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This green tea mug cake is seriously delicious, moist and fluffy. It's super quick and easy to whip up (5 minutes from start to finish)! The perfect healthy-ish little dessert or breakfast.
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Saint Patrick's Day is drawing near and I've been in the mood for some fun, green foods. So began my quest to make the best matcha mug cake ever! Of course, you can enjoy this tasty treat any time of year. It's always a good time for delicious, sweet & earthy flavored cake.
After making about 15 versions of this recipe and several trips to the grocery store, I'm finally satisfied. This cake is HEAVENLY. I can't wait to share it with you!
Oh and as I've been eating this delicious green tea dessert for breakfast every day this week, I've been pairing it with some iced protein coffee. Great combo, highly recommend!
Want to try another delicious green treat? Check out these matcha cookies, matcha overnight oats or my iced matcha latte recipe!
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Why you'll love this recipe:
Single serving: cake for one is everything! You won't have to deal with storing leftovers or the temptation to eat them. If you need more than one serving, this recipe is fast so you can easily whip up another one to share with a friend or family member.
Low effort: make this simple treat right in your microwave-safe mug (or tea cup) in just a few minutes. No need to dirty a bowl!
No bake: you can make this recipe using a microwave rather than firing up the oven (great for warmer days when trying to keep the house cool).
Healthy-ish: this recipe is somewhat healthy and fairly low cal. I typically make mine sugar free to cut down on calories even more! I really like using this monkfruit/erythritol white sugar replacement. It's available on Amazon, but I normally buy it at my local Kroger.
Vegan: this recipe is naturally vegan, dairy free and totally eggless!
Gluten free option: this recipe does call for all purpose flour, but you can substitute a gluten free baking flour mix. I tested this recipe with Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour and it worked stupendously!
Ingredients & substitutions:
- Flour: unbleached, white all-purpose flour or a gluten free baking flour mix.
- Baking powder: just a touch to help everything rise.
- Salt: adds more depth/complexity to the flavors in your cake.
- Matcha powder: the star of the show! This green tea powder will give your mug cake SUCH beautiful flavor. Be sure to use a high quality matcha or the color won't be as brilliant. I enjoy using The Republic Of Tea brand. Good matcha powder is pretty expensive, but this recipe only calls for a teaspoon, so you'll be able to make lots of cakes before you run out.
- Unsweetened almond milk: or milk of choice.
- Coconut oil: a touch of oil gives your cake great texture.
- Pure vanilla extract: pure is best, but imitation will work, too.
- Sugar: you can also use a sugar free substitute (I normally use this monkfruit/erythritol blend).
- Stevia powder: pure & uncut for an additional bit of extra sweetness without the calories.
How to make cake in a mug:
Keep scrolling for the full recipe and measurements. We’ll start here with a quick overview!
- Add dry ingredients
First, combine all dry ingredients in a microwave safe mug You'll want to use a mug that is at least 8 ounces in size (8 ounces equals 1 cup). Mix the dry ingredients together VERY well (I have found that using a miniature whisk works best if you've got one). Matcha powder can be a little clumpy when it comes out of the bag, break those little clumps up as much as possible.
- Add wet ingredients
Add milk and vanilla extract to the mug. Melt coconut oil and add it as well. Whisk all ingredients together until smooth.
- Microwave
Microwave on high for 70-90 seconds. Keep in mind that microwaves vary quite widely in power so cook time may vary. Because this cake doesn't have eggs, you won't have to worry about undercooking it. I'd recommend starting with 70 seconds and adding more time as needed.
Expert Tip:
- Don't overcook: overcooking can cause the cake to get dry. This recipe is eggless so undercooking isn't something you need to worry about, it's okay if the cake is a little extra moist in the middle.
Toppings:
You can add so many different, fun toppings to this mug cake! Here are a some ideas:
- Whip cream
- Ice cream
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
- Raspberries
- A berry medley
- Fruit compote or jam
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Chocolate chips or sauce
- White chocolate chips
- Powdered sugar
- Sprinkles
- Chopped nuts
- Sesame seeds
- Maple syrup
Variations:
-This green tea dessert recipe isn't overpoweringly sweet. I really like it this way but you can definitely add more sugar, monk fruit, or stevia if you prefer.
-Chocolate (cocoa) instead of matcha powder. I recommend using a heaping tablespoon of cocoa powder rather than a teaspoon because it's not quite as strong as matcha.
-Add chocolate chips (or white chocolate chips) as a mix in!
-Add fruit or nuts as a mix in.
Frequently asked questions:
You may have forgotten to add your oil. Coconut oil is the ingredient that really gives this cake it nice texture and keeps it from being spongy and super dense.
Eggs are used for leavening and structure in baking. Here, we're dealing with a very small amount of batter so a whole egg will create too much "structure." A.K.A. it will make your cake tough. A little bit of baking powder is all we need to get the lift we want. Therefore, this recipe requires no egg! (source: saramoulton.com)
Matcha is made of dried and powdered green tea leaves (typically tencha leaves). It essentially tastes like super strong green tea as is very earthy. It's really delicious when mixed into treats like this mug cake!
More Small Desserts:
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The Best Matcha Mug Cake!
Ingredients
- ¼ cup all purpose flour *see notes below regarding gluten free options
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon matcha powder *see note below
- ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk *or milk of choice
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil *see note below
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon (+1 teaspoon) sugar *or granulated sugar replacement of choice, see note below
- ⅛ teaspoon pure stevia powder *uncut, see note below
Recipe notes:
Flour: to make this recipe gluten free, you can use a gluten free baking flour mix. I've tested with Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour and it worked really well! Matcha powder: use a high quality matcha powder to get that gorgeous green! I like using The Republic Of Tea brand. Coconut oil: coconut oil is what makes this cake so tender. You can substitute a bit of mashed banana but the texture will suffer some. Sugar: I like using monkfruit/erythritol white sugar replacement for my mug cakes. This takes total calories from approximately 279 to 215 and also lowers carb count. Uncut stevia: a pinch of pure stevia adds sweetness without calories. Sometimes it's mixed with other ingredients, be sure to look for a pure version. Here's an example: pure steviaInstructions
- First, combine all dry ingredients in a microwave safe mug (use a mug that is at least 8 ounces/1cup in size).
- Mix dry ingredients together VERY well (I have found that using a mini whisk works best if you've got one). Matcha powder can be a little clumpy out of the bag, break those little clumps up as much as possible.
- Add milk and vanilla extract to the mug.
- Melt and add coconut oil. Whisk all ingredients together until smooth.
- Microwave on high for 70-90 seconds. Microwaves vary widely in power, so cook time may be different. Because this cake doesn't have eggs, you won't have to worry about undercooking it. I'd recommend starting with 70 seconds and adding more time as needed.
- Add toppings if desired, and enjoy!
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