The vanilla version to my chocolate mug cake is this very vanilla mug cake! It’s just as easy to make as her chocolate friend and just as light and fluffy! Still has no eggs and fully customizable!
A very vanilla mug cake to rule the land!
If you have been hanging around the blog for a few years now, you’ll know that my chocolate mug cake has been such a hit.
But not everyone is a fan of chocolate, which is quite shocking.
That’s always the age-old question, right? “Chocolate or vanilla?”
So if you are a vanilla lover, here is the vanilla mug cake version of the chocolate mug cake!
Honestly, several of people asked for one and honestly, it wasn’t a bad idea.
It’s like having chocolate and vanilla ice cream flavors to choose from.
Sometimes you’re wanting chocolate, some days you’re wanting vanilla. Same deal for mug cakes, right?
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.
This vanilla mug cake is made without eggs. Why?
Okay, I get asked this a lot too and the reason why this mug cake is made without any eggs is because that is what makes it have a spongey texture!
If you think about it, it makes sense. Why would you put an entire egg into a mug cake when a regular full-sized cake often asks for one or two eggs?
This isn’t a full-sized cake. And of course I’m not going to ask you to divide an egg in half.
Just omit it! Best texture, ever!
Can I make this with self-raising flour?
You can, but I tested it with self-raising flour and it just came out spongey and not the texture I wanted.
I like my cakes light, fluffy, and moist and with the self-raising flour, it just didn’t yield the results I wanted.
There have been many people who have used self-raising flour in this recipe and didn’t notice a difference so if you’re up for the challenge, I say go for it.
Can this mug cake be made in the oven?
No, this was solely developed for the microwave. I have had readers who have baked this but I honestly recall how it turned out and/or what temperature or time.
What is different about this vanilla mug cake vs. your chocolate mug cake?
Well, for one, the most obvious: this is vanilla, not chocolate!
Additionally, this mug cake takes slightly longer to “bake” since the batter is thicker than the chocolate mug cake one.
Also, this vanilla version is easier to be built upon (or at least I think so) – add chocolate chips to it, a dollop of peanut butter, a dollop of nutella, anything!
I mean, what you can put on a cupcake, I’m sure you could put in this :)
If you love mug cakes, you may like these different variations on my vanilla mug cake:
- Chocolate mug cake
- Dark chocolate mug cake
- Pumpkin spice mug cake
- Salted caramel apple spice mug cake
This is basically vanilla cake in a mug! Grab your mug and get the recipe below!
The Moistest Very Vanilla Mug Cake
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp butter, melted
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.
- In a measuring cup, whisk together milk, vanilla bean paste, and vanilla extract.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients then pour the milk mixture into the center, followed by the melted butter.
- Whisk until no lumps remain and batter is smooth and well combined.
- Pour into a 16-ounce microwave-safe mug.
- Microwave on high for 130 seconds or 2 minutes and 10 seconds.
- Carefully remove and enjoy!
Just made this. Oh my days!!!!
Am in the UK and even with my rough Conversions it was sooooo good, added a handful of choc dots which went gooey in the bottom of mug like sauce and served to partner with a dollop of Greek yoghurt
Will be a regular, many thanks.
It looks like a bunch of other people have had success with this, but I’m honestly baffled as to HOW. I attempted this twice, and all I got was a flat, pale rubber disc for my effort. I actually perfected my own chocolate mug cake recipe about a year ago, and it *absolutely requires* an egg. As do pretty much ALL CAKES. A couple of times I accidentally left the egg out, and ended up with the same sad flat rubber mat.
I see a number of comments saying theirs turned out more like a stodgy cookie, and that’s exactly what you’d expect without an egg. If you absolutely insist on making this eggless, I’d recommend a) increasing the amount of baking powder, and b) adding some vinegar to react with it to try to generate some rise.
Yes, all cakes require eggs but a mug cake doesn’t require a WHOLE egg. A 9-inch cake can take 2 eggs. A mug cake is hardly the size of a 9-inch cake. To each their own, but I definitely stand behind my recipe. Thank you for sharing your tips at the end.
i wonder if a lot of these folks who arent getting a rise are from the UK where baking powder and baking soda are kind of swapped? If you add acid , like vinegar to baking SODA in the us, you get a lift, but baking POWDER already has the acid and the base needed to create the lift. Just a thought.
