Cinnamon Roll Microwave Mug Cake Recipe {video}
This easy cinnamon roll microwave mug cake recipe is made with just eight simple ingredients you probably have in your pantry right now. It’s the perfect treat when you’re craving a little something sweet. In just over a minute, you can be indulging in a scrumptious moist single-sized cinnamon roll flavored cake. Just because this cake’s made in the microwave, doesn’t mean it can’t be delicious!
This post was originally posted on 5/12/2015. It was republished on 3/7/20 with new content.
OMG, you guys. This cinnamon roll microwave mug cake recipe has become one of my family’s favorite desserts to make.
The simplest healthier treat, yet incredibly moist, easy, and the best single-serving dessert out there (to share or not to share)!
Mug cake for one or two!
Microwavable mug cakes are so convenient, especially if you live in a dorm and don’t have access to an oven or you just don’t want to fire it up.
You likely have ALL the ingredients in your pantry already. When you get that late night craving? Or want a small batch dessert (and not whip out a giant baking pan to make brownies to nip that craving)? This mug dessert IS FOR YOU!! If you haven’t made this yet, you are 100% missing out.
The BEST Mug Cake recipe out there!
Seriously though, you’re probably so over mug cakes and you’re probably rolling your eyes at me right now but STOP! I promise you, this isn’t like any other mug cake out there. Read all of the POSITIVE reviews in the comment section.
I’ve tried a bunch of mug cakes and I hated them.
I thought they were a really neat concept for a quick dessert fix, but nothing would ever beat baking an entire cake or cupcake. I hated that all the mug cakes came out SPONGY and they had the grossest texture. But not this one! I feel like the secret to a light, tender, amazing texture in mug cakes comes from leaving out the eggs. That’s right! No egg in this recipe. It’s not only easier to make a mug cake without an egg, but it turns out so much tastier!
Even my picky kiddos loved this single-serve mug cake recipe. They’re such huge fans, we’ve already made this more times than I could count. Even for a special breakfast treat! They have all of the flavors of your favorite cinnamon roll, but without any of the rolling and waiting.
What is a mug cake?
I still seem to get this question a lot and a mug cake is literally as it sounds. A cake that is made in a mug! It’s great because you don’t need to whip out a bunch of tools to make this simple mug cake. You can even just pop it in the microwave and it’s done in a matter of minutes!
How do you make this mug cake?
This mug cake recipe could not be easier! If you don’t believe me, watch the video tutorial below. To whip this mug cake up, start by greasing a microwavable mug with cooking spray, butter or oil. Then, mix together flour (or I love to use Kodiak Cake pancake mix), baking powder, milk, maple syrup, vanilla and oil (or melted butter) inside the mug. Add 1-2 tablespoons more of milk, if needed for consistency. You want the batter to stay thick, but not be too dry.
Now for the cinnamon topping, whisk together brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle it over the top of the mug cake batter in the mug. Use the tip of a knife to swirl the cinnamon mixture into the top of the batter.
Can this mug muffin be made in the oven?
I personally have not cooked this particular mug cake recipe in the oven. Feel free to experiment, though, and give it a try. Based on some other similar mug cake recipes, if I were going to try this one in the oven, I would bake at 350ºF for about 14 minutes. If you give it a try, please comment on this post and let us know how it worked out for you.
This mug cake recipe is my go-to when I want a perfectly portioned, tasty sweet treat! Use Kodiak Cakes pancake mix and this mug cake is healthy enough to enjoy for breakfast or a snack! And feel free to experiment – replace the cinnamon swirl topping with mini chocolate chips or sprinkles.
Tutorial
TRY SOME OTHER FAVORITE HEALTHY MUG CAKE RECIPES
10 Healthy Microwave Mug Cake Recipes
Low Fat Chocolate Mug Cake from Cafe Delites
Keto Vanilla Berry Mug Cake from Ditch the Carbs
If you try this mug cake recipe, let me know! Leave a comment and if your family loves it as much as mine does, be sure to give it a five star ⭐️ rating! Also, tag @kimscravings on Instagram with a picture of your creation. It’s so fun to see what you’re cooking! Be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more healthy delicious recipes straight to your inbox.
This easy cinnamon roll microwave mug cake is the perfect treat when you’re craving a little something sweet!
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour or Kodiak Cakes pancake mix*
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened vanilla almond milk or other milk + 1-2 tablespoons more, as needed
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil or melted butter**
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
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Spray a microwavable mug with cooking spray and then mix together flour (or pancake mix), baking powder, milk, maple syrup, vanilla and oil (or melted butter) inside. Add 1-2 tablespoons more of milk, if needed for desired consistency. You want the batter to stay thick, but not dry.
