5 Minute Carrot Mug Cake

Zoha Malik

by Zoha Malik

Updated:

Rated 4.90 out of 5

28 Comments
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This 5 Minute Carrot Mug Cake is an incredibly easy, single serve recipe which you can make in the microwave with little to no effort! It is moist and delicious, and topped off with a yummy cream cheese frosting to make it truly reminiscent of a proper baked carrot cake.

carrot cake in a glass mug with cream cheese frosting
carrot mug cake in a glass mug with a spoon taking out a bite revealing soft moist interior

This recipe is a part of my “Midnight Mug Cake” series, made specially for those of us who have late night sweet cravings and want a quick fix that takes little time and effort. In this series, I have already taught a yummy chocolate mug cake and a red velvet mug cake, both of which are amazing too!

TIPS TO MAKE THE PERFECT CARROT MUG CAKE

Before we delve into the recipe, here are my best tips for you to perfect this carrot mug cake:

  1. Choose the right kind of mug. It should be microwave safe, and have around 10-12oz of capacity. The cake won’t take up the full mug, but can rise quite a bit in the microwave, and using a big enough mug will help ensure the batter does not spill
  2. Start with the wet ingredients. When you put the wet ingredients into the mug first, it is easier to mix everything together. Starting with dry ingredients sometimes results in clumps of flour in the bottom corners of the mug which are hard to mix in.
  3. Sift the dry ingredients. Since we are pretty much dumping everything into the mug, I recommend sifting the dry ingredients to minimize any lumps
  4. Adjust the sweetness to your preference. I find that 2 tbsp of sugar leads to a mildly sweet cake, but you can add more or less based on how you like things
  5. “Bake” for the right amount of time. For me, this cake takes 90s in a 12oz glass mug. But with microwave cakes, it is really hard to give a precise amount of time, since different microwaves have different power settings, and the time will also depend on how large or wide your mug is. This cake can take anywhere between 60-90s (maybe even longer), and you have to judge based on how the cake looks. I start pausing and looking at my cake around the ~75s mark – if I see wet batter on it, it needs a few more seconds, but if I don’t see any wet batter and the cake pushes back when lightly poked, it is ready. You can also adjust the timing based on the texture you want – cooking for longer will result in a more dry, spongey texture vs shorter will result in a more moist, dense texture.
carrot mug cake in a glass mug with a spoon taking out a bite revealing soft moist interior
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carrot mug cake in a glass mug with a spoon taking out a bite revealing soft moist interior

5 MINUTE CARROT MUG CAKE RECIPE

by Zoha Malik

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.90 stars from 13 reviews

A delicious 5 minute carrot mug cake made in the microwave with little to no effort, served with a yummy cream cheese frosting

Yield:1 mug cake

Prep Time:
4 mins
Cook Time:
1 min
Total Time:
5 mins

Ingredients

Carrot mug cake:

  • 3 tbsp milk
  • 1.5 tbsp oil
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 4 tbsp all purpose flour
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1/3 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup freshly grated carrots

Cream cheese frosting:

  • 1 tbsp cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 tbsp heavy cream
  • 1 tbsp powdered sugar

Instructions

  1. In a microwave safe mug (~10-12oz), add the milk, oil and vanilla, and whisk to combine
  2. Sift in the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt, and mix using a spoon or fork until the dry ingredients are fully mixed in
  3. Lastly, add in the grated carrots and mix until combined
  4. Microwave for ~60-90 seconds until the cake is cooked through (cooking time can vary; see notes)
  5. Let the cake cool for ~15 minutes
  6. Mix the cream cheese, heavy cream and powdered sugar until they form a creamy frosting
  7. Cover the cooled cake with the cream cheese frosting, serve and enjoy!

Notes

  • Cooking time can vary based on the Microwave and your mug. I recommend you start checking for doneness around the 60s mark – see if there is any wet batter, if there is, immediately cook again for 10-20 seconds. If there isn’t any wet batter, lightly poke the cake – if it is done, it should spring back. Try not to leave long gaps between Microwaving as this can cause the cake to deflate and become dense in texture

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Comments

  1. Maryum

    I turned it into a date mug cake. Turned out amazing!

    1. Zoha

      A DATE mug cake?! That sounds absolutely divine!! I love how you made it your own 😍

  2. Caroline

    Eating my tweaked version of it right now and it’s very delicious! I made a low sugar version due to doctors orders – had to skip the frosting and used sweetener. Instead of milk I actually thought to use chai because I thought the spices would agree with the carrot! Might grate ginger into it next time as well. 90 seconds was just perfect for me although might add an extra 15 next time. Thanks again for the recipe!!

    1. Zoha

      I am so glad you were able to make this recipe your own, Caroline 🙂

  3. Maham Ahmed

    Like heaven in a mug!

  4. Petro

    the best and easiest cake ever. thankyou

  5. JW

    😋

  6. Finley

    The cake was sooo good! Though the cream cheese frosting was a little off.

  7. Mar

    This was so delicious! I used 1 tablespoon milled millet grain and the rest bread flour, added raisins and chopped pecans! No frosting and it didn’t need it!

    1. Zoha

      Thank you Mar!

  8. DAVID ATKINS

    why do you not lightly oil the mug before adding ingredients?

    1. Zoha

      Because the cake is served inside the mug. Oiling would be helpful if you intend to take the cake out of the mug to serve.

  9. Maxine Marincic

    This was soooo delicious and moist

  10. Ramz

    One of the best recipes I have tried , it’s perfect!

    1. Rosebell

      Best mug cake I have ever had. 👌👌👌

      1. Zoha

        Aww, thank you!

        1. Dana Arvidson

          I just recently found out I am allergic to milk! I replaced it with water. I replaced the sugar with 1 tbl. Brown sugar and 1 tbl Stevia. I used 1/3 c. cooked Mashed Carrot.

          It was absolutely delicious.
          Thank you!

    2. Zoha

      AWWW thank you!

  11. William

    We made this vegan with some Oatly! barista blend we had around and used Miyoko’s vegan butter + Oatly! cream cheese + confectioner’s sugar for the frosting. The texture of the cake was absolutely lovely. I wasn’t convinced it could work without egg, but it was lovely. Thanks!

    1. AsdwasdasdwsdwasdwsadwaDwasdwwsaDwaSdwaSdwaSdwasd

      die

    2. Zoha

      I am so glad you were able to make this recipe your own, William! Very helpful for other vegan people too 🙂

  12. Leigh

    This was so delicious! Thank you for sharing with all of us to enjoy!

    1. Zoha

      Thank YOU!!!

  13. Ingy A. Moneim

    Loved this! It was so soft and moist and the cream cheese frosting was perfect.

  14. Khaalidah

    Wonderfully amazing textures

    1. Zoha

      Thank you, Khaalidah!

  15. Jennifer Marais

    1. Zoha

      Thank you Jennifer!

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