Microwave Banana Cake (in a Mug)

When you need a quick dessert and don’t want to make a whole cake, try this microwave banana cake in a mug. Easy to make with just a few simple ingredients, this cake comes together in just minutes.

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Why you’ll love this recipe

• It only takes around 5 minutes to make
• It is made with pantry staple ingredients
• Because it’s made with banana it must be healthy – right?

On those days when you need a quick and easy dessert, look no further than this microwave banana mug cake! Enjoy it warm and fresh out of the microwave topped with caramel sauce or a big scoop of ice cream.

Bonus: This is a no egg recipe and can be made vegan if you use plant-based milk. This recipe is based on my 5-ingredient vegan banana bread recipe, but smaller, and faster!

Scroll down for the printable card for this microwave banana cake recipe, or read on for all the details.

What do you need?

A mug or small microwave-safe baking dish

The mug I use to make this cake has a capacity of around 1½ cups (12 oz, 350ml). The cake mix will approximately double in size as it cooks (then subside a little), so make sure your mug is big enough or it may overflow during cooking!

Ingredients and substitutions

Mashed banana

Half a medium banana is the right amount for one of these cakes. This is perfect if you need to make two desserts. Or you can store the other half of the banana in the fridge (wrapped in plastic wrap), and make yourself another cake tomorrow!

Flour

All-purpose flour is the best. I wouldn’t recommend using bread flour as the cake will be chewy rather than crumbly. You can substitute self-raising flour if you have it, and skip the baking soda.

Sugar

The recipe below uses soft brown sugar, but you can substitute white/granulated sugar if that is what you have.

Baking soda

This cake needs a little help rising since the cooking time is so quick, so you will need a little baking soda (note: not baking powder).

Oil

The recipe below uses light olive oil, but you can use vegetable oil, avocado oil, or melted butter.

Milk

I normally use regular full-fat milk for this recipe. However, if you want a vegan version of this recipe, remember to substitute a plant-based milk. I have used soy milk to make this recipe successfully, but I would expect that most other plant-based milks would also work.

How to make banana cake in a mug

This recipe is very simple to make, there are just a few quick steps:

• Mash the banana in a mug until it is smooth. Then add the sugar, oil, and milk, and stir to combine well.
• Mix the flour and baking soda together in a separate bowl, then add to the mug and mix well.
• Cook the banana cake in the microwave for 3 minutes. You should see it rise up and subside a little (hopefully your mug is big enough and it doesn’t overflow!).

Serve the banana cake warm from the microwave with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream, or topped with sliced bananas and drizzled with caramel sauce. Enjoy!

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You may also like:

• Air Fryer Banana Bread
• Microwave Chocolate Mug Cake
• Instant Pot Peach Cobbler

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