Gingerbread Mug Cake

Name: Gingerbread Mug Cake
Prep time: 1 min
Total time: 2 min
Ingredients: 4 tablespoons all purpose flour; 1 tablespoon light brown sugar; 1 tablespoon molasses; 3 tablespoons milk (I use unsweetened almond milk); 1 tablespoon light vegetable oil; ½ teaspoon baking powder; ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon; ¼ teaspoon ground ginger; a pinch of ground nutmeg (optional); a pinch of ground clove (optional); a pinch of salt; powdered sugar to dust the cake (optional)

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This delicious, soft, gingerbread mug cake is moist and perfectly spiced. An easy eggless mug cake that's ready in less than 2 minutes!

A gingerbread mug cake with gingerbread cookies on a wooden surface with Christmas decorations and powdered sugar.

This delicious Christmas mug cake recipe would be perfect on Christmas morning for breakfast! It's such a cozy dessert! Perfect to enjoy snuggled down next to the Christmas tree.

To be honest, though, you don't have to wait for Christmas to enjoy this yummy spice mug cake. This gingerbread mug cake recipe is great all throughout the year.

It's an easy moist ginger cake, perfect for gingerbread lovers. And this recipe happens to be a vegan gingerbread mug cake, too.

After I made my snowflake gingerbread cookies recipe, I wanted to create an easy gingerbread dessert for one.

This delicious microwave ginger cake recipe is one of my favorite mug cake flavors.

Love mug cake recipes? Try my vegan brownie mug cake and my Biscoff mug cake.

Jump to:

Why this recipe works
What does this gingerbread mug cake taste like?
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE
Equipment you’ll need
HOW TO MAKE A GINGERBREAD MUG CAKE
Recipe notes
VARIATIONS
FILLINGS & TOPPINGS
TIPS FOR SUCCESS
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
MORE CHRISTMAS RECIPES TO TRY:
Recipe

Why this recipe works

This is definitely one of the best cake in a cup recipes you'll ever have! Here's why:

It’s quick. This gingerbread in a mug is ready in less than 2 minutes!
It's incredibly simple. There are only a few ingredients for this mug cake and you just mix them in your cup or mug.
It's custumizable. You can add your favorite fillings or toppings to make this mug cake unique.
It's eggless & vegan! This recipe is vegan as there are no eggs or dairy products. Perfect if you're allergic to eggs or are vegan.
It's a yummy dessert for one. This cake in a coffee cup is a great recipe for 1 serving. Just what you need when a craving for gingerbread hits.
It's better than a cake mix. Nothing beats making desserts from scratch. Period.
It's a wonderful single dessert for Christmas. This holiday mug cake is a great treat for one.

What does this gingerbread mug cake taste like?

This soft gingerbread cake in a mug is very moist and full of comforting spices and warm flavors. It's the ultimate comfort food for one!

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE

Ingredients for gingerbread mug cake

Flour: I use all purpose flour, but you can use gluten free flour, too.
Molasses: I use organic unsulphured molasses.
Sugar: I use light brown sugar, but you can use granulated sugar, instead.
Spices & Salt: I use ground ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg and a pinch of salt to enhance everything.
Baking powder: You only need ½ a teaspoon baking powder.
Milk: I use unsweetened almond milk. You can use whatever milk you have on hand.
Oil: I use light vegetable oil, which helps make the cake really moist.

Equipment you’ll need

microwave safe mug with a capacity of at least 7-8 oz. (200-230g)

microwave oven

HOW TO MAKE A GINGERBREAD MUG CAKE

Step-by-step instructions

A collage of two photos of making a gingerbread mug cake.

STEP 1

I stir everything together in my mug (except for the powdered sugar). If you want, you can mix both dry ingredients and wet ingredients together in a small bowl and then transfer it to your mug. Just make sure there are no lumps.

STEP 2

Then you cook it in the microwave. Mine took exactly 1 minute and 30 seconds, however the time will vary depending on your microwave.

That's it! Dust it with some powdered sugar or your favorite topping, or enjoy as is.

A gingerbread mug cake dusted with powdered sugar and surrounded by gingerbread cookies on a wooden surface with Christmas decorations. — A gingerbread mug cake dusted with powdered sugar.

Recipe notes

Storage Tips

Since this is a super quick single-serving dessert, I don't store it or freeze it for later.

VARIATIONS

Make this mug cake gluten free by using gluten free flour instead of all purpose flour.
For a gingerbread mug cake without molasses, replace the molasses with equal amounts of honey. It will have a much lighter flavor and color.

FILLINGS & TOPPINGS

You can add a few mini chocolate chips in the batter before microwaving the cake. Chocolate is great with gingerbread.
I love this mug cake with some powdered sugar on top, but you could add your favorite toppings. This mug cake is amazing topped with some whipped cream and then dusted with cinnamon. Or serve it with a scoop (or 2!) of vanilla ice cream.
Add some sprinkles or nonpareils on top.
For more texture, you could add some chopped walnuts or chocolate covered pecans.

A piece of gingerbread mug cake on a spoon that's sitting on top of the mug.

TIPS FOR SUCCESS

Don't fill your mug more than halfway or the mug cake could spill over.
Don't overcook the cake or it will get hard.
All microwave ovens are different and cooking times may vary. My microwave oven is 1000 watts and it took 1.5 minutes. If your microwave is more than 1000 watts, you may need to reduce the cooking time by 20-30 seconds. If it's less than 1000 watts, you may need to increase the cooking time. The cake is ready when it stops rising and the surface is firm to the touch.
If you don't have a microwave oven, you can make this recipe in a small ovenproof dish and bake it at 350F / 180C for about 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Are mug cakes supposed to be dry?

No, not at all! As you can see in the pictures, this mug cake is very fluffy and moist. It's definitely not dry.

Can I bake a mug cake in a conventional oven and at which temperature?

You can bake this mug cake in a conventional oven, but you need to make sure that you use an ovenproof dish or oven-safe mug. I'd just use a small baking dish or pan and then bake it at about 350F (180C) for about 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

~Voula

MORE CHRISTMAS RECIPES TO TRY:

Let me know how this Gingerbread Mug Cake turns out for you in the comments below! I’d love to hear from you!

Recipe