For those of you who are missing egg in this recipe, why not try a tsp of mayonnaise? I make a chocolate mayonnaise cake using only mayonnaise instead of eggs. It is one of the moistest cakes and delicious. I don’t know how much one would use in a mug cake and perhaps Julie might have an idea but I would think it might be a good option since you wouldn’t have to figure out how to divide an egg. Oh, and using mayonnaise in my chocolate mayonnaise cake doesn’t make it taste eggy so I assume the taste wouldn’t overwhelm in a much smaller recipe.
I saved this pin ages ago and I’ve just tried it (much less cooking time required in my monster and ingredients altered for intolerances!) it was absolutely delicious and is helping me through a rubbish migraine… will now become my go to treat! Thank you x
It’s very lumpy and it didn’t really
Rise. We kept having to add time. It doesn’t really taste like cake, it tastes like cookie dough and hot flour, sugar and vanilla.
This tastes good I guess but it was so dense and heavy that it made me sick and I couldn’t finish it. I do not reccomend using this recipe at all. I feel like throwing up right now
I didn’t have any problems with this recipe. The batter rose and was light and fluffy. Vanilla is not my “thing”, but my husband said that it was very good.
Now, if it’s ok, let me give some insight into the issues that several people had:
When making a small recipe like this, accurate measurements are key. If you just “scoop” the flour, that alone will make this cake heavy and not fluffy. You should always “fluff” your flour and then gently spoon it into the cup and then level it. Like I said, when the recipe is this small, the smallest amount over will affect the results.
Also, tablespoons should be written with a capital “T”, to give a clear distinction from teaspoons. Tbs. or tsp. It’s possible that some people may have had the wrong amounts of sugar or vanilla in their cake. I looked quickly and only put a half tsp of vanilla extract in, instead of a half Tbs. I guess my husband will like it even better next time I make it for him!
I hope these suggestions aren’t seen as criticism-I’m only trying to offering suggestions as to what might have gone wrong for some people.
I’ll be making this again for my husband-I’ll be eating a brownie in a mug😊
Oops…sorry-I forgot two key points in the review I just submitted:
After mixing the batter, (make sure you incorporate enough air into it), let it rest for about two minutes to give the baking powder time to work.
During that time, I greased and floured (well, I use Bakers Joy) the inside of the cup. I know that it’s not mentioned in the original recipe, but I feel that if you don’t, the batter might stick to the sides of the cup in the beginning of cooking, and then not be able to rise.
Sorry if I took over this post. Hope these suggestions help.
Ok! So maybe letting it rest is what I should try next time. I carefully followed the measurements and took them the appropriate way as well as stiffing all dry ingredients. Still I had to keep adding time as the top was wet. Really not sure where I went wrong. My texture is more spongy than fluffy though.
Your vanilla and chocolate mug cake recipes are ridiculously easy and come out perfect every time!
Thank you so much for sharing them.
Hmm not sure about this recipe. Put it in for 2 and a half minutes and still couldn’t tell if it was cooked properly. It was bubbling a lot. Tasted good though. Any comments or advice?
Simply amazing! Both me and my brother love this recipe, as I didn’t have Vanilla essence or paste, I used almond essence and some ground almonds to add a but more texture and the flavour was phenomenal, I would highly suggest this recipe to anyone who loves a quick and simple cake without a lot of mess
I love this recipe so much!!! Perfection!
Wow! Best mug cake recipes ever on here! Looove them!!
Amazing recipe, I also tried it using almond butter or peanut butter as a 1:1 sub for the oil and it tasted just as great!
Very tasty – I made it without the vanilla bean paste and used double the amount of vanilla extract, as recommended. It was the perfect sweet treat to conquer my cravings! I also threw some maple syrup on it, and it was like the perfect vanilla pancake 😋 Would definitely make it again.
Way too much liquid