This Gluten-Free Mug Cake is a simple single-serve vanilla cake in the microwave for a quick gluten-free dessert.
It comes with a dairy-free option for those with gluten and dairy allergies.
Everybody loves mug cake recipes, but they are rarely gluten-free. Most of our mug cakes are made with all-purpose flour.
But if you have someone with gluten intolerance or allergies, you will want to try this recipe!
Making our pancake-in-a-mug recipe with all-purpose gluten-free flour doesn’t work very well. The texture is dense and gummy, therefore, a purpose-built mug cake recipe is required for gluten-free flour.
How To Make Gluten-Free Mug Cake
A gluten-free cake in the microwave is made with just a few basic ingredients.
Ingredients
All you need to make this mug cake gluten-free are:
- All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour – Our blend contains xanthan gum, but since you are using only a few tablespoons of flour for one mug cake, you don’t have to worry about adding extra gum if your mix doesn’t contains any.
- Egg – This is a must for bouncy fluffy mug cakes without gluten.
- Baking Powder
- Vanilla Extract
- Melted Butter or, use dairy-free butter or melted coconut oil if preferred.
- Water or dairy-free milk you love including oat milk, soy milk, or almond milk.
- Sugar or coconut sugar or any granulated sweetener like sugar-free erythritol if needed.
Preparation
Like any mug cake, this recipe is pretty straightforward. I like to prepare the batter in a bowl instead of a mug. It’s much easier to combine ingredients in a wide bowl.
Whisk eggs, water, vanilla and melted butter. Then, whisk in the dry ingredients: all-purpose gluten-free flour, baking powder, and sugar.
Keep whisking until the batter is smooth and runny.
Microwaving Mug Cake
Fill a tall 12-ounce microwave-safe coffee mug and place it in the center of the microwave.
Set the microwave to 900W, microwave the recipe for 90 seconds or until the cake rises above the the mug and keep it running for 15 to 20 seconds.
If your microwave is set at 600W, it may take a little bit longer to cook through.
The best way to check if a mug cake is ready is by inserting a pick in the center of the cake. If moist or sticky, microwave it again in 10-second burst.
It’s usually safer to underbake the cake and return it to the microwave than overbake and dry the cake.
Serving Gluten-Free Vanilla Mug Cake
Let the mug cake cool down in the mug for a few minutes before serving as it’s piping out the microwave.
Serve with your favorite mug cake toppings like:
- Whipped Cream
- Ice Cream
- Peanut Butter
- Chocolate Chips
- Berries
- Sprinkles
We chose to make a birthday mug cake, adding whipped cream and sprinkles.
Add-Ons
Of course, you can play with flavors and tweak this mug cake recipe by adding 2 to 3 tablespoons of the following in the cake batter:
- Chocolate Chips
- Berries
- Shredded Coconut
For a gluten-free chocolate mug cake, stir in one tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder and two tablespoons of chocolate chips.
Storage Instructions
This gluten-free mug cake won’t store more than 30 minutes to 1 hour.
After that time, the texture comes out dry and doesn’t taste very good.
Allergy Swaps
Below are some ideas to swap the ingredients in this gluten-free cake recipe:
- Dairy-Free – Use dairy-free butter like vegan butter brands or melted coconut oil. If you don’t like the flavor of coconut, pick a refined coconut oil. Another option is canola oil or avocado oil.
- Egg-Free – We didn’t enjoy the texture of using egg replacers because the cake comes out denser. But if you want to try a gluten-free, vegan mug cake with this recipe, you can. To replace the egg, stir in three tablespoons of unsweetened applesauce.
- Sugar-Free – Any natural sugar-free crystal sweetener like allulose or erythritol works.
Frequently Asked Questions
below are my answers to the most common questions about this mug cake.
Can I Bake Gluten-Free Mug Cake In The Oven?
Yes, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
Grease an oven-proof ramekin with butter or coconut oil, then fill in with the gluten-free mug cake batter.
Bake on the center rack of the oven until it rises, the top is golden brown, and a pick inserted in the thickest part of the cake comes out clean.
It takes from 15 to 20 minutes to bake this gluten-free mug cake recipe in the oven.
Can I Use Coconut Flour?
No coconut flour contains four times more fiber than all-purpose flour blend and it won’t work as a 1:1 ratio to this recipe.
Use a coconut flour mug cake recipe for this purpose.
What’s The Best Gluten-Free Flour For Baking?
The best are gluten-free flour blend containing added xanthan gum. They provide firmer texture to cakes.
More Mug Cake Recipes
If you like mug cakes, you’ll love these other recipes:
Have you tried this gluten-free mug cake recipe? Share a comment or review below.
Gluten-Free Mug Cake
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons All-purpose Gluten-free Flour
- 2 tablespoons Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Baking Powder – gluten-free
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 large Egg
- 2 tablespoons Melted Butter
- 1 tablespoon Water
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk the egg, melted butter, water, and vanilla extract.
- Whisk in dry ingredients: gluten-free flour, sugar, baking powder, and sugar until smooth and no lumps show.
- Pour the batter into a 12-ounce coffee mug.
- Microwave at 900W for 90 seconds in the center of the microwave or until a pick inserted in the center of the mug cake comes out clean and dry. If wet, return in 10-second bursts.
- Cool down for a few minutes in the mug, then top with your favorite toppings: whipped cream, sprinkles, berries, etc.
- Don't store leftovers! Eat them immediately.
This was THE BEST MUG CAKE I’ve ever had, so much so that after my first one, I made myself two more!!! Just keep an eye on the baking as my microwave needed less time when baked in a much as opposed to when I baked it in a large casserole dish when I doubled the recipe. Otherwise, thank you!!!