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    Home » Recipes » Dessert

    Pumpkin Spice Mug Cake

    Published: Aug 30, 2021 · Modified: Oct 7, 2022 by Kelsey Smith

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    Pumpkin spice mug cake is a must-have fall dessert. It's filled with brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla for a moist, delicious single-serving dessert. This recipe is egg-free.

    The great thing about mug cake is that it's single-serving, so you can enjoy your sweet treat without being haunted by an entire cake. In only a few steps, you'll learn how to make a moist pumpkin mug cake.

    This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Pumpkin Spice Mug Cake dusted with powdered sugar.

    Recipe highlights

    • Single-serving dessert recipe: Cake for one!
    • Fall flavors: Pumpkin pie spice, pumpkin purée, and brown sugar make for a sweet treat.
    • Fast: Microwave in 90 seconds. This is one of the easiest desserts.

    If you want more pumpkin recipes, check out Pumpkin Custard, Pumpkin Spice Donuts, Pumpkin Bisquick Pancakes, or Pumpkin Avocado Toast. These pumpkin desserts and breakfast recipes will all help you use up any leftover pumpkin puree from a can of pumpkin.

    Jump to:
    • Recipe highlights
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Substitutions
    • What size mug should I use?
    • How long does it take to microwave?
    • 📖 Recipe
    • Frequently asked questions
    • 💬 Comments

    Ingredients

    This pumpkin spice mug cake recipe calls for a few ingredients you may already have in your baking stash in the pantry.

    Pumpkin spice mug cake ingredients
    • all-purpose flour: perfect for our fluffy mug cake
    • light brown sugar: to sweeten
    • baking powder: to help the cake rise
    • pumpkin pie spice: to boost the pumpkin flavor
    • salt: for flavor
    • pumpkin purée: our feature ingredient
    • milk: for a light texture
    • pure vanilla extract: for flavor
    • vegetable oil or canola oil: for a rich and moist cake
    • powdered sugar: for added sweetness

    See the recipe card for quantities.

    Instructions

    Mix the dry ingredients in a 12-16 oz mug. See my notes further down for some tips on mug size.

    Pumpkin spice mug cake dry ingredients mixed in a 12 oz mug with a fork.

    Add wet ingredients and mix thoroughly. Be mindful to scrape the bottom edges of the mug for any hidden flour chunks.

    Tip: I like to mix mine with a fork. The fork tines make it easier to get to flour at the bottom of the mug.

    Pumpkin spice mug cake wet ingredients mixed in 12 oz mug with a fork.

    Microwave for about 90 seconds. The cake will rise high above the rim of the mug and then settle as soon as you open the microwave. Try not to open the microwave too soon or your cake will sink.

    This photo below was about 15 seconds after opening the microwave door, so it was a bit higher than this while cooking. If the cake is still uncooked, microwave in 10-second increments.

    Cooked mug cake risen over edge of mug just after microwaving.

    Allow the cake to cool before adding a dusting of powdered sugar and serving. Other topping ideas include whipped cream and maple syrup.

    Pumpkin spice mug cake cooled and dusted with powdered sugar.

    Hint: It takes several minutes for a pumpkin mug cake to cool down. If you dust with powdered sugar too soon, it will dissolve onto the cake.

    Substitutions

    This recipe has only been tested with the ingredients listed on the recipe card. These are the main opportunities for substitutions. Otherwise, I recommend sticking to the recipe as written.

    • Milk: I used 2% milk, but you can use whole milk, 1%, almond milk, soy milk, etc.
    • Sugar: Brown sugar in general can be substituted with white sugar. White sugar is slightly sweeter and results in a slightly different texture. I have not tested this, so please comment below if you do and share your results.
    • Powdered sugar: Even with two tablespoons of brown sugar, it's not a super sweet cake, so it needs frosting or a dusting of powdered sugar to give it that extra sweetness you expect from a cake. If you're looking for a small-batch buttercream, check out my buttercream for two cupcakes recipe.

    I do not recommend replacing the pumpkin puree with canned pumpkin pie mix. Pumpkin pie mix contains sugar, salt, and spices, so the recipe would need to be adjusted.

    You will notice this is an eggless pumpkin spice mug cake. I didn't find that adding an egg was necessary.

    Once you have nailed this mug cake, mix it up with a tablespoon of chocolate chips, cinnamon chips, or peanut butter chips.

    A forkful of cake.

    What size mug should I use?

    This recipe can be made in a 16 oz mug or a 12 oz mug (see below).

    The 16 oz mug has more mixing room and takes an extra 10 seconds to cook in my microwave. My microwave is 1200 watts. The cake rises just above the rim of the mug while microwaving and then sinks down.

    The 12 oz mug gives you that nice rounded top. It rises above the rim of the mug quite a bit while cooking and remains slightly elevated when it cools.

    Pumpkin Mug Cake in a 16oz mug with room at the top and in a 12oz mug with cake above the edge of the cup.

