Keto mug cake is perfect when you need a delicious dessert in a flash. There’s nothing easier or more comforting than this easy sugar-free snickerdoodle cake. Only 5 minutes, start to finish!
Mug cakes were an absolute revelation for me when I first started food blogging. Wait…what? You mean you can make cake in 5 minutes flat? And you can just do one or two servings? You can have cake any old time?
I could hardly fathom it. In my experience, baking a cake took quite a bit of time and effort. So when I tried making my first keto mug cake, I was totally floored
Done right, it’s just as airy and delicious as cake baked in the oven. And since this Snickerdoodle Mug Cake has long been one of my most popular recipes, I think I’ve done it right!
If you love cookies make sure sure to also check out my Keto Snickerdoodles.
Why you will love this recipe
If you’re a dessert lover who’s short on time, keto mug cake is the way to go. And there are so many great ways to make it, with just about any flavor you want.
You can make keto chocolate mug cakes, peanut butter mug cakes, and even blueberry lemon. I also have a wonderful recipe for a gooey keto mug brownie. The possibilities are endless.
They take a handful of basic ingredients that you likely already have in your keto pantry. You only need a little flour, some sweetener, eggs, oil, and liquid to make them.
They are also easily adapted for any dietary restrictions, such as nut-free or dairy-free. So everyone can enjoy these quick and easy cakes.
Reader testimonials
Outstanding! Just the right amount of sweetness to satisfy that cake craving!The only difference is I used golden monkfruit instead of Swerve granular.I will definitely be making this again, thank you! — Kathy
Best keto mug cake recipe I have ever tried! And I have tried many. I only made one serving and used the whole egg instead of trying to split it. Haha. Was out of cream so I put water in its place. Was still delicious! I am sure it would even be better if I could have followed it to a t. — Sarab
Ingredients you need
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- Almond flour: To make it nut free, swap out almond flour with sunflower seed flour.
- Coconut flour: This helps the consistency of the cake and also reduced the carb count.
- Sweetener: Use your favorite granular sweetener. This recipe works with Swerve, BochaSweet or allulose.
- Ground cinnamon: You can’t have snickerdoodles without plenty of cinnamon!
- Cream of tartar and baking soda: Snickerdoodle cookies are made with baking soda and cream of tartar. They give the cookies a unique tangy flavor, so that’s what I used in this keto mug cake as well. If you don’t have these ingredients, you can use ½ teaspoon of baking powder.
- Kitchen staples: Eggs, butter, cream, vanilla extract, and salt.
Step by step directions
1. Cinnamon “sugar”: Make this first so that you can sprinkle it into the middle of the batter as well as on the top. In a small bowl, whisk together sweetener and cinnamon for the topping. Set aside.
2. Combine the dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, coconut flour, sweetener, cinnamon, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt.
3. Add the wet ingredients: Stir in the egg, butter, whipping cream, and vanilla extract. If your batter is overly thick, add water, 1 teaspoon at a time. It should be just barely pourable.
4. Assemble the mug cake: Divide half the batter between two coffee mugs or ramekins. Sprinkle with half of the cinnamon mixture. Divide the remaining batter between mugs and sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon mixture.
5. Cook: Microwave on high for 1 to 2 minutes, until puffed and just barely cooked through. Remove and let cool 5 minutes.
Expert Tips and FAQ
Mug size: When baked in the microwave, these snickerdoodle keto mug cakes rise very rapidly. Make sure your mugs or ramekins are large enough to accommodate this. You want them to be at least ¾ cup capacity and you don’t want to fill them more than two-thirds full.
Oven-baking: You can also make them in an oven or toaster oven too, but they will take longer. Bake it at 325ºF for about 15 to 20 minutes.
Dairy-Free Option: Use coconut oil or avocado oil in place of the butter, and coconut milk in place of the heavy cream.
Nut-Free Option: Use sunflower seed flour in place of the almond flour. But remember to add a little lemon juice (1 tablespoon) to offset the funny green reaction.
This keto mug cake recipe has 7.4g of carbohydrate and 3.7g of dietary fiber. Thus it has 3.7g of NET CARBS per serving.
Because they cook so quickly, it’s easy to overcook mug cakes. I like to take mine out when the center still looks a little wet, to ensure that it’s not dried out. For these keto mug cakes, 90 seconds on high works well.
Yes, you can make these cakes in advance. Cover them tightly and store at room temperature for 1 day. You can also store them in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To reheat, place it in the microwave for 15-20 seconds until just warm.
Serving suggestions:
- I eat keto mug cake right out of the mug, but you can also flip them out onto a dish. Make sure you grease the ramekin or mug very well if you plan on doing this.
- Take your cakes to the next level with a little whipped cream or keto ice cream.
- The Mini Snickerdoodle Cookies from High Key looks so adorable on top.
- If you really want to gild the lily, try drizzling it with some of my keto caramel sauce!
Keto Mug Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Cinnamon Filling/Topping:
- 2 teaspoon Swerve Sweetener
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Mug Cakes:
- 5 tablespoon almond flour
- 1 tablespoon coconut flour
- 2 tablespoon Swerve Sweetener
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar
- Pinch salt
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoon melted butter (try avocado oil for dairy-free)
- 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Water to thin batter, if necessary
Instructions
Filling/Topping:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the sweetener and cinnamon. Set aside.
Mug Cakes:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, coconut flour, sweetener, cinnamon, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt.
- Add the egg, butter, whipping cream, and vanilla extract and stir until well combined. If your batter is overly thick, add water, 1 teaspoon at a time. It should be just barely pourable.
