• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Work With Us

Joy to the Food

menu icon
go to homepage
  • recipes
  • resources
  • about
  • work with us
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • recipes
  • resources
  • about
  • work with us
×

Home | Recipes | Dessert

Published: Mar 27, 2022 · Modified: Jan 1, 2023 This post may contain affiliate links.

Honey Mug Cake (Gluten Free)

Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

This honey mug cake is so delicious and so simple that you will have it on repeat weekly! This easy recipe is gluten-free and made with only natural sugar. Enjoy the sweet taste of honey in only minutes with this gluten-free dessert!

Honey mug cake in a blue and gray mug with frosting on top and honey being poured over it.

You’ve probably seen mug cakes around the internet. I mean, they’re basically a single-serve cake that's ready in minutes, so they are blowing up the internet for good reason. No one wants to be left out, so we made this gluten-free honey mug cake! This easy dessert is the quickest and best way to satisfy your sweet craving!

This cake uses a gluten-free flour blend and raw honey. The raw honey amplifies the honey flavor and since gluten-free flour doesn’t develop gluten, this cake doesn’t get rubbery like most mug cakes! It’s the best mug cake to enjoy all by yourself, or with your plus one!

Want more gluten-free recipes to try after conquering this mug cake?  Try our Oat Milk Pancakes, Carrot Cake Granola, or Nut Butter Snickerdoodle Cookies.

Jump to:
  • Ingredients and Substitutions
  • How to Make This - Step by Step
  • Watch How to Make It - Step by Step
  • Joy Tip! 
  • Common Questions
  • Want to Save This For Later?  Here’s How!
  • Fun Fact! 
  • More joyful recipes!
  • Recipe

Ingredients and Substitutions

Oil, flour, cinnamon, honey, baking powder, and an egg on a wooden table.

Note: All substitution options are a 1:1 substitution unless noted otherwise.

1:1 Gluten-Free Flour Substitute: This is the base of the recipe.  Gluten-free flour blends are awesome because they include a mix of gluten-free flours that have a small amount of stabilizer, like Xanthan gum, that is necessary when baking gluten-free.

Substitutions: You can make your own gluten-free flour with a recipe like this one! They typically use a base of almond flour or coconut flour. Oat flour or regular wheat flour will also work.

Baking Powder and baking soda: These are the leaveners for these mug cakes. Baking powder is a combination of baking soda and corn starch and baking soda is just baking soda. Because honey is an acid, we need an additional base (baking soda) to neutralize it.

Substitutions: You can make your own baking powder by mixing one part baking soda to one part cornstarch and two parts cream of tartar. For baking soda, you can use an additional ⅛ teaspoon of baking powder to replace the baking soda.

Vegetable Oil: Vegetable oil is the fat for this recipe. The fat helps to blend and enhance flavors (like honey and cinnamon!).

Substitutions: Any oil or butter can be used. Some examples would be vegan butter, coconut oil, olive oil, or avocado oil (what we used).

Honey: Honey provides the sweetness, plus it goes exceptionally well with oats and cinnamon!

Substitutions: White sugar, maple syrup, agave, coconut sugar, or brown sugar can be used.

Pure Vanilla Extract: Vanilla is the essential baking ingredient. It enhances other flavors and adds buttery notes without actually adding butter!

Substitutions: You can use ¼ teaspoon of almond extract or butter extract, or omit vanilla altogether. Imitation vanilla can also be used.

Cinnamon: Cinnamon just tastes good - ha! But, is there anything better than cinnamon and vanilla? I think not.

Substitutions: Allspice, nutmeg, or cardamom would all be great! Or, you can leave it out if you don’t have any of these.

Egg: Eggs are the binder, or glue. When mixed in, eggs help keep all the ingredients together. Once cooked, eggs expand to create more air pockets for the baking powder reaction to occur in.

Substitutions: A flax egg, chia egg, or egg replacer, like this one from Bob’s Red Mill or one from Just Egg, can all be used as an egg substitute. A banana, applesauce, and many other things can be used also. Check out our post of egg substitutes here!

Add-Ins: There are a number of fun things you can add to this mug cake recipe to change up the flavor. Some simple ingredients to add include chocolate chips, cocoa powder, peanut butter, and Nutella. This mug cake also pairs great with ice cream and fresh fruit!

How to Make This - Step by Step

Step one: Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix well (yes, both dry ingredients and wet ingredients).

Mixing cake batter in a glass measuring cup with a whisk.

Step two: Spray two mugs with non-stick cooking spray and pour batter into each. The cake batter should only fill about ⅓ of the mug as it will rise A LOT! We recommend a wide, large mug.

Pouring cake batter form a glass measuring cup into a mug.

Step three: Microwave for 60-90 seconds on high power, watching closely so it does not overflow. It will rise a lot and then sink as it cools. The cook time will vary based on microwave strength. The cake should be cooked around the outside and look gooey in the middle.

Overhead view of mug cake with with frosting on top.

Step four: Let the cake rest for at least one minute to set and cool. Careful, the mug will be VERY hot! Use a hot pad or towel to remove from the oven.

Watch How to Make It - Step by Step

Joy Tip! 

We call for a pinch of baking soda - just a little bit! This is to help neutralize the honey. BUT if you use too much baking soda the mug cake will rise way too much, making it overflow. So, we recommend taking a very, very small pinch of baking soda to use. And, if you are nervous about using too much, simply omit the baking soda and use a heaping ½ teaspoon of baking powder, as called for.

