This delicious Gingerbread mug Cake Recipe makes an easy, single-serving gingerbread cake in a mug that takes just 2 minutes in the microwave. Treat yourself! This luscious ginger mug cake is full of warming cosy spices, perfect for chilly autumn days. Finish it off with a dollop of vanilla ice cream or Greek yogurt for a perfect dessert.
I love recipes like this that use a few simple ingredients (no eggs), don’t require any special baking skills, cooks quickly and creates minimal clearing up afterwards, but still really deliver when it comes to flavour.
About this Ginger Mug Cake Recipe
If you love Gingerbread Cake, then you’re going to love this recipe. It’s really straightforward and won’t disappoint. The flavour is amazing.
- What is a mug cake? A mug cake is simply a single-portion sponge cake, cooked in a mug. Perfect for when you need a quick and easy cake fix. This recipe makes delicious gingerbread in a mug.
- full of warming spices such as cinnamon, ground ginger and mixed spice.
- saves on washing up as it’s made in a mug and eaten from the same mug. Yay! less washing-up afterwards.
- cooks in a couple of minutes in the microwave, making it perfect for those times you really want cake.
- makes a great gingerbread pudding. Add a little vanilla ice cream, Greek yogurt or custard to make it really special.
- This is an easy mug cake to make. It uses a few everyday ingredients, and there are a few additions you can make to make it quite special. (More on that later.)
Good to know … A Beginner-friendly recipe
Difficulty – This ginger mug cake is difficult not to make. If you can measure (with spoons) stir a few ingredients together, and bake in a microwave, then you can do this. This is a beginner-friendly recipe.
Texture – the texture of this mug cake is that of a sponge cake. It is light and can include a few raisins for texture and stem ginger (preserved ginger). Both of those ingredients are optional.
Ease of making – You need a microwaveable mug to make the cake in. (Can hold around 500mls of cake mixture.)
Ingredients in this Simple Mug Cake Recipe
This easy mug cake recipe is made using ordinary, everyday ingredients. You do not need eggs; the recipe relies on the flour and baking powder to give it an airy lightness. This makes it suitable for vegans provided you use vegan-friendly milk.
- Dry ingredients – plain flour and baking powder basically create the structure of the cake. You may substitute self-raising flour if you wish.
- Spices – these include cinnamon, ginger and mixed spice. Why so many? The combination of these spices are what gives this mug cake a lovely depth of flavour. They really help each other to stand out to create a really aromatic, flavourful mug cake.
- Sweeteners – the mug cake is sweetened by caster sugar and treacle. If you use raisins and stem ginger these will also add a little sweetness along with a lot of flavour.
- oil and milk – combine all of the dry ingredients together to help create the cake. The milk can be dairy, oat milk, almond milk or soya. I’ve used all of these types of milk successfully in this recipe.
Notes on the mug
You will need a suitable mug. It needs to be microwaveable and larege enough to hold about 500 mls of delectable mug cake mixture
Step-by-Step Preparation of the Mug Cake
There are only a few steps to follow, making this Gingerbread Mug cake recipe is very easy. Lets get started.
- Measure all of the ingredients into the microwaveable mug and stir. You just need to stir until there are no dry floury bits remaining. It will make a fairly loose batter.
- Place this in the microwave and cook for 1 1/2 minutes. (in a 800 – 900 watts microwave oven) Take it out of the microwave and check to see if it is done. If the cake is still wet on the top, microwave it for another 15 seconds and check again. You want it to be set on the top, that’s your sign that it’s ready.
- Once the cake is cooked, carefully remove the mug from the microwave using oven mitts or a kitchen towel. Be cautious as the mug may be hot.
- Allow the gingerbread mug cake to cool for a minute or two before enjoying it. You can eat it directly from the mug or transfer it to a bowl or plate. Don’t forget those delicious extras!
Make it Vegan
So, how do you ensure that this warm and spicy pudding is a vegan gingerbread mug cake, suitable for plant-based and vegan diets?
- This mug cake recipe does not contain eggs.
- It contains ‘milk’ but this can be dairy or non-dairy. This recipe is successful using oat milk, soya milk, and almond milk, and this has been tried and tested.
