Homemade Mug Cake Recipe in Paper Mugs | Growing Up Gabel (2024)

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Homemade mug cake mix is packaged in individual servings and put in an adorable DIY paper mug to give as a gift. Your recipients can then make the cakes in their own ceramic mugs.

Homemade Mug Cake Recipe in Paper Mugs | Growing Up Gabel (1)

Over the last few years, mug cakes have become extremely popular. They make a great afternoon treat! They also make really cute homemade gifts.

This homemade mug cake mix is packaged in an adorable paper mug that you can give as a gift. Your recipients then make the cakes in their own microwave-safe mugs. These homemade mug cake mixes are great for neighbors, teachers, and to sell at craft bazaars!

Make Paper Mugs

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Start by making the paper mugs that will hold your homemade mug cake mix. Cut 1 sheet of card stock in half to 4.25″ x 9″ with a paper trimmer. You can use a 12 x 12 piece of card stock and cut it down to this size if you prefer. Set aside the scrap pieces to use for the handle.

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Next, use a scoring blade on the paper cutter to score the paper at 1″ along the short side. Score the paper 1″ from the edge on the long edge. This will help the mug stay standing up easily.

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Cut the score marks along one of the long 9″ edge so you have small tabs.

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Create a mug shape by rolling up the paper to create a cylinder. Use hot glue on the edge to glue it together.

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Next, make the bottom of the mug. First, fold in the tabs to create the first layer for bottom of the mug.

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Then, use the scrap paper from trimming the paper to cut 2, 2″ circles with a circle cutter.

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Glue one of the circles to the bottom outside of the cylinder. Then glue the other circle to the inside cylinder. You are simply reinforcing the bottom of the mug so it’s sturdy when the mug cake is baked in it. Now the mug has a bottom.

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Finally, you will add a handle to the mug. Cut a strip of paper 1/2″ x 4.25″ .

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Fold and glue on the mug to create a handle. Now your mug is complete and ready for the cake mix!

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Homemade Mug Cake Recipe in Paper Mugs | Growing Up Gabel (12)

Print

How to Make a Paper Mug

Use card stock to make a paper mug that will hold a homemade mug cake mix to give as gifts.

Active Time30 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Yield: 1 Paper Mug

Author: Camille

Equipment

  • Paper trimmer with cutting blade and scoring blade

  • Hot glue gun and hot glue

  • 2" circle paper punch

  • Scissors

  • Hole punch

Materials

  • 8.5 x 11 card stock
  • Baker's twine
  • Paper shredding or tissue paper

Instructions

  • Cut 1 sheet of card stock in half to 4.25" x 9" with a paper trimmer. Set aside the scrap pieces to use for the handle.

  • Use a scoring blade to score the paper at 1" along the short side. Use the scoring blade to score the paper 1" from the edge on the long edge.

  • Cut the score marks along the 9" edge so you have small tabs. Roll up the paper to create a cylinder. Affix with hot glue on the edge.

  • Fold in the tabs to create the bottom of the mug.

  • Use scrap paper to cut 2, 2" circles with a circle cutter. Glue on the bottom and inside of the cylinder

  • Cut a strip of paper 1/2" x 4.25" and fold and glue on the mug for a handle.

Make the Homemade Mug Cake Mix

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Now that your paper mugs are ready, you need to fill them with mug cake mix and the baking direction tags.

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Make a cake mix for each of the mugs. This recipe makes enough for 1 mug cake. Simply place all ingredients into a plastic sandwich bag and secure shut with a twist tie. You don’t even need to mix the ingredients as they will get mixed when baked.

Assemble the Homemade Mug Cake Gifts

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Place one bag of homemade mug cake mix into one of the paper mugs.

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Tuck in some paper shredding or tissue paper so the cake mix fits snugly inside the paper mug. You don’t want it to fall out!

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Print out the baking directions tags. The recipe cards are 2″ x 3″ when cut out. Make sure you use the pdf to print, and uncheck the “fit to page” or “reduce to print” when printing, otherwise, they won’t print at the actual size. Print and then cut out the tags. You will need one tag for each mug.

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Punch a hole in the corner of the tag. Thread a piece of baker’s twine through the hole and hang the tag around the top of the cake in the bag. You could also attach it with yarn, ribbon, raffia, or paper ribbon.

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Hand these out to teachers, friends, mom friends who need a break!

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Hand out your homemade mug cake mixes! Make a mug cake in a microwave-safe mug for an afternoon treat or a single serving dessert.

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Homemade Mug Cake Mix Recipe

Camille

Make a homemade chocolate mug cake mix with just 5 ingredients.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Cook Time 1 minute min

Additional Time 1 minute min

Total Time 2 minutes mins

Course Dessert Recipes

Servings 1 Mug Cake

Calories 456 kcal

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3 tablespoons white sugar
  • A pinch of salt
  • Plastic sandwich bag
  • Twist tie

Instructions

Prepare the Mug Cake Mix:

  • Place all ingredients into a plastic sandwich bag and secure shut with a twist tie.