- Divide half the batter between two coffee mugs or ramekins. Sprinkle with half of the topping mixture. Divide the remaining batter between mugs and sprinkle with the remaining topping mixture.
- Cook on high in microwave for 1 to 2 minutes, until puffed and just barely cooked through.
- Remove and let cool 5 minutes. Serve warm with lightly sweetened whipped cream, if desired.
June says
This is by far the BEST and most versatile mug cake recipe I’ve ever tried! And I’ve tried loads, I love cake. The texture is perfect and I’ve made it multiple times, adding chopped hazelnut and substituting the cinnamon for pumpkin spice and it still comes out DREAMY ? It’s a Ketoers DREAM! Thank you Carolyn ❤️
Carolyn says
You’re welcome!
Challon Durphy says
This was the absolute BEST mug cake I have had thus far! Delish! Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Rashie says
My son & I just enjoyed this amazing treat and we’re both in agreement that it was the single best low carb either of us have ever had…SO DELICIOUS!
Thank you for sharing this <3
DeMirra Jones says
Yummy!
Kathy says
Very good and satisfying. I used gentle sweet, as that’s what was in my pantry and it was perfect!! Thank you!!
Yendi says
Well this certainly showed up at a very good time. Normally not a big sweet eater…but was dying for something today and was tempted to be “bad”. Perfect timing. Am making this as I type! Thanks!
Jen R says
Turns out, if you substitute Sukrin Gold (because the new bag of Swerve is in the basement and you don’t feel like going to get it), AND you forget the butter completely, this is still an amazing recipe 🙂 I poured a bit of the melted butter over the top after the muffin was done, but I think it would have been fine without it.
Carolyn says
Haha, good to know!
Leigh V. says
Carolyn- I just wanted to thank you for this. This recipe (and discovering Swerve) is a game changer. All mug cakes I’ve had prior have been wonky concoctions that never really “hit the spot.” This one was a home-run: like, serve it to non-sugar-restrictive guests home-run. It wasn’t too eggy, or chaulky… simply perfect! Keep up the good work! Would you mind me reposting this recipe on my own blog? Thanks, again!
Carolyn says
Wonderful! But no, I’d prefer you not repost the full recipe, although you are welcome to link to me.
Leigh V. says
Got it! Will link!
Sherry C. says
I just made this and the batter was like a streusel topping so of course it didn’t bake right. I double checked all measurements and I used avocado oil. Too much almond flour or not enough water?
Linda says
Wowzers!!! I just made this for the hubster and I and this recipe gets a big thumbs up from both of us!!! This is very delicious!! I was craving something sweet that would keep me on the wagon and this surely did the trick. Thank you!!
Carissa K says
I must tell you my expectations were pretty low, after many disappointing tries with other low càrb muffins. Well, these were delicious and had a nice consistency (not weird!!). Im so excited to be able to have something that tastes great and keeps me on plan (THM.) My teenage son even liked them! Thank you!
Carolyn says
Glad I beat your low expectations! 🙂
Linda says
Is Swerve sweetener better than SteviaTruvia? Where do I purchase?
Carolyn says
I certainly think it’s better but every palate is different. It’s available in a lot of stores now. Where do you live? check their locater. http://www.swervesweetener.com/locations/
HealthyGirl says
Loved it! I added a little pumpkin pie spice because I was out of cream of tarter and it was still so yummy!
Kelly says
Thanks again. Tempted to make this right now, but I just had breakfast so think I’d better wait! I appreciate your mug cake with no flax, which I don’t eat bc of its estrogen effect. Most all mug cakes I’ve had are flax based, so A HUGE THANK YOU!!
Carolyn says
You’re welcome!
Denise S. says
Perfect!! This just saved me from eating pop tarts. It’s filling, it’s really sweet and just enough to get me through a sweet craving. I added several drops of stevia glycerite to the mixture to make it even sweeter. LOVED THIS!!! This recipe IS A KEEPER.
Kati says
OMG I just made this & it’s amazing!!!!! For sure saved my sweet tooth today!!! ❤️
Ryan W. says
Ugh, another winner!! I had a week-long obsession with these. I was finally able to wean myself off and then today I had some time and I thought “Could I make pancakes out of this?” Well, the answer is yes, light, fluffy silver dollar pancakes that are just as great as the mug cake version. I just sprinkled the topping on after pouring the batter into the pan. Thanks again for all you do!!
Toni says
Love this! However I think the macros may be off…I used exact same ingredients.
PER SERVING:
Calories: 352
Fat: 31.5
Carbs: 23
Fiber: 4
Did I do something wrong?
Carolyn says
I am going to guess you calculated in the carbs for erythritol. Although it technically has carbs, they never enter the bloodstream, so I don’t count them in my totals because they are very misleading. I have tested this over and over on myself, because as a pre-diabetic, I test my blood sugar regularly. They never even register a little blip for me. You can see in the nutritional statement in the footer of my blog why I don’t count them.
Elizabeth @ SugarHero.com says
Yesssss! Cake in minutes? I am so sold. I love your snickerdoodle twist!
Carla says
A good kitchen really does make a difference! Right now my kitchen doesn’t have enough counter space, let alone host a dinner for family. I do have room to make this mug cake though 😉
Becks says
Would this be suitable to use coconut flour in? I’ve got coconut flour and need to use it up but don’t know what to make!!!
Thanks 🙂
Carolyn says
You really need to remake the whole recipe for coconut flour, but you could try the same cinnamon filling/topping in this recipe (obviously leave out the blueberries and lemon and put in another liquid) https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/2014/06/lemon-blueberry-mug-cake-low-carb-gluten-free.html