This red velvet mug cake recipe is an easy treat you can quickly whip up at any time of day! It only takes a few minutes to prepare, and has all the cocoa-flavored goodness of a standard red velvet cake, as well as a cream cheese frosting!
I love mug cakes. They taste great, and are so quick and easy to prepare. They’re also a great option for a personal-sized dessert. This red velvet mug cake has a beautiful deep red color to it (though you can adjust or omit this completely, if you want).
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What is a red velvet mug cake
This is a quick and easy take on the classic red velvet cake. However, the red velvet mug cake is cooked in a mug using a microwave. It’s a simple recipe that captures the rich cocoa flavor and the vibrant red color of the traditional red velvet cake in a much smaller, easier-to-make portion. We’re upping the ante by also making a quick cream cheese frosting to top with.
Are mug cakes as good as proper cakes
There is a somewhat unspoken truth about microwaved mug cake recipes, which I need to mention. Mug cakes aren’t always as good as traditional oven-baked cakes. They’re made in just a few minutes with a handful of ingredients in a microwave, after all!
Does it mean that mug cakes are bad? Not at all. They’re great, and perfect when you’re looking for a quick bite of cake.
Ingredients
For the Red Velvet Mug Cake
- Whole milk
- White vinegar
- Vanilla extract
- Vegetable oil (canola oil is fine too)
- Red food coloring gel (optional)
- All-purpose flour
- Cocoa powder
- Brown sugar
- Baking powder
- Salt
For the cream cheese frosting
- Cream cheese, room temperature
- Powdered sugar
- Mini dark chocolate chips
How to make red velvet mug cake
Prepare the mug cake
We’ll start with the wet ingredients: Begin by whisking the milk, vinegar, vegetable oil and vanilla extract together in a microwave-safe mug (you can use a fork or a whisk). Optional: Add the red food color and mix. If you’re using the food color gel, you're looking for a very deep red color. If you prefer to not use the food color, don’t worry. The flavor will be exactly the same.
Now it’s time to add the dry ingredients to the mug: add the flour, cocoa powder, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Whisk or stir until a smooth batter is formed.
Microwave on high for 60-90 seconds (cooking time can vary, based on your microwave). Set the cooked mug cake aside to cool for a few minutes.
Top with the cream cheese frosting and some mini chocolate chips, and enjoy!
Prepare the cream cheese frosting
In a small bowl, whip the cream cheese, icing sugar and mini chocolate chips together until smooth. Set the whipped frosting aside, and refrigerate until it’s time to frost your finished mug cake.
Tips
Making a mug cake is a very simple process so there aren’t many fancy tips I can give you. There are a few small things to keep in mind, they’ll make life easier for yourself.
Room temperature ingredients. Generally in recipes, unless otherwise specified, you want your ingredients to be room temperature. This goes double for this recipe as whipping very cold cream cheese is a lot more work.
Let the cake cool. Once you’ve finished microwaving your red velvet mug cake, you’ll be eager to dig in. I get it, I don’t like waiting for dessert either, but give it a few minutes to cool slightly. Firstly, I don’t want you to burn your mouth. And secondly, it needs to cool a little so that you can add the cream cheese frosting without worrying about it immediately melting.
No eggs required. Usually cake recipes will involve eggs, however in the case of this mug cake, there are no eggs required. It gives the microwave cake a dense, rubbery texture which we’d rather avoid.
Faux buttermilk. You might be wondering what’s up with the use of white vinegar in this recipe. Well, quite simply, we’re replicating buttermilk by mixing the vinegar and milk together – don’t worry, the cake won’t tasty like vinegar!
Troubleshooting
Experimenting and adjusting are a part of baking. I find that this applies more to mug cakes as mugs and microwaves come in so many different shapes and sizes (and wattages). Here are the solutions to common mug cake problems.
Dry cake. If your mug cake is dry it’s probably overcooked. Microwave power levels can vary quite dramatically, try reducing the cooking time by 10-15 seconds, and check the doneness with a toothpick.
Undercooked centers. The opposite of the above, and your cake likely needs to be cooked for another 10-15 seconds.
Uneven cooking. If your mug cake cooks unevenly, it may be due to the size and shape of your mug. Try using a different mug, or switch out for a microwave-safe bowl.
More mug cake recipes
Enjoying this one? Here are a few other mug cakes, they’re all quick, easy, and delicious!
Variations
The easiest way to create variations of this mug cake recipe is to swap out the cream cheese topping.
Whipped cream is always a welcome addition to cakes.
A sprinkle of powdered sugar is great for those that have a sweet tooth.
Crushed Oreos on top of whipped cream are an indulgent touch!
Butter. Adding a touch of butter is a simple, but slightly unconventional, topping that I was introduced to by an old friend.
Bowling for cake. Lastly, if you don’t have a mug handy, you can make this recipe using a small microwave-safe bowl. It’ll taste the same, but you’ll have a bowl-shaped cake instead!
Make it gluten-free. Given the small amount of flour required, it’s quite simple to simply swap it with gluten-free flour. Please also make sure you’re using gluten-free vanilla extract and baking powder.
Storage
Unfortunately, mug cakes do not store well. They’re made to be eaten almost immediately as they do develop a dry, rubbery texture if left out too long.
And that’s it for today, bestie! If you enjoyed this red velvet mug cake recipe, comment below and let me know.
๐ Recipe
Red Velvet Mug Cake
- Total Time: 3 minutes
- Yield: 1 mug cake 1x
Description
This Red Velvet Mug Cake recipe is an easy treat that you can make in a few minutes. It’s perfect for Valentine’s Day, birthdays…or any day, really!
Ingredients
Red Velvet Mug Cake
- 4 tablespoons whole milk
- ยฝ tablespoon white vinegar
- ยฝ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ยฝ tablespoons vegetable oil
- Optional: โ teaspoon red food color gel
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ยฝ tablespoon cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- ยผ tsp baking powder
- โ tsp salt
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 tablespoon cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon icing sugar
- 1 tablespoon mini dark chocolate chips
Instructions
Preparing mug cake
- Prepare the wet ingredients: Whisk the milk, vinegar, vegetable oil and vanilla extract together in a microwave-safe mug. Optional: Add the red food color and mix well.
- Add the dry ingredients: Add flour, cocoa powder, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir until a smooth batter is formed.
- Microwave on high for 60-90 seconds (cooking time can vary, based on your microwave). Set the cooked mug cake aside to cool for a few minutes.
- Top with the cream cheese frosting and some mini chocolate chips. Enjoy immediately!ย
Preparing cream cheese frosting
- In a small bowl, whip the cream cheese, icing sugar and mini chocolate chips together until smooth. Set the whipped frosting aside, and refrigerate until it’s time to frost your finished mug cake.
Notes
- The use of food coloring is completely optional. It will not affect the taste of your microwave mug cake.
- Microwave times can vary as the wattage on microwaves can be very different from one model to another.ย
- Prep Time: 2 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 minute
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Microwave
- Cuisine: American
Alicia
Saw this in my email and literally made it for breakfast. So good!
M
I’ve been craving red velvet cake but didn’t want to buy a whole one to eat alone. I got a slice from a local bakery and it wasn’t right, it had a fake vanilla icing. This mug cake right here is the winner, it satisfied my craving perfectly and is exactly what I think of when I think of a red velvet cake. Truly an amazing recipe, will be my special treat if ever I’m craving a decadent dessert (I doubled the icing because I’m obsessed with cream cheese frosting).
Riz
Hi M, I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe so much!
Thank you for commenting!
Natascha
Made the cake without the frosting, really good!