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Hands down, this salted caramel apple mug cake is the epitome of Fall flavors and a treat for the best season. Warm cinnamon apple spice seasoning is laced throughout the tender mug cake and topped with a homemade salted caramel sauce with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Falling in Love: Apple Mug Cake
When I think of Fall, I think of the warm and sweet scent of cinnamon filling the kitchen. Or a Fall scented candle that has notes of coffee and cinnamon. Kind of like a cafe in Paris or something!
This salted caramel apple mug cake strikes the balance between both a cozy single serving treat and also an elevated Fall dessert that is ready in just under 5 minutes! Think of this apple mug cake as a dessert version of putting on your fuzzy socks, curling up underneath a blanket with a Kindle and a flickering candle in the room. The cinnamon-spiced cake is tender and fluffy and the buttery salted caramel sauce on top is just the right amount of richness. My favorite indulgence? Adding a large scoop of vanilla bean ice cream on top after the apple mug cake has come out of the microwave. The warm cake along with the icy cold vanilla ice cream? Oh my gosh. It is the best! Whipped cream is also a great alternative.
How to Make Salted Caramel Apple Mug Cake
If you’ve made any of my mug cake recipes before (most notably the chocolate mug cake that started it all), this one is very similar in that it’s made in one bowl and one mug! Simply mix everything together then microwave. Be sure to read the recipe card below for exact measurements and timing.
Add-Ins and Variations
- For more apple flavor and texture, add in some finely diced or chopped apples into the batter.
- Sprinkling in some butterscotch chips would be a great enhancement to the salted caramel topping!
- Store-bought salted caramel or caramel sauce works just as well as my homemade salted caramel.
- Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream — choose your decadence! They’re both oh-so-good.
Mug Cake Showcase
Recipe Tips
- Everyone’s microwave is different and while I give a suggestion on how long to cook it for, it is impossible to tell you exactly how long. The time is a suggestion based on my microwave wattage (950 watts). If you have a higher wattage and/or a lower wattage, you will need to adjust for more or less cooking time.
- I like putting a paper towel under my mug in the microwave in case it overflows. It makes clean up a lot easier!
- Make sure your mug is microwave-safe. Mug sizes do matter, as well! It will take longer to cook the mug cake if your mug is larger.
- This needs to be consumed immediately — well, not like straight out of the microwave but like, you can’t let it sit and consume it 24 hours later kind of thing. It’ll become flat, dense, and just overall not good.
Salted Caramel Apple Mug Cake
Ingredients
- ¼ cup (31 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon apple pie spice
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1 ½ tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon water
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.1/4 cup (31 g) all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, Pinch of salt
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients then add the wet ingredients. Whisk everything together until combined and no lumps remain.1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce, 2 tablespoons milk, 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon water
- Pour batter into a microwave-safe mug. Mine was a 14-ounce mug. You want enough head space for the cake to rise without pouring over.
- Place a paper towel into the microwave and set the mug on top (this is to catch any batter if your mug cake overflows).
- Microwave mug cake for 1 minute and 50 seconds on high (PLEASE READ NOTES CAREFULLY BELOW)
- Carefully remove from microwave, drizzle your homemade salted caramel sauce (or you can use a store-bought caramel sauce) on top and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Photographs by Meg McKeehan Photography
How do you get mug cakes to come clean out of their containers? Should you grease the mug, or just wait for it to cool before taking it out? (it’s a long wait when you smell that cake!)
Yes, you could lightly grease the mug if you want!
This was really good! I usually am not happy with mug cakes, but this turned out really delicious. I only used 2 tablespoons of sugar. And my daughter and I were very happy with it … I am going to try a gluten-free version and I’m sure it will be wonderful as well !
Love this – only had allspice on hand and caramel ice cream topping but it was amazing!
What if I didn’t put the water and instead cooked it for a shorter time
It was easy and tasty. It certainly satisfied my sweet tooth with this one serving size. I would make it again. I did not have the sauce which might have made it fabulous but used a dollop of whipped topping. Thanks for sharing.
Great to hear!!
Mmm, just made this tonight. The sauce is what makes it really :) Thanks for the recipe
Great to hear! So glad you enjoyed it!
Oh my goodness. This apple cake was the most amazing thing ever. It was also so so easy to make! I just finished it (added some of your salted caramel too) and I’m ready to make another! Thank you, thank you for coming up with the recipe. It’s perfect.
Yay!! :)
I’m so excited it’s apple season! This looks delicious!
I’m so sorry to hear about your water bottle :( not cool bug ~ not cool at all!!
This cake looks amazing … I LOVE mug cakes, especially since they are usually so easy to make!!
Completely relate to the bug incident – I am exactly the same, I just wish they would all leave me the heck alone so I don’t have to get all panicky – anyways, this mug cake looks absolutely perfect – definitely not for sharing!