6 Tips for Making the Best Ever Mug Cake

Sometimes, you want to make a cake just for you, and you don't really want to share. At TheBestDessertRecipes.com, we understand that cake craving. Quick and easy mug cake recipes are our favorite way satisfy those middle-of-the-day sweet tooth cravings. It takes mere minutes to create a mug cake, but the recipes aren't always foolproof. Baking in the microwave can be tricky, so our editors have put together some tips to help you make the perfect cake in a mug, no matter what flavor you are making. 

6 Tips for Making the Best Ever Mug Cake

1. Try out different containers. When we made mug cakes in our test kitchen, we like the mug cakes made in smaller 4-ounce mugs the best, and the ones we made in shorter, 8-ounce wider mugs. We found these mugs made it easier to bake the cake completely without ending up with some parts that were too dry. Each microwave cooks differently, so we recommend you try out different containers: ramekins, paper cups, anything that is microwave safe. You may find that a standard 8-ounce coffee mug isn't your vessel of choice when it comes to making cake in a mug.
    
2. Use self-rising flour. You may not use self-rising flour very often in your baking, but for mug cakes it is an ideal shortcut. Most mug cake recipes call for 1/8 teaspoon or 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder to help the cake rise, but we liked the results we got with self-rising flour the best. It yields consistent, fluffy mug cakes. And you can adapt any mug cake recipe for self-rising flour simply by leaving out the baking powder, but keeping the amount of flour the recipe calls for the same.
    
3. Don’t over fill the mug. We know it's tempting to think "the more cake, the merrier" and pour as much batter as you can fit into your mug, but you really shouldn't fill your mug cake cup more than half way. Mug cakes rise a lot more than regular cakes while they bake, so filling your mug more than halfway will cause it to overflow and make a huge mess all over your microwave.
    
4. Microwaving for too little time is better than too much. You can always pop your mug cake in the microwave for a few more seconds, but there's no going back once you over bake your mug cake. Mug cakes can easily turn out much too dry, so make sure to stop microwaving your cake as soon as the top no longer looks wet of undercooked, and it is slightly springy to the touch. To avoid overbaking, use the lowest cook time listed in the recipe or a few seconds less. Then you can microwave it for 5-10 more seconds if you need to.
    
5. Enjoy immediately! A little bit of a mug cake's magic wears off after it's been sitting for a few minutes. They are best enjoyed when they are warm and fresh, so let your cake cool for a minute, tops, until it's just cool enough to eat, and dig in! It's cake, so it will be tasty even if you wait a little while to enjoy it, but nothing can beat that fresh-"baked" taste it has when it is fresh from the microwave. 
    
6. Add a topping for better flavor. We've made some delicious mug cakes in our test kitchen that taste great without any added special sauce (check out our 5-Minute Chocolate Mug Cake and our 4-Minute Coffee Cake Mug Cake ). However, we can't deny that adding some ice cream topping or homemade sauce can really be the icing on the cake when it comes to baking in a mug. You can use your favorite flavor of ice cream topping in a jar, or make your own. Homemade ganache is super easy to make and can add flavor to any mug cake. This fudgy mug cake recipe includes a recipe for vanilla sauce that goes perfectly with the rich chocolate mug cake. 

Do you have any tips for baking in a mug or stories of mug cake mishaps? Let us know in the comments!