamon. Being pretty much my favorite spice I use this in abundance. If you’re a real cinnamon lover do as I do and use a full teaspoon. If you’re making this for smaller kids or they’re not quite so into it, add a bit less. Play around until you find your perfect cinnamon flavor!
Coconut Sugar
Coconut sugar replaces the regular brown sugar here. I’ve tried this with maple syrup but it doesn’t give your the same result. The coconut sugar caramelises more than maple syrup and you end up with the cinnamon roll trade mark flavor, just a little healthier!
Vanilla Bean Paste
I just use half a teaspoon of vanilla bean paste here and it’s enough to add some vanilla-ry sweetness without being overwhelming. If you only have extract that’s fine and will work in this mug cake, adjust the amount if needed to suit your taste.
Baking Powder
A quarter of a teaspoon of baking powder is all thats needed to give this mug cake a nice little rise. Don’t add too much or more than a quarter of a teaspoon per mug or the batter might over flow, and you’ll also avoid the baking powder taste you can get if there’s a bit too much added!
Adaptations
You could add some extras to this if you wanted without ruining the bake. Here’s some ideas:
- Choc chips. Add a few milk choc chips to this for a treat version
- Peanut butter. One of my kids loves peanut butter and cinnamon, if you’re the same add a tablespoon of peanut butter to the mix
- Orange. This one feels festive! Add one teaspoon of orange extract to the mix for a orangey cinnamon-y cake
Recipe Notes For A Cinnamon Mug Cake
Here’s some tips and tricks to help make this mug cake the best version of itself!
- Don’t overcook your mug cake. Many mug cakes can turn out a bit tough and rubbery and that’s often because they’re overcooked
- Don’t over mix your batter. The other reason mug cakes (or most other cakes!) become rubbery. Combine until just mixed
- Grease your mug. Make sure you spray a little oil or rub a bit of butter around the inside if your mug. As mugs are not really designed to be used to cook cakes they’re not designed to be non stick!
- If you’re unsure how long to cook this for as all microwaves seem to be slightly different, take it out after one minute and use a sharp knife in the middle to check, you can always pop it back in for a little longer
- Beware of hot mugs! Putting a mug in the microwave can lead to some very hot mugs! transfer the cake to a bowl after cooking if your mug has become too hot!
- Don’t over fill the mug. Around about three quarters full is as much batter in the mug as you’ll want to go to make sure it doesn’t overflow onto your microwave.
- Melt the butter in the mug you’re going to cook the cake in. When you pour the butter into the mixing bowl a little will remain in the mug and you can use this to grease the mug so the cake doesn’t stick to it.
More Mug Cake Recipes
- Healthy apple mug cake
- Chocolate chip mug cake
- Clean eating creme brulee
- Dairy free chocolate custard
- 2 Ingredient chocolate ice cream
How To Make A Cinnamon Mug Cake
Ingredients
- 2 Heaped tbsp Flour I used white spelt flour
- 1 Heaped tbsp Coconut sugar
- ¼ tsp Baking powder
- ½ – 1 tsp Cinnamon Depending on your love of cinnamon!
- ¼ Cup Milk Dairy, Almond, Oat
- 3 tbsp Butter Melted in the cup you’re cooking the cake in
- ½ tsp Vanilla bean paste
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl put the flour, cinnamon, coconut sugar and baking powder in and combine it all together
- Melt the butter in the mug you’re using to microwave this cake. This will leave a bit of butter in the mug when you pour it into the mixing bowl and stop the mug cake from sticking
- When the butter is melted (30 seconds) add it to the dry ingredients and put the milk and vanilla bean paste in too and combine so the ingredients are just mixed. Make sure you don’t over mix at this stage as it can result in a tougher cake
- Put the cake batter in the greased mug and microwave on high for 90 seconds
- Use a tea towel to take the mug out of the microwave as they can get really hot!
- Serve in the mug or on a plate with a little heavy cream on top! Yum :)
Cinnamon Mug Cake Recipe
Cinnamon Mug Cake
Ingredients
- 2 Heaped tbsp Flour I used white spelt flour
- 1 Heaped tbsp Coconut sugar
- ¼ tsp Baking powder
- ½ – 1 tsp Cinnamon Depending on your love of cinnamon!
- ¼ Cup Milk Dairy, Almond, Oat
- 3 tbsp Butter Melted in the cup you're cooking the cake in
- ½ tsp Vanilla bean paste
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl put the flour, cinnamon, coconut sugar and baking powder in and combine it all together
- Melt the butter in the mug you're using to microwave this cake. This will leave a bit of butter in the mug when you pour it into the mixing bowl and stop the mug cake from sticking
- When the butter is melted (30 seconds) add it to the dry ingredients and put the milk and vanilla bean paste in too and combine so the ingredients are just mixed. Make sure you don't over mix at this stage as it can result in a tougher cake
- Put the cake batter in the greased mug and microwave on high for 90 seconds
- Use a tea towel to take the mug out of the microwave as they can get really hot!
- Serve in the mug or on a plate with a little heavy cream on top! Yum :)
