Pumpkin Mug Cake

Pumpkin Mug Cake- A single serve dessert made with the sweet flavors of fall and a simple cream cheese glaze.

November 26, 2023 by Nicole Collins

Today, we’re making a Pumpkin Mug Cake!

You know it’s funny, but for someone that loathes the fall; I’ve really been leaning into it this season. In fact, one of my fall loving foodie friends has called me out on it EVERY SINGLE TIME I’ve posted a fall recipe online this year. But let me be clear…this is NOT me coming over to the dark side. This is simply me acknowledging that if you can’t beat’em, join’em.

Funnily enough, I’ve actually been making this mug cake on repeat. It’s just too easy! And thanks to a special ingredient, we’re getting through this whole pumpkin recipe without actually using any canned pumpkin. And, that means no food waste if the craving hits and you don’t already have leftover pumpkin on standby!

Let’s talk about the mug. We need a mug that’s not too small that the cake has no room to rise but not too big that the cake doesn’t cook evenly. I find that a standard 12 oz coffee mug is perfect for the job. It’s microwave safe, and it holds the cake perfectly.

To our mug, we’ll add a little butter then pop it into the microwave to melt. Then, we can add the rest of our cake ingredients straight to the mug. We need some flour, some sugar, a little baking soda, some milk, a splash of vanilla, an extra hit of pumpkin pie spice, and our secret ingredient…pumpkin butter.

Pumpkin butter is a seasonal condiment that you cany typically find in the peanut butter/jam aisle. You can also usually find it at farmstands and farmer’s markets too. It’s simply a sweet pumpkin spread made of pumpkin, sugar, and spices. And that makes it the perfect thing to add some pumpkin pizazz to our little cakes.

Once we have all of our ingredients in the mug, we’ll give it a stir until everything is just combined, and to the microwave it goes. The cake will take less than 2 minutes to “bake” in the microwave, and you’ll know it’s ready when a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out mostly clean with a few little crumbs sticking to it. When it comes out of the microwave, we need to let the cake rest for about 5 mins.

And that gives us just enough time to make a little glaze. You can’t have cake without frosting, after all! We’re going to make the easiest cream cheese glaze with a little whipped cream cheese, a little powdered sugar, and the tiniest splash of milk. That’s all there is to it. Mix it together until smooth, then drizzle it over the top of the mug cake.

This little mug cake is as flavorful as it is easy and delicious. The pumpkin flavor is both subtle yet present. The warm spices make the cake feel like a hug in a mug. And the cream cheese glaze is the perfect sweet and tangy addition to balance out the warm spices in our cake.

Ok, everyone! I’ve officially had ENOUGH of fall. Our annual 12 Days of… December series starts on FRIDAY! And, it’s going to be epic. So, make sure you’re following along!

I hope you guys enjoy. And, let’s eat!

Pumpkin Mug Cake

Serves: 1 Print

Ingredients:

1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
¼ cup flour
1 tbsp sugar
¼ tsp baking soda
2 tbsp pumpkin butter
2 tbsp + ¼ tsp milk, divided (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
¼ tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Salt, to taste
½ tbsp powdered sugar
½ tbsp whipped cream cheese

Directions:

Add butter, flour, sugar, baking soda, pumpkin butter, 2 tbsp milk, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, and a pinch of salt to a 12 oz microwave safe coffee mug. Stir well to combine. Microwave for 1 min and 30 secs- 1 min 45 secs until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. Allow to cool for at least 5 minutes.
To a small bowl, add cream cheese, powdered sugar, and ¼ tsp milk. Mix well until smooth. Drizzle glaze over the top of the cake. Enjoy!

Recipe notes:

*You don't want your mug to be too big or too small, because it will impact how the cake cooks. I find a 12 oz mug to be just the right size.

*You can typically find pumpkin butter this time of year in the same aisle as the peanut butter and jams in the grocery store.