To Bake the Mug Cake:

  • Spray the inside of the mug with nonstick cooking spray.

  • Dump the bag of cake mix into mug and mix well with a spoon.

  • Add 1/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon milk.

  • Add 2 Tablespoons oil.

  • Mix ingredients well.

  • Microwave for 70 seconds. Remove from microwave oven and let stand 1 minute before serving. Cake will be very hot and might need additional time to cool.

  • You can stir in a dollop of peanut butter, hazelnut spread or a tablespoon of mini chocolate chips when you make the cake if you choose to do so.

Video

Keyword homemade mug cake mix

Homemade Mug Cake Recipe in Paper Mugs | Growing Up Gabel (2024)

FAQs

Why did my mug cake turn out rubbery? ›

This is likely because your mug is too small, or you added too much baking powder. Measure accurately and make sure your mug is at least 10oz in volume. Why is my chocolate mug cake rubbery or dry? A rubbery mug cake is indicative of being overcooked, or incorrect measurements.

Why is my mug cake not fluffy? ›

You didn't use self-rising flour

This type of flour gives these baked goods a light and fluffy consistency. Without all the right science involved with flour and other ingredients, cakes can be too dense and dry.

Why is my mug cake so gooey? ›

Just like regular sized cakes baked in an oven, the center should be cooked. Gooey in general means undercooked. Not only does that not taste that great in my opinion, it's also safer to fully cook your batter.

How do you keep a mug cake moist? ›

Without eggs, which add moisture as well as height, the mug cake needs something saucy—nut butter, caramel sauce, or chocolate sauce—to give it a moist, rich texture and pack in more flavor.

Why does my mug cake taste bitter? ›

If you purposely or accidentally used baking soda instead of baking powder without making any changes to your recipe, you'll definitely end up with a bitter taste. Remember, baking soda is an alkaline, or base, ingredient that naturally has a bitter taste. Baking powder is a multi-ingredient leavener.

Why don't mug cakes work? ›

The small size of the treat, particularly the mug you make it in, may limit your ability to properly mix your ingredients together. A regular whisk, for instance, is too big to reach into the space where the wall meets the base, so you might end up with clumps of unmixed dry ingredients at the bottom.

What is the secret to a very fluffy cake? ›

Most cakes begin with creaming butter and sugar together. Butter is capable of holding air and the creaming process is when butter traps that air. While baking, that trapped air expands and produces a fluffy cake. No properly creamed butter = no air = no fluffiness.

How do you make a cake super fluffy? ›

The most crucial tip? Instead of buying an entire box of cake flour, simply incorporate two tablespoons of cornstarch into 3 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour. This blocks the formation of gluten in the flour, which produces a lighter, fluffier cake.

Why are my cupcakes flat and dense? ›

Overfilling the cupcake liners: If you fill your cupcake liners too full, the cupcakes will not have enough room to rise, and they will become dense and heavy. To ensure light and fluffy cupcakes, fill the liners only two-thirds full.

Can you eat undercooked mug cake? ›

If cake is loose, then it probably better to try and cook longer or start over. Yes, cake can make you sick if it is not cooked properly. An undercooked cake has not reached a high enough temperature in its center to kill bacteria.

Why does my mug cake taste like flour? ›

Homemade cakes can taste like flour if they are not cooked properly. When cakes taste like flour, it is due to one or more reasons; the ratio of wet to dry ingredients could be off, the components may not have been mixed properly, or the cake is undercooked.

Can you use baking soda instead of baking powder? ›

Baking powder is made of baking soda plus cream of tartar and cornstarch. Baking powder can be substituted for baking soda by tripling the amount of baking powder. Baking soda can be substituted for baking powder by dividing the amount of baking powder needed by 4 and adding twice that amount of cream of tartar.

What is the shelf life of mug cake? ›

Therefore, there's generally no printed expiry date to consider. However, if for some reason you have leftover mug cake or you want to make it in advance, it can generally stay fresh for up to 2 days at room temperature, and up to a week if refrigerated.

What can I use instead of baking powder? ›

Substitute each teaspoon (5 grams) of baking powder in the recipe with 1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 grams) vinegar. Summary: Each teaspoon (5 grams) of baking powder can be replaced with a 1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) baking soda and a 1/2 teaspoon vinegar.

Why is my cake dense or gummy? ›

Your cake is too dense A cake that is overly dense typically has too much liquid, too much sugar or too little leavening (not excess flour, as is commonly thought).

How do you fix gummy cupcakes? ›

You can also place your baked items in the fridge for a half hour, and this should cool and dry the surface as well. The fridge is known to be a dry environment as it naturally dehumidifies air by cooling the insides. Just don't leave it in there too long uncovered because it will completely dry out your baked goods!

Why is my coffee cake gummy? ›

Why is my cake dense or gummy? What might have happened: Too much flour was added to the batter. The cake batter was over-mixed.

What happens if you overcook a cake? ›

When overcooked, a cake will come out hard and dry, and when undercooked, it has a gummy and dense texture. If you don't know how to tell when your cake is just cooked right, then baking will become a very tedious and unrewarding task.

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