Keto Mug Cake

Name: Keto Mug Cake
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 2 min
Total time: 12 min
Ingredients: 2 oz cream cheese (cubed; use a block of cream cheese, not a tub of cream cheese spread.); 1/4 teaspoon stevia glycerite ((equals 1 tablespoon sugar)); 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 tablespoon unsalted butter; 1/2 teaspoon stevia glycerite ((equals 2 tablespoons sugar)); 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 large egg (lightly beaten); 1 tablespoon coconut flour ((7 grams)); 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/4 teaspoon baking powder ((gluten-free if needed))

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This keto mug cake is incredible. The fluffy crumb, the rich frosting - it's such a wonderful indulgence, and it's ready in 10 minutes!

If you make it without the frosting, it makes a great breakfast or snack cake. With the frosting, it's a rich dessert that's best divided between two people.

Keto mug cake served on a white plate with a small cake fork.

I love baking cakes! A few of my favorites are keto chocolate cake, keto birthday cake, and almond flour cake. But sometimes you want something quick.

That's why I love making mug cakes. It never ceases to amaze me, the magic that happens inside the microwave to turn a small ramekin filled with a quickly-mixed batter into an actual, real, delicious cake.

In this recipe, I decided to take it up a notch and added frosting. As a result, this keto mug cake is incredible! It's a true indulgence that's ready in minutes, and I love the built-in portion control of making a small cake.

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Ingredients
Variations
Keto Mug Cake Instructions
Expert Tip
Recipe FAQs
Serving Suggestions
Storing Leftovers
More Mug Cake Recipes
Recipe Card

Ingredients

I only use a few simple ingredients to make this keto mug cake. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:

Cream cheese: Make sure to use a cream cheese block rather than a tub of cream cheese spread.
Stevia glycerite: I love this sweetener. It nearly eliminates the aftertaste typical of stevia sweeteners. But if you wish, you can use a granulated sweetener in the cake and a powdered sweetener in the frosting instead of using stevia.
Vanilla extract: Make sure to use pure vanilla extract.
Butter: I use unsalted butter and prefer to use the Kerrygold brand.
Egg: I use large eggs in most of my recipes, this one included.
Coconut flour: Try to measure it by weight and not by volume. It's very absorbent, so each gram makes a difference.
Cinnamon: I love it in this cake! It makes a big difference, so please don't skip it.
Baking powder: Make sure it's fresh and not expired. If you need it to be gluten-free, please verify that it is.

The ingredients needed to make a keto mug cake.

Variations

The best way to vary this recipe is to experiment with different flavor extracts. So instead of using vanilla extract, you could try using almond extract or perhaps orange extract (possibly omitting the cinnamon if you do).

As mentioned above, you can also use a granulated or powdered sweetener instead of stevia.

Keto Mug Cake Instructions

It's easy to make this fabulous cake! So easy in fact that I make it quite often. The detailed instructions are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of the steps:

To make the frosting, soften the cream cheese in the microwave for about 10 seconds. Mix in the stevia and vanilla. Set aside.

Now, place the butter in a ¾-cup, 3.5-inch ramekin. Melt it in the microwave in two 10-second sessions.

Using a small hand whisk or a fork, whisk in the stevia, vanilla, and egg until well incorporated.

Add the coconut flour. Whisk until smooth, scraping the sides and bottom and making sure the batter is completely smooth.

Mix in the cinnamon, followed by the baking powder.

A four-photo collage showing how to mix the batter for a keto mug cake.

Microwave the cake for about 90 seconds, just until a toothpick inserted in its center comes out clean.

Carefully remove the ramekin from the microwave. Use oven mitts - it will be hot. Place it on a heatproof cutting board.

Gently remove the cake from the ramekin. Allow it to slightly cool.

To frost the cake, slice it in half crosswise. Frost the center, then the top and sides, as shown in the video below.

A six-photo collage showing how to frost a keto mug cake.

Expert Tip

After you add the coconut flour, the batter will be quite lumpy. It takes time and patience for the batter to become smooth, so just keep mixing. It takes a few minutes, but eventually, it WILL happen.

Cake batter turning from lumpy to smooth.

Recipe FAQs

Is this really two servings? It looks small.

This is actually a fairly large cake. Without the frosting, I do consider the entire cake as a personal cake, but with the frosting, it's so rich and filling, that truly, half of it is the perfect serving size.

Can I use a sweetener other than stevia?

Yes. You can use two tablespoons of any granulated sweetener in the cake. In the frosting, it's best to use a tablespoon of powdered sweetener.

I don't recommend using a liquid sweetener other than stevia unless you're prepared to experiment with adding more coconut flour.

Can I substitute almond flour for coconut flour?

No, unfortunately, you can't. These flours act very differently in baked goods and are not interchangeable.

Serving Suggestions

This cake is perfect in the summer because it saves you from heating the oven. It goes well with a tall glass of iced tea or iced coffee.

As mentioned above, you can make it without the frosting, and then you can have it for breakfast or as a snack cake.

Once you add the frosting, it's certainly appropriate as a rich dessert. In fact, I find that it's so rich and filling that I prefer to divide it into two servings and share it with my husband.

Storing Leftovers

The entire idea of a mug cake is that you don't have any leftovers... built-in portion control.

But since this cake actually makes two servings, you can keep one of them in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 2-3 days. Remove it from the fridge about 30 minutes before enjoying it.