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In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the top of the mixture in mug. Use the tip of a knife to swirl cinnamon mix into the top of the batter.
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Microwave on high for about 1 minute and 25 seconds. Take out of the microwave and if desired transfer muffin to a plate. Enjoy!
*All purpose flour or (my personal favorite) Kodiak Cakes Flapjack mix will lend the best results. I've also successfully used spelt flour. Other flours will likely work, but may change the texture of the cake. If using pancake mix, leave out the baking powder.
**Any oil or melted butter will work.
Please note that ALL microwaves are different therefore can yield different results and can overcook this mug cake if you aren't careful. When trying this recipe for the first time, you might want to start with a 60-70 second cooking time at 100% power.
No eggs? Correct. There are NO EGGS in this recipe. Why? Egg is what makes the mug cake spongy. If you think about it, when you bake a full-sized cake, you typically use 1 or 2 eggs...for a mug cake to use 1 egg is A LOT!
I’ve also enjoyed this mug cake without the brown sugar topping and with a little jam. Delicious either way!
Photos by Sasha at Eat Love Eats.
Did you make this recipe?
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Oooh that looks great! I love mug cakes, this one sounds like a great way to start the day with something sweet 🙂
For sure! This one turned out so good, I’m going to have to come up with some different flavors!
Had to add yet another rave review. This was SO delicious!! I was craving cinnamon rolls but could not spare oh, a couple thousand calories at cinnabon 🙂 This hit the spot perfectly. It definitely needed an icing of sort so I tried another reviewer’s suggestion of cream cheese mixed with maple syrup and it was perfection. Thank you for a fantastic quick recipe!
Thanks so much for your feedback! So glad you enjoyed!
Tasty! Just made a double batch in a large mug… because #pregnancycravings. I used a 6-grain pancake mix from Costco, and while it’s grittier than I like my cinnamon rolls, it has at least temporarily appeased the less-than-healthy craving for Cinnabon! Thanks!
I’m so glad you loved it!! I’ve been craving cinnamon rolls, so it looks like I need to make it again too! 🙂
Just have to let you know that this was wonderful! I am gluten-free and egg-free so I used Pamela’s Pancake mix and left out the baking powder – WONDERFUL! The taste was great and so so easy. I had some leftover powdered sugar frosting so I put a dollop of that on top when it was still warm. JUST LIKE A CINNAMON ROLL.
Thank you 🙂
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed it!
Super good. I loved the cinnamon flavor. I don’t use a lot of sugar. No eggs, butter and just a little sugar free syrup. My sons girlfriend said mmmm. Yummy.
Thanks! Glad you’re a fan!
I used regular flour and butter. Turned out delicious!
Made this with the Kodiak Cakes mix and loved it! Will be making this one often!
is it possible to use oven instead of a microwave ??
Sure! It should work at 350 degrees F. for about 12 mins. Make sure your dish/mug is oven safe. Good luck!
thank you! It worked perfectly! So good!
This was heaven. And I love that it was so quick and easy!
I accidentally didn’t read and added 1 tbsp coconut oil instead of 1 tsp and holy moly it was still amazingly delicious. Topped with some strawberries and a little ice cream. yum!
Yum! Sounds terrific!
Recipe turned out much better than most mug cakes! Will make this again and again!
I love this mug cake recipe! I make it all of the time!
So glad to hear it!
What if u don’t have vanilla and only have vanilla extract
That works!
Im super impressed with this mug cake. The texture is great, better than most, and i was shocked at how tasty it was despite there being only maple syrup in the batter.
So glad you enjoyed!
Loved this recipe! It worked just like in your video and was so tasty too.
So glad you enjoyed!
Is there a way to not use syrup? I’m not a fan of it and don’t think I’d like the taste in my cinnamon roll.
Definitely! The maple syrup is used to sweeten the cake. Try using 1 tablespoon brown (or white) sugar, coconut sugar, honey or a packet of sweetener, like Stevia. You may actually enjoy it just fine leaving out the sweetening agent altogether. If you do leave it out, you may need to add a little more almond milk to moisten it up a bit. Good luck!
I used butter instead of oil and i whisked 1 tsp of maple syrup and 1 tablespoon of cream cheese to make a quick icing it was AWESOME
Great substitutions! I’ll definitely have to give that cream cheese icing a try!
Hands down the best mug cake I’ve ever made/tasted. Amazing! Thank you 🙂
Yay! That’s so awesome to hear and thanks so much for your comment!
