This Carrot Mug Cake has a moist and tender crumb, just like an oven baked carrot cake. It is heavenly served warm, with greek yogurt and is ready in under 5 minutes!
I wanted a carrot mug cake recipe that wasn't soggy or greasy, but is moist with a tender crumb. It was tricky especially when you have the bulky vegetable and nuts weighing your cake batter down.
So I turned to my apple mug cake recipe which produces a light and moist texture cake in spite of being loaded with chopped apple chunks.
Mug cakes are perfect when you want a quick treat, without the temptation of an entire cake sitting in your kitchen. They are incredibly easy to make and can be whipped up in a matter of minutes.
All you need is a microwave-safe mug, few ingredients, and a couple of minutes in the microwave like the chocolate chip cookie mug cake or red velvet mug cake.
So, next time you are craving something sweet or want to eat a nutritious vegetable for dessert then give this carrot mug cake a try. You'll be glad you did!
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Why you'll love this?
- Simple pantry ingredients.
- Not overly sweet.
- Amazing warm with cool greek yogurt.
- Carrots shine! There's no pineapple or apple.
Ingredients
The ingredients you need are simple and you will most probably have most of them in your kitchen right now!
- Flour - All purpose flour is stable enough to support the grated carrots.
- Brown Sugar – Gives deep caramel notes, color and flavor.
- Flavorings - I took a conservative approach to spices and used only ground cinnamon and vanilla extract.
- Oil – 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil does the trick of making the carrot mug cake not greasy, just like the almond flour carrot muffin recipe.
- Milk - Adds richness and additional flavor. Use whole milk if possible.
- Leavening - Baking powder gives a much needed rise and adds that extra boost to yield a fluffy texture.
- Carrots – Carrots add natural sweetness, earthiness and lots of moisture.
Pro tip: When buying carrots, look for ones with the green tops still attached, rather than those already trimmed. They have the best flavor and you can tell how fresh they are from the vibrant leafy tops.
How to make?
You can find full printable recipe below, but here is a quick overview of the procedure along with step-by-step photos.
- Add all purpose flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and ground cinnamon together in a microwave safe coffee mug.
2.Add milk, vegetable oil, finely grated carrot, golden raisins and vanilla extract.
Pro tip: Shred your carrot using the fine side of a box grater. This cooks it very soft in the short microwave time, allowing it to mostly melt into the cake.
Tip: After varying amounts of finely grated carrots, I settled on ¼ cup for the right of moisture and flavor.
3. Using a fork, mix batter until smooth and lump free. Microwave for one minute and 45 to 60 seconds.
Pro tip: The cooking time can vary with different microwaves and also with different cup sizes. If you are new to microwave baking, then we recommend checking after one minute and 50 seconds. It should be well risen and spongy to touch. You can cook for an additional 10 to 15 seconds if needed.
How to serve?
Enjoy this carrot mug cake recipe, as soon as you remove from the microwave, because microwave baked recipes tends to dry out much faster when compared to a regular oven baked treat.
Although a luscious cream cheese frosting is the perfect partner (like the carrot cake recipe with no eggs), I went with a simple sweetened greek yogurt which has the similar tang and creaminess, because opening up a whole block of cream cheese just to use 1 tablespoon, didn't seem wise!
Helpful tips
- Grate your carrots in the fine side of your box grater.
- Cook time depends on your microwave and size of the coffee cup. Experiment with your cooking time from 1 minute and 45 to 60 seconds to see what gives the perfect texture.
- Stir batter until no lumps remain.
- Measure the flour correctly. One of the most common baking mistake is to measure the flour incorrectly. The best method to measure is to fluff flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off and then add into the cup.
- Best eaten hot. As with microwave desserts, it might dry out a little when left for some time.
- Use a flavorless oil such as vegetable or corn oil.
Recipe FAQs
Unfortunately no. Microwave mug cakes are one of easiest desert recipes you'll make. The batter is simply mixed in a coffee cup, nuked and served!
Milk adds richness and flavor that water simply doesn't. That being said, a plant based milk such as almond milk, would work well.
If your store bought carrots have leafy tops still attached to them, then it's a good idea to remove the tops, because the carrot will continue to feed the leafy tops in storage. The best way to retain the freshness, is to place the trimmed carrots in open plastic or zipper bags in your refrigerator's crisper draw.
More mug cake recipes
Carrot Mug Cake
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons golden or light brown sugar packed
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Wet ingredients
- ¼ cup milk
- ¼ cup finely grated carrot
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoons golden raisins
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping
- Sweetened greek yogurt
- Toasted pecans chopped
Instructions
- Add all dry ingredients into a microwave mug, stir well with a spoon or fork.
- Add all wet ingredients, mix until smooth.Pro tip: Shred your carrot using the fine side of a box grater. This allows it to cook very soft in the short baking time, allowing it to mostly melt into the cake.
- Cook in microwave for 2 minutes for a standard coffee mug or one minute and 50 seconds for a wider mug.Pro tip: The cooking time can vary with different microwaves and also with different cup sizes. If you are new to microwave baking, then we recommend checking after one minute and 50 seconds. It should be well risen and spongy to touch. You can cook for an additional 10 to 15 seconds if needed.
- Remove, let cool for few seconds, top with sweetened greek yogurt and chopped toasted pecans. Tip: It's best eaten hot. As with microwave desserts, it might dry out a little when left for some time.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.
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