- Eat this mug cake with dairy-free additions such as plant-based or vegan-friendly yogurt or cream.
- Remember … that you can make custard just the same with plant-based milks. Every dessert is nicer with custard or is that just me?
Serving the Mug Cake – making it amazing
The basic recipe for gingerbread mug cake includes raisins and or 1 ball of stem ginger (diced). This makes and really nice pudding.
Once your gingerbread mug cake is ready, why not make it special and serve it with a few wonderful additions?
- You could eat it directly out of the mug – why not?
- Sprinkle a little icing sugar (powdered sugar) over the top for a little extra sweetness.
- Serve it with creamy Greek yogurt and a few berries.
- How about a little whipped or squirty cream? It can really make everything taste quite lovely.
- You can remove the gingerbread from the mug and serve it in a bowl and maybe add a little homemade custard.
- Vanilla ice cream is always a favourite.
- Have you considered a little caramel sauce? This is just divine.
Tips for a Perfect Gingerbread Mug Cake
To achieve perfect results with this easy mug cake recipe, here are a few tips.
- Ensure that all the ingredients are well-mixed with no dry bits of flour left.
- Adjust the cooking time based on the wattage of your microwave. Start with 1 minute and 30 seconds, and then add increments of 10 seconds if needed.
- Be careful when handling the hot mug after microwaving. Use oven mitts or a kitchen towel to avoid burns.
Variations to the Gingerbread Mug Cake
The basic mug cake recipe with either raisins or the stem ginger (diced) is amazing. I’m sure you’re going to love it, but there are a few other things you can do with this recipe.
The classic gingerbread mug cake is delicious, and here are a few of our ideas for other additions you can make. If you have any other suggestions, please share them.
- Chocolate Gingerbread Mug cake: Add a tablespoon of cocoa powder to the batter for a chocolaty twist.
- Orange Gingerbread Mug Cake: Incorporate some orange zest into the batter for a citrusy note. This is a favourite of ours.
- Nutty Gingerbread Mug Cake: Stir in a handful of chopped nuts, such as walnuts or pecans, for added crunch and flavour.
What are your favourite ways to enjoy gingerbread mug cake?
If you like this, then you may like these
- Castella Cake
- Banana and Date Loaf Cake
- Rock Cakes
- Chocolate Lava Cake
- Blueberry Crumble
- Easy Vegan Blueberry muffins
- Blueberry Orange Muffins
- Double Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Honey Cake
- Shortbread
- Easy Zucchini Bread (Courgette bread)
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Gingerbread Mug Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Find a mug. This needs to be microwaveable and able to hold about 500 mls of liquid. This allows you to mix the cake and cook it in the microwave without spills.
- Measure all the ingredients into the mug. ( 5 tablespoons plain flour, 2 tablespoons caster sugar, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon mixed spice, 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon black treacle, 4 tablespoons milk, – optional – 2 tablespoons raisins, 1 stem ginger)
- Stir the mixture together until you no longer see any dry bits of flour. If you are using the stem ginger then chop it up finely and add it to the mix.
- Pop it into your microwave and cook on high (800 – 900w oven) for 1 minute and 30 seconds.
- Check that the mug cake is done. If the top is still wet a little bit liquid give it another 15 seconds in the microwave then check again. Repeat this until the top is set. That is your indication of a cooked mug cake. You just want to see the top set and no longer liquid.
- Decide if you are going to serve the mug cake with greek yoghurt or anything else and serve. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Notes
Notes on the mug
You need to find a suitable mug that will hold the cake mixture. It needs to be microwaveable and able to hold about 500 mls. It also helps to have a mug that is fairly wide, as it helps with mixing and with eating. You can get that spoon in there without trying to reach down a long way and struggling to reach every last delicious morsel.Serving and Enjoying your Ginger Mug cake
There are a few things that you can do when serving up your mug cake.- Eat it directly out of the mug – why not?
- Serve it with greek yogurt and a few berries.
- How about a little whipped or squirty cream? It can really make everything taste quite lovely.
- You can remove the gingerbread from the mug and serve it in a bowl.
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Why not Pin this Gingerbread Mug Cake recipe for later?
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