Loved this! I made it with an added pinch of salt and replaced the coconut oil with margarine (butter would probably taste even better but I wanted to keep it vegan) to add a richness that is more typical of cinnamon baked goods. Because the cake uses maple syrup and mixed-in brown sugar, in the top of the batter anyway, I added a pinch of baking soda in addition to the baking powder, which is generally used in a neutral pH batter. The resulting coffee cake was soft with a delicious crumbly texture and a classic coffee cake flavor. Yummy!
Great tips! Thanks for sharing!
I used whole wheat flour and used closer to 1tbsp of coconut oil and it still came out great. Satisfied my craving, wish I had some icing. Next time I think I might add some banana and walnuts 😋
So glad you enjoyed! Banana and walnuts sound delicious!
This was so EASY, fast and really yummy! I used gluten free flour, which might be why mine came out with sort of a half-baked texture, but I actually really loved it like that (kind of like a real Cinnabon!) I also topped mine with cream cheese frosting. Heaven! The hubby and my picky son loved theirs too! Thanks, this recipe is a keeper!
So glad that you had great results! I think I need to try a cream cheese frosting next. Yum!
Loved this! Made a few substitutions – neutral oil instead of coconut, as that’s all I had, and a touch of brown sugar instead of maple syrup as I didn’t have any. I also added some cinnamon to the actual mix, and to me that made all the difference – I’d probably add more next time! And stir the top in more as it was gone too quickly at the top! Ate it straight from the mug, so didn’t worry about greasing it either.
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed! My daughter was actually begging me for one today. 🙂
If I doubled the recipe would the cook time be the same?
I tried it and it was yum!! I doubled the cinnamon though and added a tiny bit more sugar. Would taste great with icing!
I loved this mug cake recipe! Best one I’ve ever tried!
Never liked mug cakes but this one was so good! Highly recommend!
Yay! So happy to hear that!
My first mug cake and it turned out great! Guess guys can cook!
Haha! So glad it turned out!
Googled for a homemade mug cake recipe after making my first mug cake using the packaged stuff that came in a mug as a gift. I had my kids (four in all) make their own with some assistance and everyone had a ‘thumbs up’ response(the husband included :o). It was a great treat for the kids to bake their own cake.
I love that! I’m so glad your family enjoyed and thanks so much for taking time to leave a comment!
This was great! Perfect flavour, not too sweet 🙂
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed!
Hi .I will try this but what can be used as a substitute for maple syrup..can I use honey?
Thanks,
Neha
Yes, that will work fine! Enjoy!
I was a bit skeptical about trying this since I feel like it’s hard to get mug cakes just right, but this turned out fantastic! The flavor’s really good (and the maple syrup itself was a nice touch), and the cake itself turned out to be a lot more soft and fluffy than I had expected! Thanks for an such an awesome recipe 👍🏽
So glad that you enjoyed and thanks so much for leaving feedback!
This turned out so good! Just like a cinnamon roll!
I love this mug cake!!!! Finally an actual mug cake that gives you the satisfaction of a real cake but much, much faster and healthier. I used Kodiak cakes pancake & waffle mix and followed the recipe exactly & it came out perfect!! I’ve tried lots of mug cakes before & none of them had the right texture or taste I was looking for. This cake was spongy, moist (sorry(:) and had great flavor! Thank you for sharing this gem of a find(:
Yay! That’s so awesome! Thanks so much for your comment, Mina!
This is my go-to for dessert cravings now. Best mug cake ever!!!! I use Kodiak Cake mix and just stir all of the ingredients into a bowl and microwave the entire thing for 45 seconds. Makes a perfectly sized, moist, delicious cake. I also top sometimes with a powdered sugar/almond milk “glaze.”
Love hearing that!! Thanks so much for leaving feedback, Nicki!
This is so good! Ìd double batch next time because its really small. Its delicious thoughh!.
Whoo hoo! So glad you liked it!
This is the best mug cake ( cinnamon roll) my granddaughter and I have tried. And since the closing of the schools and being at home soooo much since the pandemic has been on it’s world tour, we have made so many different kinds. But this one has the texture and taste of something made by a wonderful Bakery or Baker and is now number 1 on our list of favorite mug cakes and our Nutella mug cake moved to 2nd place. Thankyou so much for sharing this wonderful and easy recipe.
Just a note, we did use pancake mix and real maple syrup that we made here at home and used melted butter instead if coconut oil.
So love hearing this! Thank you so much for your comment!
Can I use honey instead of maple syrup?
Yes, that should work just fine!
Hi Kim! I’m looking forward to making this! I love the reviews. Can you use regular milk instead of almond milk?
Yes, definitely!
Can I bake this in the oven? If so, what temp and how long?
