Matt’s sister, Michelle, finally visited and taught us how to make our new favorite Pumpkin Mug Cake! We don’t plan on keeping this quick and delicious dessert just for the fall time. It’s an all year round kind of dessert. It’s the perfect night cap for one and will take you less than five minutes to prep it, cook it and get it onto a plate to top with whipped cream for your enjoyment! Michelle also makes a guest appearance in the recipe video below – check it out, if not for the amazing recipe, to see how similar Matt and his sister truly are.
The Best Cake In A Cup Recipe!
We’ve taken out all the thinking and guess work as to what combo of dry ingredients and liquids will make the least sandy like mug cake. We’ve made our fair share, and although we always eat them, more often than not they have a sand like texture! The use of pumpkin in this recipe creates a moist cake no matter what and the protein powder is subtle enough, but the perfectly flavor and sweet balance. Who doesn’t love eating cake in a cup?!
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So, What Is The Best Mug Cake Recipe?
Well, we think you should be the judge of that. We are definitely fans of this one, but you’ll have to make it to really know the truth. Since you’ll be judging you might as well make our delicious mug cake and nutritious mug cake. Maybe you’re more of a chocolate mug cake kind of person and you like to have the mix in bulk so you can make it on repeat. If so, this mug cake mix is for you! Surely you have 15 minutes to spare right now, which is the most it will take you to make all four mug cakes and judge the best!
Vanilla Protein Pumpkin Mug Cake
Although we highly recommend vanilla protein powder, you can honestly use whatever you have on hand. Just know that using a chocolate protein powder will give you a chocolate pumpkin mug cake, and hey, that doesn’t sound that bad! You can even add nuts to the mix, but we think topping with some whipped cream is a must, especially when it’s hot so it melts into the cake and to up the fat. Yummmmm! We definitely have a winner with this recipe thanks to Michelle and we think it’s in your best interest to make this pumpkin mug cake at home for yourself!
Recipe can be quickly added to MyFitnessPal – Search “KetoConnect – Pumpkin Mug Cake”
Pumpkin Mug Cake
Ingredients:
- 1/2 tbsp Butter
- 1 large Egg
- 3 tbsp 100% pumpkin puree
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- 1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 1/2 tsp Baking powder
- 1/2 tbsp erythritol
- OR
- 10 drops Liquid Stevia
Instructions:
- Put the butter in a mug and microwave for 15 seconds. Tilt the glass a full 360 degrees so the butter coats the sides of the mug.
- Add the egg, pumpkin puree and vanilla extract. Combine it with a fork.
- Add the protein powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, and erythitol and mix again with the fork combining thoroughly.
- Microwave on high for 70-80 seconds, until done to your liking. Turn over onto a plate and enjoy immediately!
- Note: The recipe calls for erythritol, but you can easily sub in 10 drops of liquid stevia if you don't want to use erythritol. Matt and I prefer stevia over erythritol!
I was wondering where you got that mug?
Amazon!
Hi,
Where did you get the cute cat cup. Great stocking stuffer.
I have three little darlings: TomTom, kyra and Elvis.
Anything I can use instead of protein powder, I have chocolate and Cookies and cream
Thanks
Amazon, baby!! <3 You can use any flavor protein powder, but we recommend cookies and cream!
You guys are awesome. Thanks for this.
OMG…this mug cake is amazing! If you haven’t made it already go to your kitchen and do it now!
I can’t wait to try this recipe! Tell me, though: Could I substitute almond flour for the protein powder? (Mostly because I don’t have any protein powder).
Also wanted to let you know that your eggnogg recipe is the BOMB! I made it three times over Christmas, and even my family, who doesn’t even know what keto is, LOVED it. So easy!
Thanks, Matt and Megha, for all the great recipes and tips! Happy New Year!!
you could definitely try? we haven’t yet but the ingredients sound appropriate.
Can I use coconut flour instead of protein powder? Or any other substitutes?
We don’t know if coconut flour will be the best option as it is super absorbent. We’ll keep crackin at it.
If we don’t have a protein powder available, can we use almond flour or coconut flour in its place? Or no flour at all? If we can, is it still 1 scoop of either?
Try almond. Coconut flour is too absorbant
I did not have any protein powder so tried this with both almond and coconut flour. The consistency was pretty much the same but I did have to leave the one with coconut flour in the microwave longer. I am going to have to get the protein powder and try this though.
Lol! Matt & Michelle really *are* a lot alike – but she’s a LOT prettier! 😉
Can’t wait to try this cake – thanks for sharing it,
Omgoodness …. so good!!
Thanks for sharing.
Tried this tonight and it is yummy. I did sub with what I had already. Used plain whey powder, less erythithrol,but brought up the flavor with sugar free brown sugar and cinnamon syrup. So good. No that I have a lot of pumpkin, I’ll just have to make this every night.
