This red velvet mug cake is the perfect moist and fluffy single-serve dessert! This mug cake requires less than 5 minutes prep time and only takes 90 seconds in the microwave.
I like cake. A lot! But sometimes I can't justify baking an entire cake only to eat one slice. This mug cake recipe has been a game changer when cravings hit. It's one of my favourites (alongside my chocolate lava cake in a mug!) for quick and easy sweet treat.
Ingredients in a Red Velvet Mug Cake
- Plain / all-purpose flour: correctly measure your flour: spoon the flour into the measuring cup so it is heaped. Use the back of a flat-bladed butter knife to sweep off the excess flour and level the surface.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: I use Hershey's (US) or Nestle (AUS/UK) brand. Do NOT use hot cocoa powder or raw 'cacao powder.'
- Baking powder: NOT baking soda / bicarb soda. Make sure it is in date!
- Can I make this mug cake without baking powder? You can omit the baking powder IF you substitute the plain flour with and equal amount of self-raising flour.
- Caster sugar / superfine sugar: finer sugar granules will make the cake more fluffy and moist. You can use regular granulated white sugar if necessary.
- Milk
- Canola oil: you can use any flavourless vegetable or cooking oil. Do NOT use olive oil, coconut oil, or any other strongly flavoured oil.
- Vanilla extract
- Red food colouring: I recommend using a high quality GEL food colour. Otherwise make sure the liquid colouring is high quality and potent- you may have to use more colouring than you think to get a vivid red colour!
You'll notice that this recipe is eggless. I find egg-based mug cakes are denser, chewier and gummier. Nearly all the mug cakes on my website are egg free! Check out:
- Microwave Gingerbread Mug Cake (No Eggs)
- 1 Minute Chocolate Chip Mug Cookie (No Egg!)
- The Easiest Chocolate Lava Cake Ever (No Eggs!)
Top Tips + FAQ
- Why is my mug cake dense and gummy? Make sure you are measuring your dry ingredients correctly with a set of measuring cups and spoons (US or metric will both work as long as they are consistent!). It is tempting to eyeball the measuring of ingredients using dessert spoons or teaspoons - but it is worth the effort to measure them properly!
- Why is my mug cake dry and hard? This is likely because you have overcooked the cake! 90 seconds in an 1100 watt (or similar) microwave should be plenty. Poke a skewer in the centre of the cake to check if it is cooked through, rather than relying on how it looks on the surface.
- Why did my mug cake overflow / explode? Make sure you are using a big mug (350 mL / 12.5 oz or larger). If you know your microwave is particularly strong (1300 watts or stronger), reduce the power or the duration of cooking time.
Mug Cake Storage
It is definitely recommended to eat mug cakes straight away after cooking. They do not keep well!
Variations to Try
- Whipped cream: top the cake with whipped cream for a delicious and easy finish.
- Ice cream: enjoy the cake with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream for a sweet and creamy flavour.
- Sprinkles: add some colour and texture with your favourite sprinkles.
- Hot fudge sauce: add a delicious chocolate flavour with hot fudge sauce or chocolate topping. Irresistable!
- Chocolate lava centre: add 2-4 squares of chocolate (or a big tablespoon of chocolate chips) into the centre of the mug cake before cooking and enjoy a lava chocolate centre!
Red Velvet Mug Cake
Yield:
1 Mug Cake
Prep Time:
5 minutes
Cook Time:
2 minutes
Total Time:
7 minutes
Make your very own red velvet cake in less than 5 minutes! This single serve red velvet mug cake is moist and delicious, with a melt-in-your-mouth cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients
For the Red Velvet Mug Cake
- ⅓ cup (50 g) plain flour / all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon (1 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon (2 g) baking powder
- 3 tablespoon (60 g) caster sugar / superfine sugar
- ¼ cup (63 mL) milk
- 2 tablespoon (40 mL) canola oil (or any other flavourless vegetable oil)
- ¼ teaspoon (2 g) vanilla extract
- 2-3 drops (2 g) red food colouring
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2 teaspoon (10 g) cream cheese, softened
- 2-3 tablespoon (30 g) icing sugar / confectioners sugar
Instructions
- In a large microwave-safe mug (350 mL / 12.5 oz capacity or larger), stir together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and sugar until well combined. Add milk, canola oil, vanilla, and enough red food colouring (usually 2-3 drops) to change the cake to a deep red colour. Stir until well combined.
- Microwave for 90 seconds on full power or until well risen and there is no visible raw batter.
- In a small bowl, combine cream cheese and 2 tablespoon (24 g) of icing sugar. Stir until well combined. Add another 1 tablespoon (12 g) of icing sugar to thicken the frosting, if needed. Spread over the cooked cake. Enjoy!
Notes
Measurement
- Please note that my recipes are measured in metric cups and spoons which are larger than US cups and spoons. Most recipes will be fine if measured in US cups and spoons, but please use the weight (grams) measurement for the most accurate result.
Storage
- I recommend eating the mug cake while it is fresh. It isn't designed to keep well.
Substitutions & Tips
- Food colouring: I use Wilton gel food colouring. If you are using liquid food colouring, you may have to use slightly more to achieve the same strength of colour.
- Find the original recipe video on here on TikTok (you don't need to have a TikTok account to view the video).
Troubleshooting
- Why is my cake hard and rubbery? It is likely that you have overcooked the cake. 90 seconds will be plenty of cooking time for this cake in the majority of microwaves. If you know that your microwave is more powerful than normal microwaves, reduce the power to 80%. When in doubt, a slightly undercooked cake is far better than an overcooked cake!
- Why did my cake overflow? If your cake overflowed then you are using a mug which is too small. Use a mug which is at least 350 mL (12.5 oz) or use a small microwave-safe bowl. If your cake starts to overflow, stop the microwave and let the cake sink down then resume cooking.
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size: 1 Mug Cake with FrostingAmount Per Serving: Calories: 708Total Fat: 32.9gSaturated Fat: 4.7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1.2gCholesterol: 9.7mgSodium: 275.3mgCarbohydrates: 98.8gFiber: 1.5gSugar: 65.1gProtein: 7.2g
Margot says
Absolutely disgusting. I don’t know what I did wrong, but my batter came out super raw in the middle: it definitely did not cook in 90 seconds. I had to cook it for about 3 1/2 minutes and it still wasn’t cooked through. Also 3 drops of food colourring was not enough so I added more.
Chloe says
Hi Margot, I'm sorry to hear that you didn't like the mug cake. What wattage is your microwave? I'm using an 1100 watt microwave and 90 seconds is plenty, so you may need to adjust cooking time if you are using a very low wattage microwave. In saying that, 3 1/2 minutes should be more than enough in any microwave! Did you use standard measuring cups and spoons? This is very important to ensure your ratio of liquid to dry ingredients is correct. Food colouring will also be dependent on brand, especially liquid vs gel - liquid will need more than gel food colours. I hope this helps if you choose to make the recipe again!
Shayna says
I just tried this recipe. I think it's great, I love it a lot. The cream cheese goes really well with the cake. 🙂
Orielle says
Recipe is amazing. Only thing is make double the icing