I haven’t personally tried it, so I can’t say if it would work. If I were to try, I would bake at 350ºF for about 10 minutes. Check it and possible bake longer, if needed.
I tried this with a friend at a sleep over. I recommend 11/10! so good 🥰🥰
Love hearing this!! So happy you enjoyed!
Do NOT use almond flour as a sub 😂 cake was totally liquid after 2 minutes. Made it again with regular flour and was delish!
That is so good to know! I’m glad you were able to remake it and have good results!
I can’t wait to try this! Is there a healthier substitute for the cooking spray In order to grease the mug? I’m assuming anything really, like butter or coconut oil, is fine to wipe down the mug with?
Yes, anything you would use to grease anything else will work just fine. Enjoy!
I’ve been craving cinnamon rolls for a few days and this hit the spot. I’ve made other mug cakes in the past, usually chocolate, and while they were ok, this was fabulous. I used butter and added a small amount of powdered sugar icing made with almond milk after turning it out on a plate. Otherwise, I followed the recipe exactly. So good! Will definitely be making this again.
Yay! So glad that you enjoyed! Thanks so much for taking time to comment!
this was great! made it vegan with soy milk and vegan butter and it turned out awesome. highly recommend!!
Sounds perfect! Thanks for your feedback!
Very happy that I read ALL of the comments- I was planning to make this with almond flour, but thank you Lydia for advising against it! I’ll look for another gluten free flour to use. Can’t wait to sink my teeth into this one – I’m excited about a cinnamon mug cake. Thanks for the recipe. Will get back to you with a review for the gf crowd. Soon.
This recipe really is delicious! It doesn’t quite taste like a cinnamon roll to me but is an almost perfect dupe for my favorite coffee cake.
So glad you enjoyed!
I just made it and it’s absolutely delicious. I don’t like eggs so I have non in the house so I just didn’t put it in and it turned out amazing and tastes delicious
That’s so great to hear that it worked fine without the egg! Thanks for your feedback!
Ooh this turned out so delicious! I loved it.
Can you provide ingredients for an easy frosting to fit this?
Try mixing a couple of tablespoons powdered sugar with 1-2 teaspoons milk (any type).
I’ve made it a handful of times now and it’s approved by everyone in the house.love this recipe. My son requested it this morning
Yay! So glad that you enjoyed! Thanks so much for taking time to leave feedback!
I made this the super lazy way- ie without the icing or the cinnamon swirl- and it was still delicious! Luvin it! I used Almond Milk and next time will try what Petra (above) suggested- using applesauce instead of oil. 🙂
So happy that you enjoyed! Thanks for the review!
Made these 3 times already with spelt flour. Absolutely amazing texture for a cake in a mug. I think I like this better than shop bought now!
Oh my goodness that is so awesome! Thanks so much for your comment!
this is AY-MAY-ZANG!!!!!!!!
i leterally cant even. make this and indulge!! =p
Yay! So glad you enjoyed!!
Very yummy!! Substituted coconut oil for the butter turned out so good!!
Sounds perfect! Thanks so much for your comment!
This easy cinnamon roll microwave mug cake recipe is made with just eight simple ingredients . I made them! So Great
So glad you loved!
This is my new go-to mug cake recipe. More of a coffee cake flavor but it subdues my cinnamon roll cravings! I’ve been making it with ghee instead of butter and using oat milk. Lovely texture! I read the comments and put a smear of lactose free cream cheese on top and OH MY GOODNESS that icing/topping made this recipe go from awesome to really over the top delicious! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Yay! So happy to hear that you’ve been enjoying the mug cake. And thanks so much for taking time to leave feedback!
Very yummy and sweet! I still prefer microwave brownies, but this can be a nice change every so often.
Best mug cake recipe ever, simple and has amazing texture. I added raising to my batter and it elevated the cake. Thank you so much!
Yay! So glad that you enjoyed and thanks so much for your comment!
hi I do not have maple syrup? can i omit it or what is the substitute?
Honey would be a good substitute. If you want to omit it altogether, you might want to add some sweetener and possibly a little extra almond milk to make up for the lack of liquid. Enjoy!
hi! thanks for posting; this was great. I had a craving for something a little sweet and this was perfect. I followed the recipe but used unsweetened coconut milk (since that’s what I had open) and melted Earth Balance instead of straight oil. I think the saltiness of the Earth Balance complemented it well, and I think the unsweetened coconut milk also made the overall profile not too sweet. I had some open pure cacao/no sugar chips, so I mixed some in with the cinnamon/brown sugar topping. wonderful!
I think I’ll use this as my go-to mug cake base now. thanks again!
Yay! Love hearing that you enjoyed! Thanks so much for taking time to leave your feedback!