It’s that time of year again. The leaves are falling and the weather is changing; perfect for snuggling up next to a fireplace with a treat fresh out of the oven.
This time of year always reminds me of when I used to bake with my grandmother. She started this tradition of baking with my sister and me when we were just 5 years old. It was always a grand event, taking 3 days to complete.
We baked from the moment we woke up in the morning until it was way past our bedtimes. By the end, we would have made 10 different types of cookies, yielding a few dozen cookies each, to later be given to family and friends as holiday gifts.
Baking has always been a hobby of mine. I enjoy making anything from cookies to breads to cakes and everything in between. I’ve always found it to be relaxing and a good way to relieve stress.
Lately I have been so busy with school and work that I haven’t had the time to bake. I found myself missing the smell of a freshly baked cake but I knew I didn’t have the time to make one (or room in my fridge to store it) so I started looking for delicious and easy recipes to make.
Pinterest has always been my go-to for ideas and recipes so I decided to start my search there. Eventually, I stumbled upon this idea of cake in a mug where all you need to make them is a few ingredients, a coffee mug, and a microwave! This seemed like a quick and easy way to fulfill my baking withdrawal so I decided to try it out.
I picked three different fall-inspired recipes to try and ranked them in order of how I liked them below.
Carmel Apple Mug Cake
This one was by far my favorite of the three I tried. Despite it looking nothing like the Pinterest picture, I loved the apple chunks inside and the light, spongy texture. The one thing I would change about this recipe would be to add some cinnamon for more flavor.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 1/2 tablespoons apple sauce
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons diced apples
- 1-2 tablespoon caramel sauce
Optional
- 2 teaspoons streusel (1/2 tsp flour, 1/2 tsp butter, 1 tsp brown sugar)
Directions
- Mix flour, sugar and baking powder well, then add apple sauce and mix until wet. Add remaining ingredients except for caramel and just mix.
- Cook in microwave for 50 seconds-1 minute.
- Drizzle with caramel sauce. Add streusel if using.
Pumpkin Mug Cake
This one made my kitchen smell just like fall and tasted pretty good too. The pumpkin pie spice was pretty strong and over-powered the pumpkin puree a bit so next time I would try less spice and more puree to balance out the flavors.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons white cake mix (regular or sugar free)
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin puree
- 1 tablespoon water
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Directions
- Put white cake mix, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice and water into a small greased, microwave-safe mug or ramekin.
- Mix with a fork until mostly smooth.
- Microwave on high for 60 seconds.
- Optional: Top with whipped cream and pumpkin pie spice.
Hot Chocolate Mug Cake
This one was my least favorite. It was lacking in that rich chocolate flavor you expect from a chocolate cake. The marshmallows saved the day, they added flavor and were gooey and warm which added a nice texture. Next time I might try adding some chocolate chips to enhance the chocolate factor.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp hot cocoa mix (I used 1 tbsp from a packet of Swiss Miss Milk Chocolate with mini marshmallows)
- 2 tsp granulated white sugar
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 3 tbsp milk
- 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 5 mini marshmallows
Directions
- Add all ingredients except mini marshmallows into a microwave-safe mug. Mix with a small whisk until batter is smooth. Add in mini marshmallows. If you want them on the top, leave them as is. If you want them mixed into the batter, stir them into the batter.
- Microwave for about 1 minute, or until cake is cooked. Top of cake should be dry to the touch. Cake is best consumed warm.
Overall my cake in a mug experience was a success. It was so quick and easy and I loved having my own personal-sized cake to enjoy. So if you’re like me and love to bake but find yourself strapped for time, I highly recommend trying to make your own cake in a mug.
Happy baking!
Cassie Bingham is a FitU nutrition mentor and a graduating senior from Morgan Hill, California. She currently works at Sutter Dining and is the president of the Embodied club on campus, where she aims to promote body positivity on campus. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, hiking, and spending time with friends and family. She hopes to become a community dietitian.
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