Recipe Review

This Recipe for Donut Mug Cake Is the 2-in-1 Treat You’ll Wish You Knew About Sooner

published Feb 6, 2023
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Stacked Donuts
Credit: Sharon Mccutcheon / EyeEm/Getty Images

If asked, I think I could trace my love of donuts back to the one and only Homer Simpson. Growing up, my favorite cartoon was The Simpsons, so when I saw Eloise Head of @fitwaffle’s recipe for sprinkle donut mug cake, I was instantly reminded of Homer’s love of the iconic Lard Lad Donuts shop in Springfield. And as a result, I knew I had to keep this recipe handy to give it a shot. 

I’ve made it no secret that I love the ease of an all-in-one dessert. Both Head’s creamy one-pot cookie cheesecake and Martha Stewart’s one-bowl chocolate cake are go-to snacks for me, given their quick and easy-to-follow recipes. Thankfully, this dessert takes a similar approach. 

In a mixing bowl, combine the baking soda, flour, granulated sugar, oil, vanilla extract, and water. Then, whisk all the ingredients together until the batter is nice and smooth. Next, decide if you’d like to pour the batter into one giant mug or two smaller ones. I always go for the latter when I plan to eat a dessert right after my meal. Otherwise, I prefer it all in one large bowl. 

Once that’s decided, microwave the cake batter on medium heat for one minute and 20 seconds. Due to varying microwave temperatures, however, you’ll monitor it while it heats so it does not overflow. As the cake cools, make your icing by combining icing sugar, milk, and sprinkles into a bowl and whisk it until it thickens and smooths out. In this recipe, Head mixes in pink food coloring to enhance the aesthetic of the cake’s topping. 

Once the icing is complete, adorn the moist cake directly in the mug and complete your creation by adding rainbow sprinkles on top. And voilà — you’ve got a sweet, sticky treat that’s ready to eat!