A soft and fluffy single serving carrot cake in a mug is the perfect easy dessert for Easter, or for any other day of the year too!
Why you’ll love this carrot mug cake recipe
- It tastes like restaurant style carrot cake packed with sweet carrots and cinnamon, in the convenient form of a portion controlled mug cake.
- Whip up the entire cake in under five minutes, with no oven required.
- Dairy free, egg free, high protein, high in vitamin A, and just 120 calories.
- Enjoy as a quick and healthy snack, or add frosting and toppings and serve for a decadent after dinner treat. A single serving carrot cake recipe that’s made in the oven or microwave and is secretly good for you? It doesn’t get much better than that!
Also try this reader favorite Chocolate Mug Cake
Step by step recipe video
Carrot cake in a mug ingredients
Flour – You need a fourth cup of flour. I like whole grain spelt flour because it adds nutrition and gives you a lighter texture than whole wheat flour.
Oat flour, cup-for-cup gluten free flour, or white all purpose flour work as well. Almond flour does technically work, but the cake will crumble so it is best to eat this low carb version straight from the mug.
Carrots – It sounds funny, but the easiest option is to buy carrot puree in the baby food aisle of your local grocery store. Alternatively, you can puree canned carrots or steam and then puree peeled fresh carrots in a food processor.
Sweetener – Choose any granulated sugar or granulated sugar free substitute. I like to use minimally processed or unrefined sugar, such as turbinado. White sugar, coconut sugar, or xylitol are also good options. Substituting pure maple syrup or honey will yield a somewhat gummy texture, so keep that in mind if you wish to use a liquid sweetener.
Milk of choice – Use any milk in your refrigerator, including plant based varieties like almond milk or coconut milk. You will also need a tablespoon of oil (coconut oil or vegetable oil), almond butter, or an additional tablespoon of milk for a low fat mug cake.
Vanilla – Look for pure vanilla extract instead of imitation, because it gives you the most natural vanilla flavor. If using vanilla flavored milk, you may omit the vanilla extract.
Spices and dry ingredients – The recipe also calls for half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon, a fourth teaspoon of baking powder to help with rising, and an eighth teaspoon each of salt and baking soda. Feel free to throw in a small pinch of ground nutmeg or ginger if desired.
How to make the cake
- Begin by greasing a small mug or two small ramekins well. Set aside.
- If you want to bake the mug cake in an oven instead of a microwave, preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit or 176° Celsius.
- Add the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, sugar or sweetener, and salt directly into the mug. Stir very well. (If using ramekins instead of a mug, simply combine all ingredients in a cereal sized bowl, then smooth the batter into the prepared dishes.)
- Now stir in the milk, optional oil or almond butter, vanilla extract, and pureed carrots until just evenly mixed.
- Microwave on high power until soft and fluffy. Time will vary by wattage of your machine, and mine takes around two minutes total. Alternatively, bake in an oven safe dish for fifteen minutes or until fully cooked in the center.
- Enjoy straight from the mug. Or let the carrot mug cake cool before going around the sides with a knife to pop the cake out onto a plate.
- If you want to make a cute double layer cake, carefully slice through the middle and frost each layer. Garnish with shredded carrot, diced pecans or walnuts, and raisins as you wish.
Frosting the mini carrot cake
The recipe tastes amazing topped with Coconut Butter or Coconut Whipped Cream.
Or I like to make a basic cream cheese frosting recipe by whipping 2 ounces cream cheese with 1 ounce butter, 1/2 cup powdered sugar or monk fruit, 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, and a few drops milk of choice if needed. (Use plant based cream cheese and butter for a vegan cream cheese frosting.)
This is simply a small batch of the frosting I use on my Carrot Cake Bars.
Carrot cake and frosting are meant for each other. But it need not be cream cheese! You can use almond butter, cashew butter, vanilla yogurt, or a dusting of powdered sugar if preferred.
Carrot Cake In A Mug
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup flour (30g) (or here's a Keto Carrot Cake)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp sugar or sugar free xylitol (24g)
- 3 tbsp cup carrot puree (jarred or steamed from fresh) (45g)
- 1 tbsp water (15g)
- 1 tbsp oil or almond butter, or additional water (15g)
- 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- 1. Grease a small mug or two small ramekins well.
- 2. If baking in the oven instead of a microwave mug cake, preheat the oven to to 350° Fahrenheit (176° Celsius).
- 3. Stir dry ingredients in a cereal bowl or directly in the mug. Then stir in wet ingredients until evenly mixed.
- 4. Microwave on high until soft and fluffy. Time will vary based on wattage. Mine takes around 2 minutes. Or bake in an oven safe dish for 15 minutes or until cooked through the center.