Common Questions

How do you make a mug cake not rubbery?

Mug cakes are notorious for being rubbery because all of the ingredients are mixed at once and typically over mixed. This means the gluten is developed and then cooked quickly, resulting in a rubbery cake. We have chosen to use gluten free flour which does not develop gluten when over-mixed. If using regular flour, you can decrease the eggs in a recipe to help make a less rubbery mug cake.

Why are mug cakes spongy?

A microwave mug cake usually has more leaveners than a typical cake to help it rise quickly. This is why a mug cake can be spongy in texture.

What can I use instead of a mug to make a mug cake?

Any smaller, microwave-safe container can be used. This includes ramekins, glass jars, and tupperware. We just recommend a wide mouth container to allow more room for expansion.

What is a normal mug size?

A normal microwave-safe mug is 2” - 3” in diameter. We recommend using a coffee mug that is 3” to 4” in diameter.

My mug cake doesn’t look baked, is it?

Most likely, yes! Your mug cake may not look fully baked right away. You want the cake to look baked around the edges and slightly soft inside. As it rests for 1 minute, it will continue to cook and the result will be perfectly fluffy!

Want to Save This For Later?  Here’s How!

To store your mug cake for later, simply cover it tightly in plastic wrap or a lid. When you are ready to reheat it, just microwave for 10-15 seconds, being careful to not overcook it to ensure you end up with a moist cake.

Fun Fact! 

The key ingredient in this recipe is honey, which of course comes from bees! Bees are critical to our ecosystem. They pollinate far more plants than any other insects and produce some pretty rad honey! So, some fun facts to celebrate bees. Did you know they have 5 eyes and can fly 20 mph hour? And that bees have been around for 30 million years? Crazy! And that honey we all love - it takes about 2 million flowers to make 1 pound of honey! (Source)

More joyful recipes!

Eggless Pumpkin Pie

Cheesecake Without Cream Cheese

Grain Free Smores Bars

Gluten Free Lemon Cake

Recipe

A mug cake with frosting on top with honey being drizzled over it.

Honey Mug Cake (Gluten Free)

Servings: 2
Total Time: 10 minutes
Enjoy the sweet taste of honey mug cake in just a few minutes with this super easy, gluten-free, dessert!
4.67 from 3 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cake, fast, honey, microwave, mug
Prep Time: 8 minutes
Cook Time: 2 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Calories: 148 kcal

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup gluten-free flour all-purpose
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 pinch baking soda
  • 2 tablespoon honey
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

  • Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix well.
    Mixing cake batter in a glass measuring cup with a whisk.
  • Spray 2 mugs with non-stick cooking spray and pour batter into each.  The batter should only fill the mug ⅓ to a half of the way as it will rise A LOT!  We recommend a wide, large mug. 
    Pouring cake batter form a glass measuring cup into a mug.
  • Microwave for 60-90 seconds, watching closely so it does not overflow.  It will rise a lot and then sink as it cools.  Cooking time will vary based on microwave strength.  The cake should be cooked around the outside and look gooey in the middle.
    Overhead view of mug cake with with frosting on top.
  • Let the cake rest for 1 minute to set and cool.  Careful, the mug will be VERY hot!

Video

Notes

*Nutritional Information is an estimate, for informational purposes only*

Nutrition

Calories: 148kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 275mg | Potassium: 43mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 120IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 1mg
Did you try this? We'd love to hear how it went. Please leave a review below! Or, follow and tag us on Instagram!Mention @_Joytothefood_ or tag #joytothefood!

More Dessert

  • Taking a piece of lemon meringue pie from a pie on a white stand.
    Biscuit Base For Lemon Meringue Pie
  • Crispy fried bananas piled in a metal tray.
    Crispy Bananas Recipe
  • Overhead view of cinnamon rolls with blue frosting and crushed cookies on top.
    Cookie Monster Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
  • Sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce on top.
    Sticky Toffee Pudding Without Dates

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

About Us

Welcome to Joy to the Food! We are Dan, Mika, and our pups Nala and Fig. We are all about bringing joy to daily life through good food and fun recipes. On our site, we strive to give you all the knowledge to make the perfect recipe that brings joy to the kitchen, not stress!

More about us →

cook with us!

our favorites

  • A full cheesecake with berries on top.
    Cheesecake Without Cream Cheese
  • A flamethrower burger with bacon, tomatoes, and lettuce.
    Flamethrower Burger Recipe
  • Turkey avocado sandwich cut open to see the inside.
    Turkey Avocado Sandwich
  • A square cake topped with red frosting, red crunch, and strawberry slices.
    Gluten-Free Strawberry Crunch Cake

how to support Joy to the Food

There are a LOT of expenses involved in running a food blog. If you love our recipes, you can help support what we do in several ways!

  1. Leave a star rating & review on the recipes you love.
  2. Share my blog with friends who would also love it!
  3. Follow along on Instagram and engage with my sponsored content.
  4. Click on ads that interest you!

Any form of support is SO deeply appreciated and helps us keep providing free recipes!  - Dan & Mika


let's connect!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Footer

↑ back to top

about

about us

privacy policy

site credit

let's connect!

newsletter

work with us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

contact

contact

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2022 Joy to the Food, LLC