This vegan apple mug cake is made with cinnamon and walnuts for the ultimate snack or dessert! Made in the microwave for true convenience and speed, you’ll get to enjoy some tasty apple cake in minutes.
This single-serve recipe is ideal whenever you want a quick and easy treat with minimal effort. The cake is soft and fluffy with lots of apple and cinnamon flavor, plus a walnut crunch!
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Ingredients for Microwave Apple Cake
This recipe uses basic ingredients to create a delicious and fluffy cake. Mug cakes are great when you’re running low on ingredients and don’t want to run to the store for more!
- Plant-based milk: Start with some plant-based milk which provides some needed liquid to make a tasty cake batter. I use soy milk, but other dairy-free milks can work too.
- Brown sugar: Sweeten this apple cake with some brown sugar. I haven’t tested this recipe with any other type of sugar or sugar substitute so can’t comment on how well they work.
- Neutral-tasting oil: Select any liquid, neutral-tasting oil (not olive or coconut oil) for a rich and moist microwave apple cake.
- Vanilla extract, cinnamon and salt: Add flavor to the cake with vanilla, cinnamon and salt. I keep all these ingredients on hand, but the cake can still turn out well if you’re missing one of these.
- All-purpose flour: To keep things basic, I use all-purpose flour for this recipe. It makes for a soft and fluffy microwave cake. I haven’t tested this recipe with any gluten-free flour, but I’ve had success with oat flour in other mug cake recipes and imagine it should work out well here.
- Baking powder: To help the mug cake rise nicely, you’ll need some baking powder. Without this, the mug cake becomes dense once cooked (more like a cookie).
- Apples: Since this recipe makes a single serving, you only need about half of a large apple. Simply eat the rest of the apple as you wait for the cake to cook and cool (or make a double batch)!
- Walnuts: This is optional, but walnuts pair so perfectly with apple cinnamon cake and add a delicious crunch!
How to Make Apple Cake in the Microwave
Making cake in the microwave is super convenient and surprisingly delicious! Just gather/ prepare your ingredients, mix them in a mug and microwave it until cooked.
Step 1: Prep Apple and Walnuts
Start by peeling and finely dicing your apple. You’ll only need about half a large apple for this recipe.
If your walnuts aren’t already chopped/ crushed, chop them into small pieces.
Step 2: Mix Mug Cake
To mix the mug cake, select a large mug (ideally one that is wider rather than tall; I find microwave cakes cook better like this).
Add plant-based milk, brown sugar, oil, vanilla, cinnamon and salt to the mug. Mix until evenly combined.
Then add flour and baking powder. Stir until it’s really well mixed and there’s no dry clumps of flour visible, especially along the bottom of the mug.
Add the chopped apple and walnuts and stir through until they’re evenly mixed in.
Try to scrape down the edges of the mug so there isn’t much batter on them. Scrape off the spoon you used to stir the batter as well.
Step 3: Cook, Cool, Serve
This mug cake takes about 1 minute 30 seconds in the microwave. Every microwave is different though; your cake could take anywhere from 1 minute 15 seconds to 1 minute 45 seconds to cook.
Once out of the microwave, your cake will be extremely hot. Let it cool for at least a minute before eating; this gives the cake time to finish cooking through to its center.
How to Store Leftovers
This is a single-serve recipe, so you’ll likely eat the whole cake in one sitting. However, if you don’t finish the entire mug cake, simply cover the mug with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Eat it the next day so it doesn’t dry out.
If you have more time on hand, or want more than one serving, check out my delicious, full-sized vegan apple cinnamon cake recipe!
If you want other mug cake inspiration, you can also check out my recipes for:
If you make this recipe, please rate and comment below to help others benefit from your experience!
Vegan Apple Mug Cake
Equipment
- Large mug
- Measuring spoons
- Microwave
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons plant-based milk (32 grams)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar (15 grams)
- ½ tablespoon neutral-tasting oil (6 grams)
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (30 grams)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 3 tablespoons apple , peeled and finely diced (30 grams)
- 1 tablespoon walnuts , chopped, optional (10 grams)
Instructions
Step 1: Prep Apples and Walnuts
- Peel and finely dice your apple before starting to make the mug cake.3 tablespoons apple
- Chop or crush your walnuts (if they aren’t already in pieces).1 tablespoon walnuts
Step 2: Mix Mug Cake
- In a large mug (preferably one that is wider with a flat bottom) mix plant-based milk, brown sugar, oil, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Stir until evenly mixed.2 tablespoons plant-based milk, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, ½ tablespoon neutral-tasting oil, ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, pinch of salt
- Add flour and baking powder and stir until it’s mostly mixed through.3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder
- Add your diced apples and walnuts and stir until evenly mixed through.3 tablespoons apple, 1 tablespoon walnuts
- Make sure there are no dry or liquid spots/ clumps at the bottom of the mug or anywhere through the batter.
- Try to scrape down the edges of your mug and scrape off the stirring spoon.
Step 3: Cook, Cool, Serve
- Microwave the mug cake for about 1 minute and 30 seconds (all microwaves are different so adjust as needed).
- The cake will be very hot when it first comes out of the microwave and needs to rest for at least one full minute before serving (this is important to allow the cake to finish cooking through to the center).
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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About Nicole Stevens
Nicole is a vegan Registered Dietitian (RD) and founder of Lettuce Veg Out.
She helps people thrive on a vegan diet with balanced recipes and easy-to-understand nutrition science.
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