- 5. Enjoy hot out of the mug, or allow the cake to cool before going around the sides with a knife and popping onto a plate.
- 6. For a fun double layer carrot cake in a mug, slice through the middle and frost with cream cheese frosting (recipe included above). Garnish with shredded carrots, chopped walnuts, and raisins if desired.
Video
Notes
More easy mug desserts
I’m thinking a 5 minute zucchini bread would be a great follow-up post to this. Thanks for the great recipes and blog posts!
Love that idea!
Would it be okay to use just one egg instead of the 1/2 “egg” replacement? Thanks! -S.C.
Hi Sue,
Unfortunately, I have no cooking experience with real eggs… the last time I used one, I was 13! So I really don’t know.
Katie, I have to agree with Tamara; how could this recipe equal only up to about 140 calories when 1/4 cup of spelt flour (or any other flour) is around 130 calories?
um, did you not even bother to read the responses to tamara?!
My package of spelt flour says 110 calories for 1/4 cup. I just checked, and Katie’s calculations are correct.
Hoomygosh. I need to make this asap! Sounds wonderful 🙂
YUM! YUM! love carrot cake!!
I’ve been looking at your blog for months now and finally purchased a food processor to be able to make a few of your recipes so last night I made this one and your chocolate chip blondies! I eat clean so I substituted evaporated can juice in your blondies recipe and stevia in the raw for this one. I also couldn’t find a “clean” cream cheese to make the topping so i used Chobani 0 Vanilla Greek yogurt w/ a little pumpkin pie spice. It was perfect- I although i’ll probably just pick up a cheap can of frosting for my boyfriend next time because he wasn’t a fan of the yogurt.
I didn’t have spelt flour so I used 3 Tbls whole wheat pastry flour and 1 tablespoon of soy flour. Tasted great!
Thanks for the amazing ideas, I will be making these both again and those blondies will be my secret healthy desert.
I really need to get a food processor! That recipe has been on my list for way too long now!
I found one at target a Black & Decker for 35 dollars and I used it last night to chop carrots, for this recipe, make the blondies and then made some quick healthy hummus (can of chick peas, lemon juice from a whole lemon. 1 tablespoon lemon zest, 1 tablespoon dill, 1 teaspoon sea salt, and 3oz plain Greek yogurt (chobani 0) it tastes great and 1oz is only 35 calories and 1 gram of fat. I eat it with kashi pita chips. Perfecto!
Never made carrot cake before, I never found the time. Now that cannot be an excuse. This looks delicious!
Katie, I just made this and it is incredible!
Thank you so much for sharing your creative genius with us. Your website is by far my favorite, and I tell everyone about it. I’d love to see a CCK cookbook someday!
Agree!
Love your blog. Could you substitute baby food carrots in your recipe?
I think so! For best taste, I’d look for ones with only carrots as the ingredient (as opposed to carrots and water). I’m not sure if they make such a thing…?
That’s what I use! The little container in the Gerber “1st Foods” line is 2.5 ounces so I just chuck the whole thing in there. The standard size container or jar is about 1/2 cup so you can make 2 cakes (or just add a little salt and pepper to the rest of the jar and eat it!). Canned carrots are usually massively high in sodium unless you pay attention to labels and get the “no salt added” ones which stores don’t always have, while baby food is almost always salt-free.
I’m with everyone else, it’s the frosting for sure! This looks SO good, Katie. Way to go!
Thank you for a great recipe. This was delicious, and so quick to prepare! I want another one already :).
Love your site!!!
Ohhhhh this makes me want to break my diet! It looks and sounds yummy!
http://www.lovelypinkdiva.com
I Love carrot cake and so do my kids! 5 minutes! Awesome! Can’t wait to try it!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! for including weight watchers points! That’s gonna make my life so much easier! I’ve been using your recipes for my weight watchers diet ever since I saw your chocolate pancake recipe on Skinnytaste! Thanks again!!!
I am a carrot cake lover, chocolate first of course, but carrot cake is up there too!! 🙂
I love your recipes! So delightful!! And…you have TWO on foodgawker today: the carrot cake and the bunny! Good for you! 🙂
Aw thanks, Michele!
I found your blog from Love from the Oven and when I saw the title I ran, yes ran over to your site. I Lurve me some Carrot Cake and to have a single serving recipe has made my little heart skip a beat. I will be following you from here on out cause you had me at Carrot Cake.
🙂 🙂
So happy to meet another carrot-cake lover… seriously, I’m a little scared of people who don’t like carrot cake ;).