This Red Velvet Mug Cake is a single-serve portion of your favorite red velvet cake, baked in the microwave to fix your sweet craving quickly.
Plus, this easy red velvet cake in a mug is also allergy-friendly and egg-free.
What makes red velvet cakes so popular is the tangy flavor added to the buttermilk and the mix of vanilla and unsweetened cocoa powder.
It goes without saying that the vibrant red color of red velvet cake with its easy cream cheese frosting makes it so impressive.
But let’s face it, you don’t always have time to bake when you crave that red velvet cake.
That’s why this Red Velvet Mug Cake is so convenient. It tastes like the real things but is ready in a few minutes for a quick and easy dessert.
How To Make Red Velvet Mug Cake
This Red Velvet Mug Cake is so easy to make that my 9-years-old girl often whips up a batch by herself.
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you need to make this decadent and simple cake in a mug:
- All-Purpose Flour – You can also use spelt flour or gluten-free all-purpose flour with variation in texture, mostly chewy and dense.
- Sugar – Any crystal sweetener works, but white color sweeteners are preferred to avoid interference with the red food coloring.
- Liquid Red Food Coloring or beetroot juice or beetroot powder.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- Baking Powder
- Almond Milk or any milk you have at home.
- Apple Cider Vinegar or lemon juice. This is the acidic ingredient necessary to make the mug cake rise.
- Vegetable Oil or melted butter
- Vanilla Extract
Preparing The Buttermilk
The particularity of red velvet cake is the buttermilk base that adds a sour and tangy flavor to the cake.
Since we don’t always have buttermilk at home, you can make your own by stirring almond milk and apple cider vinegar or fresh lemon juice. Set aside for a few minutes to curdle.
Mixing Ingredients
Next, stir the dry ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl: flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, and baking powder.
Stir in the liquid ingredients: buttermilk prepared before, melted butter or oil, vanilla extract, and red food coloring.
Feel free to play with the amount of red food coloring to make the cake more vibrant.
Microwaving The Cake
Microwave the red velvet mug cake in the center of the microwave at 900W for 90 seconds or 60 seconds at 1200W.
You know the mug cake is cooked through when a pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
It’s fine to bring the cake back to the microwave in 10-second bursts to keep baking the center if needed.
When it comes to mug cake baked in the microwave, it’s always better to under-bake the cake first.
Then, return the mug to the microwave and bake again until set. This method prevents the mug cake from drying too fast and being overly dry in the center.
Cooling Down
The most common mistake people make with mug cakes is to immediately dig in.
Your microwave cake, like any baked cake, needs a few minutes to steam out. It gives you time to prepare the mug cake frosting.
Serving Red Velvet
This red velvet mug cake matches perfectly with our 2-ingredient cream cheese frosting.
Of course this frosting makes a large batch, so you may prefer a single-serve option.
The easier way to serve red velvet mug cake is to add on top:
- A dollop of Greek yogurt
- Whipped Cream
- Ice Cream
- Icing like the one made in my lemon mug cake but replacing the lemon juice with more milk or melted butter.
To add a lovely touch of red on top of the frosting, I added crushed freeze-dried strawberries.
Allergy Swaps
If you have some food allergies, you may want to try some of the options below.
- Apple Cider Vinegar can be replaced with any acidic liquid like lemon juice, lime juice, or any vinegar.
- Sugar-Free – You can use same amount of natural sugar-free erythritol.
- Gluten-Free – We tested all-purpose gluten-free flour. It works, but the cake is packed and dense. Unfortunately, almond flour or coconut flour didn’t work.
- Natural Food Coloring – You can use beetroot juice to color the batter instead of liquid food coloring.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is This Recipe Suitable For Oven-Baking?
Yes, most mug cakes can be baked in an oven-safe single-serve ramekin.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C), and bake the mug cake for 15 to 18 minutes or until cooked trough.
Insert a pick in the center of the mug. If the batter sticks, keep baking for a little longer.
More Mug Cake Recipes
Below are some more inspiration for mug cake lovers.
Did you try baking this red velvet cake in a mug? Share a comment or review below.
Red Velvet Mug Cake
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons All-Purpose Flour (note 1)
- ½ teaspoon Cocoa Powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- 2 tablespoons Sugar
- 2 ½ tablespoons Unsweetened Almond Milk
- 2 teaspoons Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil canola or coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- â…› teaspoon Liquid Red Food Coloring add more if deisred
Serving ideas
- 1-2 tablespoons Greek Yogurt sweetened
- 2 teaspoons Freeze-Dried Strawberries crushed
Instructions
- First, prepare the buttermilk. In a small bowl, stir almond milk and apple cider vinegar. Set aside for a few minutes to curdle and make it look like buttermilk.
- In the microwave-safe mug, whisk the dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, sugar, and baking powder.
- Stir in liquid ingredients: prepared buttermilk, oil, red food coloring, and vanilla extract. Combine until light and runny with no lumps.
- Microwave at 900W for 90 seconds in the center of the microwave. If you are not sure what the power of your microwave is, start with 60 seconds and repeat microwaving in 10-second bursts until most and set in the center.
- Cool for a few seconds, then serve immediately with whipped cream, lemon zest, and a lemon wedge.
- Serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt and a dust of freeze-dried strawberries.
