Red velvet mug cake is ready in under 5 minutes! Incredibly soft, light, fluffy, tender, moist cake that pairs wonderfully with sweetened greek yogurt or cream cheese frosting. It is the perfect single serving dessert to satisfy your sweet tooth.
If you are looking for a perfect dessert to try this Valentine's day then this recipe is for you. It’s one of our go-to treats when we are craving something sweet but don’t want to go through the trouble of baking a layer cake like an eggless carrot cake.
Often referred as the queen of cakes, red velvet cake gets it's name from the signature crimson color, but also because of its velvety texture. The combination of cocoa powder, vinegar and buttermilk in the batter creates a unique texture thats unlike any other.
It is dramatic, layered with silky smooth, tangy and undeniably creamy cream cheese frosting. The texture is ultra soft with a velvety crumb that melts in your mouth and is always a crowd pleaser!
This mug cake recipe like this black forest mug cake captures those amazing flavors and textures into a single serving dessert that can be made in less than 5 minutes. It is perfect for a date night or any day of the week. Kids love it too!
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Why you'll love this recipe?
- Quick and Easy - Made with a few simple pantry ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry and it cooks in under 2 minutes. Can't get faster than that!
- Single serve - Perfect when you are craving a late night sweet treat or date night.
- Amazing texture - It has the same soft, light and velvety texture as the traditional dessert.
- Eggless - Hello, light and tender cake! This recipe is made without eggs since they have a tendency to make microwave cakes have a bit of a rubbery texture.
Ingredients
Scroll down to the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and amounts.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder - This recipe calls for just a teaspoon of cocoa powder which offers a hint of chocolate without making it super chocolatey like an almond flour chocolate cake. Make sure to use natural cocoa powder and not dutch-processed.
- Oil - It makes the cake moist and tender. Use a neutral oil such as vegetable or canola oil.
- White vinegar - The secret to making a ultra moist, fluffy cake. It brings out the red tones in the cocoa powder and makes it tangy.
- Red food coloring — Make sure to use gel food coloring and not liquid, which might affect the dry to liquid ratio.
- Greek yogurt - It is thick, tangy and tastes similar to cream cheese. Use plain thick greek yogurt and not any flavored variety.
Substitutions & Variations
- Out of white vinegar? Use freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- Skip food color and let cocoa be the star. The reaction of the alkaline cocoa and acidic vinegar gives the finished cake a beautiful reddish-brown color on its own.
- Try fresh beet juice instead of the food color.
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.
- Select a microwave safe standard coffee mug. Add 3 tablespoons of cold or room temperature milk.
- Pour in 3 tablespoons of any neutral tasting oil such as vegetable or canola oil.
3. Add ½ teaspoon each of distilled white vinegar and vanilla extract.
4. Add about ⅛ teaspoon of red gel food coloring.
5. Using a spoon, stir all the liquids well until the gel has dissolved completely.
6. Now add ¼ cup all purpose flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon cocoa powder, ¼ teaspoon baking powder and a pinch of salt.
7. Stir well until thoroughly combined and no lumps remain.
8. Cook in microwave for one minute and 45-60 seconds (wider mug will need about 1 minute + 45 seconds whereas a narrow mug might need about 2 minutes).
9. Carefully remove the hot mug from microwave and let rest on the counter for 2 to 3 minutes.
10. Stir plain greek yogurt with some regular granulated sugar, until the sugar has dissolved. Add a generous scoop of yogurt on top of the warm cake and dig in!
How to serve?
Microwave cakes are piping hot as soon as they are done cooking. So, let it rest for 2 to 3 minutes on the kitchen counter before serving (I like to make sweetened yogurt in the mean time).
I like to keep it simple and top with some sweetened plain greek yogurt or with cream cheese frosting, like for the pumpkin cake for a classic taste.
Tip: Serve hot! Microwave cakes have a tendency to get a little dry if kept for too long.
Helpful tips
- Use white distilled vinegar and not other any other type.
- Stir the batter until smooth and no lumps remain.
- Use only gel red food coloring and not liquid.
- The mug will be very hot after cooking in the microwave. Allow it to sit for at least two minutes before touching or eating.
Recipe FAQs
It's basically a vanilla cake with a bit of cocoa powder and red food coloring added to it. It does not have enough cocoa to make it taste chocolatey. Buttermilk and vinegar add a hint of tanginess which pairs amazing with the cream cheese frosting.
Yes it will be just as delicious. If you are concerned about dye, then add a few drops of fresh beet juice or simply omit in the recipe.
Though both have cocoa powder as a key ingredient, red velvet contains a very small portion of cocoa powder when compared to chocolate variety.
More mug cakes to try:
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Red Velvet Mug Cake
Ingredients
Wet ingredients
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon distilled white vinegar
- ⅛ teaspoon red gel food color do not use liquid color
Dry ingredients
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
Topping
- 2 tablespoons plain greek yogurt
- 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar
Instructions
- Add all wet ingredients into a microwave safe coffee mug and stir well until the gel has dissolved completely.
- Stir in all dry ingredients until smooth and no lumps remain.
- Microwave for 1 minute and 45 to 60 seconds. until well risen (wider mug will need about 1 minute + 45 seconds whereas a narrow mug might need about 2 minutes). Tip - Test if it's done by gently touching the top with a finger. It's done when it's slightly sticky. If it's still looks wet, nuke it for 5-10 second increments until it is well risen and the top looks slightly sticky.
- Remove mug from microwave, let rest for 2 to 3 minutes, top with sweetened greek yogurt or cream cheese frosting and enjoy!(To make topping, stir plain greek yogurt and sugar in a bowl, until sugar is dissolved)
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.
Did you make this recipe? I’d love your feedback! Please let me know by leaving a comment, a star rating or review below.
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Some of the links above are affiliate links, which pay me a small commission for my referral at no extra cost to you! I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Thank you for supporting kitchenathoskins.com
All contents and images are my original work, unless and otherwise mentioned. Please do not use my recipes or images without linking back to www.kitchenathoskins.com. If you wish to republish a recipe, please rewrite in your own words and don’t forget to include a link back to the original recipe.
Steph
Just made this and it was sooooo good !! The cake was super fluffy, soft and tender. And whilst this is a mug cake and not a proper baked in a tin cake, it was a strong contender. I would 100% make this again (and literally can't wait to make it again very soon!).
I topped it with some cream cheese mixed with icing sugar for the final touch.
Thanks for the recipie !
Maria Doss
That sounds wonderful hun - Maria❤️