It Only Takes 5 Minutes, So Why Not Make Coffee Cake In A Mug?

If you've never eaten a tiny, personal coffee cake, it can be a wonderful surprise — especially when the tasty treat tucks inside your favorite coffee mug. It's the perfect portable breakfast, afternoon snack, or dessert, and it's all yours. Rather than making an entire cake, you whip up just the right amount for the moment, using minimal ingredients and taking only three to five minutes in a microwave, depending on the type of cake. 

It may seem like a new trend as it crops up across social media, but the idea of mug cakes has actually been around since at least the early 2000s. Over the years, they've trended on and off, with dedicated mug-cake mixes from the likes of Trader Joe's, Duncan Hines, Betty Crocker, and more. But there's no need to seek premade mixes; your own tastebuds and everyday pantry staples will have you creating tiny, tasty coffee cakes in no time.  

All you need is your favorite coffee cake ingredients and a mug — or several, if you're making mini coffee cakes for others. Similar to making coffee cake in muffin tins, this is an opportunity for easy, well-appreciated sharing. There's no need for prep bowls, baking pans, serving dishes, or much cleanup, as everything takes place inside the mug, including the cooking and eating. 

To make coffee cake in a mug, use the same ingredients as you would for an entire cake, but proportion them for making miniature versions. Choose a microwaveable 10- to 12-ounce mug, and melt a couple tablespoons of unsalted butter in the bottom just before constructing the batter on top of it. Follow the same procedure as usual — stirring, mixing, and layering as with standard coffee cake recipes. 

Once you've nailed the basics, the sky's the limit. Definitely try a classic cinnamon-swirl coffee cake with brown-sugar streusel. To capture the aura of autumn, use pumpkin puree and spices for a pumpkin-spice coffee mug cake, or toss in a handful of blueberries or cranberries for a berry-burst variation. Chocolate chips, bananas, applesauce — anything goes. After all, it's your private mug-cake party, day or night. You could even booze it up with a tipple of rum, or stir in a dash of espresso, literally personifying the coffee in the term "coffee cake". For more ideas on mug-cake masterpieces, take a look at our lemon mug cake and vanilla mug cake recipes. And if you don't mind blitzing cookies before you begin, try our Oreo mug cake recipe.

Take care not to over-mix or overcook your mug cake; check for doneness at about two minutes, and continue up to five if needed. Mug cakes steam in the microwave rather than baking in an oven, so they'll be done much quicker than you expect. Avoid overfilling your mug with cake mix, and if using a crumbly topping with walnuts or pecans, you might want to add that post-microwave. Steamed nuts probably aren't the texture you want.