    See my notes on microwave time for tips on pulling the cake out at the right moment.

    How long does it take to microwave?

    In a 1200 watt microwave, the 12 oz mug takes 90 seconds (1 minute, 30 seconds) and the 16 oz mug takes 100 seconds (1 minute, 40 seconds).

    What is the toothpick test? I do a toothpick test to test for doneness. If you poke the center of the cake with a toothpick and it comes out clean, you're good to go.

    If your cake is not fully cooked after 90 seconds, microwave in 10-second intervals until it is done.

    My most important tip: When you use the smaller 12 oz mug, it can be alarming to see the cake rising in the microwave. Try to resist pulling open the microwave door too soon (unless you can tell a spill is really going to happen, then by all means, protect your microwave!).

    I've tested this recipe many times, and it always looks like it's going to spill over the edge, but it doesn't. The cake rises straight up (perhaps a little leaning to the side), but it doesn't spill over the rim.

    If you open the door too soon, the cake will sink in the center. You can put it back in the microwave to finish cooking, but once it is sunken in, you can't fix the appearance. Below is an example of a mug cake that was pulled out of the microwave too soon.

    Mug cake sunken in the middle.
    This pumpkin mug cake was removed from the microwave too soon and collapsed in the center.

    Whether you end up with a perfect dome or a sunken cake, it's still tasty!

    Mug cake is best enjoyed immediately after cooling.

    📖 Recipe

    Pumpkin Mug Cake in a 12 oz mug dusted with powdered sugar.
    Pin Recipe Save Recipe Saved! Email Print

    Pumpkin Mug Cake

    Pumpkin mug cake is filled with brown sugar, pumpkin spice, and vanilla for a moist, delicious fall dessert.
    5 from 3 votes
    Recipe by: Kelsey Smith
    Prep time: 5 minutes
    Cook time: 1 minute
    Total time: 6 minutes
    Servings: 1

    Equipment

    • Microwave
    • 12 oz or 16 oz mug

    Ingredients
     
     

    Dry Ingredients

    • ¼ cup all-purpose flour packed and leveled
    • 2 tablespoon light brown sugar packed
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
    • 1 pinch salt

    Wet Ingredients

    • ¼ cup pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling/mix)
    • 3 tablespoon milk
    • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or canola oil
    • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

    Topping

    • powdered sugar optional

    Instructions
     

    • Mix the dry ingredients in a 12 to 16 oz mug.
    • Add wet ingredients and mix thoroughly. Be mindful to scrape the bottom edges of the mug for any hidden flour chunks.
    • Microwave for about 90 seconds. The cake will rise high above the rim of the mug. Try not to open the microwave too soon or your cake will sink. If the cake is still uncooked, microwave in 10 second increments.
    • Allow the cake to cool before adding a dusting of powdered sugar (optional) and serving.

    Video

    Notes

    Microwave times vary depending on microwave wattage and mug size. This recipe was developed in a 1200 watt microwave and a 12 ounce mug (pictured).

    Nutrition

    Calories: 383kcalCarbohydrates: 56gProtein: 5gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 491mgPotassium: 266mgFiber: 3gSugar: 28gVitamin A: 9607IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 335mgIron: 3mg
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: cake, pumpkin
    Tried this recipe?Rate it to let me know how it was!

    Frequently asked questions

    What makes mug cake rise

    A small amount of baking powder will help mug cake rise.

    Why does mug cake taste eggy?

    The egg flavor can be amplified in a mug cake because of the way the cake is heated and because of the quantity used. This mug cake recipe is egg-free.

    Pumpkin Spice Mug CakePumpkin Spice Mug Cake

    More Dessert

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    • 3-Ingredient Cherry Dump Cake
    • Pumpkin Spice Donuts
    • Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats

    About Kelsey Smith

    I am a freelance content writer for college-level textbooks by day, mommy by night, and a blogger in between. I live in Knoxville, Tennessee with my husband, Xavier. When I'm not working on college textbooks, you might find me here, sharing recipes, social media tutorials, and more.

    Reader Interactions

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    1. Suzette Jackson says

      October 21, 2021 at 12:16 pm

      5 stars
      This was delicious 😋

      Reply
    2. Kelsey says

      October 17, 2021 at 11:03 pm

      5 stars
      The perfect single serving dessert for the fall.

      Reply
    3. Jennis says

      October 08, 2021 at 1:26 pm

      Not sure what went wrong I’ve cooked this for almost 4 min so far and it’s really running.
      The flavor is great but it’s like pudding?

      Reply
      • Kelsey Smith says

        October 08, 2021 at 1:28 pm

        That's interesting! I can't imagine what would cause that result. My 1200 watt microwave fully cooks in 90 seconds. Sorry this recipe didn't work out.

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Kelsey! I am a freelance content writer for college-level textbooks by day, mommy by night, and a blogger in between. I live in Knoxville, Tennessee with my husband, Xavier. When I'm not working, you might find me here, sharing easy comfort food recipes.

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