Would you add extra vanilla if using plain protein?
Is there any substitute for protein powder?
This looks fabulous! At the moment (meaning until after the 1st) I only have unflavored protein powder. How can I use that and what else would I need to add to the recipe to make this today?
Thanks!
This looks great! I will use the rest of the can of pumpkin for pumpkin spice latte syrup. Thank you for that one, too! Have a great day!
How would you bake it in the oven (temp&time) if you are unable to use a microwave?
try 350 for 20 minutes, and check every 5 minutes with a toothpick
I was hesitant to try this mugcake. Every time I make one I use flours(almond, coconut).
It ended up being amazing! Can’t tell that it was made with protein powder.
I will say usually mugcakes I microwave for less than the recommended amount, but 70-80s it was still totally raw in the middle. Then I overdid it so it became very dense. However the taste was amazing still. A+++
oh man, all the bumps in the road. SO happy you liked the frosting. Sometimes that’s all I eat and when guy asks me what happened to the ocookies , I just tell him to get his won own cookies. again.
Any substitutes recommended in place of the protein powder?
Thanks!
Gail
PS-Love the cup!!!!
You could try a almond flour or coconut flour. Honestly anything you put in a mug and microwave with come out to be a cake like substance of some kind 🙂
So I experimented…didn’t use the protein powder, added a little bit extra vanilla, pumpkin spice & Truvia & I thought it turned out great!!
I’ve made this recipe several times but it wasn’t until I purchased and used the Isopure Creamy Vanilla protein powder that I could say that I love this mug cake. Plain powder is not the way to go and having a little bit of lava in the cake just adds more taste to the final product. I’m slowly building up my Keto pantry so that I can sample a lot more of these yummy recipes.
I’ve made this recipe several times but it wasn’t until I purchased and used the Isopure Creamy Vanilla protein powder that I could say that I love this mug cake. Plain powder is not the way to go and having a little bit of lava in the cake just adds more taste to the final product. I’m slowly building up my Keto pantry so that I can sample a lot more of these yummy recipes.
Hey there! Thanks for the feedback. Flavored really does add that extra something, right?
Anyways, we’re glad you liked it and can’t wait to make more things to add to your keto recipe stash!
I just made this! YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YAY!
Super delicious. finally found the perfect coffee mug. I’ve added chocolate chips, Lily’s Brand of course.
Peace,
Kimerly
Tried this tonight, and it hit my sweetheart tooth craving for dessert! Just what I needed. Thank you, thank you!
How did you make the topping? I didnt see it mentioned in the video
It is just whipped cream 🙂 Take some heavy whipping cream and blend it with an electric mixer until the right consistency.
LOVE THIS RECIPE. I just got back on the wagon with Keto a few weeks ago after failing miserably with paleo for maintenance so I have been looking for interesting recipes to keep me on track and this was very good. I used Velocity Vanilla flavor by platinum hydro whey because it is what I had on hand and it mixed very well. Consistency was more of a moist bread than a cake but that was perfect because bread is probably what I miss the most! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Hi I’m confused on the time for the recipe.. its a mug cake and it says cook in micro for 70-80 seconds but on the actual recipe it says ..
PUMPKIN MUG CAKE
COURSE: DESSERT KEYWORD: PUMPKIN MUG CAKE PREP TIME: 2 MINUTES COOK TIME: 1 HOUR 30 MINUTES TOTAL TIME: 1 HOUR 32 MINUTES
Could you please verify..thank you
Love everything you make .. Kathy
Fixed it 🙂 That was way too much time!
to see if this was already asked and answered but the cook time says it takes an hour plus Is that correct?
Fixed it 🙂 That was way too much time! just 70-80 seconds in the microwave
Can i bake it, how long about?
Ever thought of making an olive oil mug cake?
Love you guys and the wee beasties. Keep up the good work and keep those recipes coming. Yum!
Great suggestion!
This was beyond delicious!! I’d love to turn it into a giant cake with Keto cream cheese frosting. Any ideas on how to do that? 🙂
What a fantastic mug cake. The texture is unbelievable; very similar to regular cake. And it tastes delicious. 70 minutes in my microwave was perfect. I made three and froze two of them to see how they would turn out after defrosting. The verdict is that they are just as good as when they were first baked. I will add some walnuts next time, and I think a smear of butter would take this cake over the top.
I was so excited for this mug cake. I already made and loved the chocolate ! Sadly it was way dryer than I expected but still an awesome flavor. Since I only ate half , this morning I spread some of the keto pumpkin fudge I made on the rest . Yummy !Has anybody else done this ? Kinda like over the top icing.
KETO BEGINNER HERE!
