This time of year, one of the most popular recipes on my blog is my Gingerbread Mug Cake. Which always makes me laugh a little, because it was such a throw-away recipe when I came up with it. At the time, my fridge was basically empty and I was low on basic baking ingredients, but Dan had just proposed a day or two before and I really wanted to show off my shiny new engagement ring.
It was right around Christmas, and I had just enough stuff to make one mug cake, so I was like…Hey! Gingerbread Mug Cake!
Never mind that I didn’t have any molasses or honey or very many spices…I had ground ginger! I had cinnamon! The cake was tasty! I had a sparkly diamond ring!
The first version of this mug cake that I posted was tasty when I made it, but it was no where near perfect. If you didn’t eat all of it right away, you’d find that the cake became hard and tough to eat after sitting out for a little bit. Some readers thought there was too much cinnamon. Some thought there was too much baking powder. Others loved it.
It was…kind of a mess.
So I eventually had to tweak the recipe. I used less baking powder. And less cinnamon. Tried egg nog instead of milk (it was all I had!). Then buttermilk instead of egg nog (because what is egg nog doing in gingerbread?). Still no honey or molasses, ‘cuz I don’t like either of those things and I never buy it. But, the recipe I finally settled on was still much better than the first one, and since I actually made it more than once, I knew that any tastiness was definitely repeatable.
But it still wasn’t technically gingerbread, and I knew I’d have to tweak the recipe again eventually. Blog friends to the rescue!
Remember how Jennifer (blogger friend, mug cake extraordinaire, and genius behind Kirbie’s Cravings) sent me a media review copy of her new 5-Minute Mug Cakes cookbook
A recipe for Gingerbread Mug Cake! And, it looked way better (and more gingerbread-y) than mine!
So I tried it. And it was awesome. Super moist and fluffy despite no egg in the batter. Full of that spicy, dark flavor (from the brown sugar and molasses) that makes gingerbread so delicious and addictive. And all it took was a handful of very basic baking ingredients, a mug, and 1 minute in the microwave. That’s basically a Christmas miracle, right?
5-MINUTE MUG CAKES COOKBOOK GIVEAWAY
Because she is the embodiment of Christmas spirit, Jennifer has generously offered to give one lucky (and randomly selected) reader a free copy of her awesome cook book. It’s awesome, and you’ll love it, I promise!
- To enter the giveaway, leave me a comment telling me what your dream mug cake recipe would be.
- To earn up to FIVE bonus entries, do one (or all!) of the following and then come back and leave me separate comments below telling me what you did:
(1) Subscribe to my blog via email or RSS feed (if you are already subscribed, leave a comment saying that!).
(2) Like Just Putzing Around the Kitchen on Facebook.
(3) Follow Just Putzing Around the Kitchen on Twitter.
(4) Follow Just Putzing Around the Kitchen on Instagram.
(5) Pin any mug cake pic from this post onto Pinterest.
- Giveaway will end at 5pm next Saturday, December 27. Winner will be notified by email.
- Limited to US residents only.
- 4 tbsp all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 3 tbsp skim milk
- ½ tbsp vegetable oil
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ⅛ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tbsp dark molasses
- Pinch of salt
- Whipped cream (optional)
- Caramel sauce (optional)
- Combine all ingredients in a microwave-safe mug.
- Whisk until batter is smooth.
- Stick your mug in the microwave and cook for about 1 minute. If cake is not done after 1 minute, zap it for an extra 15 seconds.
- Allow cake to cool slightly.
- Enjoy immediately, with whipped cream and caramel sauce.
(Very slightly adapted from the Kirbie’s Craving recipe)
Dream mug cake: banana chocolate cake (then I’d just make it a sundae by adding vanilla ice cream and strawberries…)
i just misspelled my own name. Too distracted by thoughts of mug cakes.
Your photos look gorgeous! And i still remember the engagement ring post, though I actually only remembered the ring and not the recipe. ha! I am also totally loving the spoons you used in this post.
A mug German Chocolate cake!
following on twitter @justtellmewhen
Mug cakes are my ultimate comfort food. I definitely need to try your gingerbread flavoured version – it is so perfect for this time of year!
Dream mug cake? HMMM – Something with matcha and mochi definitely.
I’m subscribedddd – duh!
I follow on Facebook!
I follow on Twitter!
And on instagrams..
I love gingerbread but get tired of it when I make a full recipe. This will satisfy my craving!!
Thanks
Something chocolate peanut butter would be my dream mug cake. That way I don’t have a whole one in the house. (Liked on Facebook.)
A gooey chocolate chip cookie!
Mine would have a chocolate base with chocolate chips and pecans throughout !
Red velvet mug cake
My dream mug cake would be a dark peppermint chocolate with hot fudge drizzle and peppermint bark 🙂 yum!!
I followed on twitter
carrot cake!
i follow on facebook!
carrot cake!
My dream mug cake recipe would be a hot molton lava cake.
I already subscribe via email.
My pin: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/245446248417658487/
I already liked you on Facebook.
I follow you on Twitter (@ThatTuxedoCat)
I already follow you on Instagram. http://instagram.com/agratefulattitude/
This is EXACTLY the same recipe as your earlier post.
These are the ingredients on this link
https://www.justputzing.com/2011/12/gingerbread-mug-cake-egg-less.html
4 tbsp all-purpose flour
¼ tsp baking powder
1 tbsp dark brown sugar
3 tbsp skim milk
½ tbsp vegetable oil
¼ tsp ground ginger
⅛ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tbsp dark molasses
Pinch of salt
Whipped cream (optional)
Caramel sauce (optional)
They’re the same!!!
Yup! If you look at the “note” posted at the bottom of the 2011 recipe, I said the following: “Got tired of inconsistent results, so I replaced my old recipe with a newer version from Kirbie’s Craving’s new mug cake cookbook. Here’s a link to my new post if you want to see more recent, updated pictures.”
I’ve been craving ginger cake and mug cake all day. Hahahaha. Will be making this asap.
Yummy, rich and fast
Yup! Glad you liked it 😀
anything with lemon!
Had some friends round and had then each choose a mug cake. Mug cakes are a great way to have a tailored pudding, each just chooses the one they most like. One of the guests went for a chocolate mug cake, but the rest went for your gingerbread one.
I must say that it turned out perfectly and was enjoyed by all. I think the cream and the sauce are a must, they take the cake to the next level!
I’m so glad you liked the recipe!