This pumpkin mug cake is absolutely perfect for the times when cravings hit but you don’t want to commit to baking a giant cake!
I took a day off work today to hang out with my girl for the last day of a half-term break. Did you know that British kids have breaks from school every 6 weeks? Bliss for happy kidlets, nightmare for working parents.
Anyway, I was hoping to spend some quality time with her but ended up doing a whole bunch of work from home. Sigh.
One of those days I will master that work-life balance but right now I am leaning heavily on the work side of things. Help!! Any great tips you would like to share?
Anyway, my only claim to fame is I made her this Spiced Pumpkin Molten Mug Cake. I wanted to spoil her a bit and had intentions to bake these Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes or these Toffee Honeycomb Pumpkin Muffins.
I was realistic enough about not having enough time to bake this Spiced Pumpkin and Chocolate Cake with Maple Cinnamon Mascarpone Cream.
I might be too late to the mug cake party but they are new to me, so I thought why not try and share with you, friends.
Why mug cakes are great
I had leftover canned pumpkin in the fridge that needed to be used pronto. The beauty of a mug cake is in its streamlined, uncomplicated process .
You could be stuffing your face with cake 3 minutes after you thought you wanted one. It is however not that bad for you because this pumpkin mug cake comes with a built-in portion control!
The pumpkin mug cake takes 2 minutes to mix and 1 minute to cook in a microwave. And that is why even being short on time I could still test the recipe a few times to perfect it.
The one you see is version 3. There is one more after that but it was definitely a step backwards although Mitchell didn’t know it and happily gobbled it up when he got home from school.
How do you make a mug cake that tastes like cake?
There are two types of mug cakes out there.
The ones with an egg and the ones without. I tried both and I can vouch for the recipe without an egg.
Adding an egg makes the cake tastes like pumpkin pie flavoured, stodgy cooked eggs. Not at all what I was looking for. So no egg.
What you should include however, is a spoonful of Biscoff spread. If you are not too familiar with it, imagine delicious biscuits pulverized and blended with caramel.
Yup, that’s Biscoff spread. If you are not a fan, feel free to swap it out for Nutella or even Peanut Butter.
What you will end up with is a sweet and spiced pumpkin cake with a gooey middle. I also topped mine with a Bourbon spiked whipped cream.
How do I whip a small amount of cream without a mixer?
To whip a tiny amount of cream to top your mug cake pour ½ cup of double/whipping cream with 1 tsp of icing sugar and any flavouring of your choice in a jam jar, pop a lid on a shake for a minute. Done!
I am not sure if I am delighted or disturbed that I discovered this shortcut to happiness. Mug cake path is a dangerous one! Only indulge in case of emergency!!
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp flour
- 1 ½ tbsp sugar
- ⅓ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp mixed spice or pumpkin spice
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tbsp oil
- 2 tbsp canned pumpkin/cooked pureed pumpkin
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1 tbsp Biscoff spread
- whipping cream or cool whip optional
Instructions
- Mix all dry ingredients in a microwavable medium sized mug with a fork.
- Add pumpkin, oil and milk and mix till well combined.
- Drop a tablespoon of Biscoff spread right in the middle.
- Microwave on high for 70 seconds.
- Top with a dollop of whipped cream.