Totally making this as my dessert tonight! Went out and bought some Pumpkin today because I had seen this video this week. So eexccitteeeed….! <3
You guys never disappoint!!! Absolutely delicious!!!
Tried the recipe this morning and while the protein powder was an interesting substitution, it was pretty vile in the outcome. I only had unflavored protein, and without an actual brand listed in the ingredients, all scoop sizes are different so it’s a MAJOR variable. Anyway, mine tasted neither of pumpkin, nor even remotely sweet. It had a decent crumb texture though.
My wife and I have made this a few times now with keto cream cheese icing!! It’s soooo delicious!
I made the pumpkin mug cake. Delicious and so easy! I only had plain protein powder. But still tastes great! I will buy the vanilla powder and try next time. I will likely add a little more stevia drops.
What brand of protein powder do you use?
Matt & Megha like Isopure zero-carb protein powder as well as NutriBio protein powder. You can use any protein powder you have but if it is flavored it will affect the taste of the mug cake.
Help! What does one scoop equal in tablespoons of almond flour?. My butter is hardening while I try to figure that out!
Maybe 2-3 tablespoons
I used approximately 1.5 tbsp of almond flour. I did add cranberries, but I’m going to make it without them next time.
I love pumpkin! This recipe has been a life saver for me. I am now able to stay on the keto eating life style! Thank you soooo much!
Just wondering how much is a scoop, i have various scoops ranging fom about 30 ml to 93 ml. ( i buy a lot of food in bulk so no scoops provided)
Usually a scoop is around 30 grams
Tried this tonight. Besides running over my mug (normal size american coffee mug) it tasted gross. I used plain protein powder and used granulated monk fruit sweetner. It was inedible. I was so much craving a sweet treat. Not sure if anything I did made it turn out as such b/c it seems everyone else had success.
Sadly, I was disappointed in this recipe but when it called for so little fat, I should have been forewarned. I’m going to tweak it and instead of protein powder, use coconut flour. Also more butter, plus HWC.
Like eating a sponge.
I made this tonite after having left over keto thanksgiving dinner.
I made a variation by adding in some lillys dark chocolate baking chips.
Turned out very good topped off with some whip cream
Thank you so much for such a great recipe!!
I’ve tried three times to get the free e book and it says it’s coming. It doesn’t. Free mug recipes
Could you please email us about this issue at mailto: [email protected]?
OMGOSH!!!!! This was soooooo good! My husband is diabetic (such a food snob! lol) and loves it. Every neighbor I have made it for wants the recipe. This is my new favorite dessert!!!!!!
Omg!!! This is recipe is a gift! Thank you thank you thank you!
I forgot the baking powder… it was like a pudding and not sweet! Gotta do it again 😏
I tried this recipe for the first time tonight. Overall very satisfying. I used only stevia for the recipe. Next time I will try it with both sweeteners. I will also cut back on the pumpkin spice a little.
I loved this recipe and use it for a base for all mug cakes (minus the pumpkin). I added a Tablespoon of full fat sour cream as well. I use isopure whey protein, some changes I make are:
Blueberries/Lemon juice
or: Coconut, pecans and swerve brown sugar German Choc feel,
I also add 92% cocoa powder and a little extra sweetner.
I’ve added peanut butter and Lily’s Choc chips. This recipe is very versatile.
I also give it a little splash of Ilive oil or MCT oil to up the fat. You can make the perfect one serving cake with the base of this one. Good LUCK. YummO
This is my favorite dessert. I don’t use the protein powder because I don’t want the extra protein I just make it without it it is by far my favorite thing to eat super moist and just delicious almost like a soufflé
Hi, how much vanilla powder? A scoop could vary a lot by brand! Thank you😊
How much is a serving size??? For me it would be half the cake!!!!
Hey guys! Just easing into the Keto lifestyle & made this as my 1st mug cake for the hubs & me. I didn’t have protein powder & was out of vanilla so had to use rum extract as a substitute (which added a nice holiday vibe). I also didn’t have pumpkin spice so used cake spice instead (which has the added star anise). My question is regarding the consistency, as our turned out more like a bread pudding as opposed to a cake. I even increased the cooking time to 90 seconds, but maybe I still didn’t go long enough? Would the protein powder have made a difference in texture & do you have any ideas on what I did wrong? The flavor was good but we would definitely prefer ours a little sweeter next time. Thank you!
I made this tonight… I used Quest Cinnamon Crunch protein powder and it was AAAAAAMAAAZING! The pumpkin made this like no other mug cake I’ve tried… not dry at all! I Love the new search tool and the site in general! Thanks guys!
I love this amazingly simple mug cake! Pumpkin flavor is a favorite of mine and the cake pairs well with the Birthday cake protein powder I somehow bought on purpose lol