This recipe could be called, “Where there is a will, there is a way mug muffins” or “Necessity is the mother of invention cake.” But those names are quite a mouthful! Eating gluten-free and low sugar often means that good packaged foods are either hard to come by or quite expensive. Since our daughters often can’t grab something packaged when they are looking for a snack, they made up this mug cake all on their own, and they love it!
It’s really something a child as young as 5 could make without any help (or maybe just a little guidance). There are no eggs to crack and no oven to preheat. Simply mix the ingredients together and pop the mug in the microwave for a minute or two. Let it cool for a few minutes, and enjoy! Yum!
We recommend using a porcelain mug or dish. Porcelain tends to allow the heat to go directly to the food, whereas a stoneware mug can absorb more of the heat from the microwave (leading to longer cooking times) and become very hot to the touch.
One of our daughters likes to sweeten hers with honey, and she calls it a “honey puff,” as it puffs up nicely when it cooks. Another daughter likes to add cocoa powder to hers for a brownie-style mug cake.
Do your children like to be creative in the kitchen?
Announcing our first ever
(Yes, there will be prizes!)
Experiment with this recipe by adding new fun flavors (like cinnamon or almond extract) or ingredients (like berries or chocolate chips), then submit your recipe and photo of your mug cake for a chance to win a fun prize! Click here to find out more.
This mug cake recipe is really flexible. In fact, our girls had never really measured the ingredients before, so we had to backtrack and figure out what quantities of ingredients they were actually using. So if you think it needs a little more maple syrup for a sweeter taste, or a little less milk and a little more butter for a richer taste, go for it!
However, the key to making this work is using equal parts almond flour and light buckwheat flour. We decided to experiment for you to see if we could just use almond flour or use a combo of almond flour and coconut flour, and rather than forming a beautiful cake, the ingredients just exploded out of the cup (yikes!), so please use equal parts light buckwheat and almond flour when you make this mug cake.
You can find light buckwheat flour on Amazon or you can order it in bulk for a discounted price directly from Bouchard Family Farms. If you want to read the story of how we came to know and love buckwheat, click here. We have tried a variety of brands of almond flour, one we like is Anthony’s almond flour (but almond flour is pretty easy to find at most grocery stores too). And now… it’s time to make a yummy snack!
Let’s make a mug cake!
Gather your ingredients:
- Butter
- Almond flour
- LIGHT Buckwheat flour
- Baking powder
- Vanilla extract
- Greek yogurt
- Almond milk
- Sweeter of your choice (maple syrup, honey or sweet leaf)
Optional:
- Cocoa powder
- Other flavorings/additional ingredients of your choice
Gather your kitchen supplies:
- 1/2 tsp
- 1 Tbsp
- 1/4 cup
- large spoon
- microwave safe mug, bowl, or ramekin
- butter knife
- stirring spoon
Get ready for a yummy treat!
Step 1
Slice 1 Tbsp of butter (use the lines on the butter wrapper to help you).
Step 2
Place the butter in the mug.
Step 3
Place the mug in the microwave until the butter is melted (about 30 seconds).
Step 4
Take the mug with the melted butter out of the microwave and set it on the counter.
Step 5
Measure 2 Tablespoons of almond flour.
Step 6
Pour the 2 Tablespoons of almond flour into the mug.
Step 7
Measure 2 Tablespoons of light buckwheat flour.
Step 8
Pour the 2 Tablespoons of light buckwheat into the mug.
Step 9
Meaure 1/2 tsp baking powder and add it to the mug.
Step 10
Measure 1 Tbsp maple syrup and add it to the mug. (Or use a sweetener of your choice, such as 1 Tbsp honey or a packet of SweetLeaf.)
Step 11
Measure 1/2 tsp vanilla extract and add it to the mug.
Step 12
Measure 1/4 cup almond milk and add it to the mug.
Step 13
Pour the milk into the mug.
Step 14
Measure 1/4 cup Greek yogurt.
Step 15
Add the yogurt to the mug.
Step 16
Stir everything together until well combined. Make sure your mug is no more than 3/4 full – if necessary, transfer to a larger container.
Optional
Add flavoring of your choice (we used 1 Tbsp of cocoa powder for the mug cake pictured here) then stir again until well combined.
Step 17
Place the mug in the microwave. Microwave on high for 1 to 2 minutes.
Step 18
Check to see that the mug cake is nicely cooked (you might want to stick a spoon into it to see that it is well cooked to the bottom, if necessary, cook slightly longer).
Step 19
Remove the mug from the microwave, being careful as it may be hot to the touch (use a potholder if needed). Wait a few minutes for the mug cake to cool (it might be quite hot!). Then enjoy!
Do you and your budding baker like to read too? We invite you to check out these fun books with a baking theme:
We love the Sophie Mouse series! These are great as family read alouds with preschool and elementary age children, or for elementary age children to read on their own. We thought you and your budding bakers might especially enjoy this one: The Great Bake Off! Really, though, the whole Sophie Mouse series seems to mention scrumptious baking, as Sophie’s mom has a bakery. The illustrations are adorable, and the stories are so sweet!
Another fun book we think you might enjoy is Tomie de Paola’s Pascual and the Kitchen Angels. We just happened to spot this one at the library the other day. This story can be a good reminder that our guardian angels are always there to help us in the kitchen… whether we are a busy mama trying to get dinner on the table, or a budding baker trying to figure out a recipe for the first time. Such a sweet story to enjoy together!
Do you have time for a coloring page? Click on the image to download this free pdf. Our 10 year old loves to make coloring pages for her siblings, and now she makes them to share with you too! Thank you for coming to sparklesandsprinkles.blog today!
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