This Healthy Cinnamon Roll Mug Cake is super easy to prepare and is the perfect quick fix for cinnamon bun cravings. Gluten-free & refined sugar-free!
Prepare to begin a beautiful friendship with this Healthy Cinnamon Roll Mug Cake. It will eclipse any other snack choice for a quiet evening spent with a cozy blanket and a good book.
For those of you keeping track, this is hardly the first time I've gone on about my evolving love affair with Mug Cake. This Cinnamon Roll Mug Cake happens to be one of the best flavor combinations I've been able to come up with, but also includes one very important alteration: almond flour.
Every little Flour is unique.
Now, while my other Mug Cake recipe is still gluten-free thanks to the oat flour, I was continually having issues producing reliable results with almond flour; they were falling flat almost every time.
I love almond flour - I use it constantly in my kitchen. It adds an incredible juiciness and moisture to baked goods that completely overcomes the stigma of gluten-free baking.
Instead, I now often find almond flour to be even superior to regular flour in a lot of my bakes. Unfortunately, I just could not get it to work in my beloved Mug Cake.
Until now! While my brownie mug cake recipe was vegan, I found that in order to get almond flour to work reliably I had to add an egg to help stabilize it. And oooooh were the results ever good! I have done some serious testing on these Mug Cakes, and now not only can you have a juicy, delicious cake in a mere minute - but you can also satisfy those lightning cravings you get whenever you walk within 200 feet of a Cinnabon!
The perfect easy dessert for busy people!
What will you do with all this extra time on your hands? Making cinnamon rolls at home is fun too, but we are all busy and once in a while I like using the magic of the microwave to produce the same results in NO time at all.
I hesitate to use this comparison, but making these Cinnamon Roll Mug Cakes at home almost feels like getting a fast-food version of some of your favorite home-baked coffee shop treats.
No more tediously rolling, then rolling again, then rolling again to get that tray of lovely cinnamon buns ready. Now, whenever you feel like treating yourself, it no longer involves an hour of work and having to produce an entire batch of something to make it worth your time. What we have here is easy, single-serving, luxury!
The ingredients are pretty wholesome and healthy whereas a cinnamon bun is like 2 million calories! As we are using almond flour, this recipe is gluten-free too!
How to make healthy cinnamon roll mug cake:
Step 1 & 2 - Add all cake ingredients in a microwave-safe mug. Mix with a small fork or whisk until the batter is smooth.
Step 3 - In a small bowl, mix together cinnamon sugar ingredients. Sprinkle half of it over the cake (save remaining for another cake or as extra topping).
Step 4 - Cook the cake in the microwave at full power for about 1 minute and 15 seconds to 1 minute and 30 seconds. Be careful to not overcook the cake because that will cause the cake to be dry when it cools.
Step 5 - While the cake is cooling a bit, add room temperature butter and cream cheese to a small bowl mix until super smooth. Stir in honey. Place frosting into a piping bag or use a Ziploc bag and cut a small hole at one corner. Pipe a swirl over the still-warm cake (or simply smudge the frosting over the top!). The cake is best enjoyed warm.
Tips
- Looking for a Vegan mug cake option? I've got you covered!
- Make sure your mug is microwave-safe. This goes beyond metallic and non-metallic. Unfired clay also does poorly in the microwave, even if the interior of the mug appears glazed. Unfired clay's ability to absorb moisture (even from the atmosphere) can cause the "cooking magic" of the microwave to diffuse, and essentially attempt to cook your mug and your cake at the same time - rather than just your cake. The vast majority of coffee mugs are ceramic and do not cause this problem, but occasionally you get the pretty, artsy mugs that are beautifully decorated - but not the most practical.
- Check the expiry on your Baking Powder! It is super important to this mug cake recipe, and as a dry good that often sits in your cupboard for ages, we often forget that it does expire eventually.
- If you decide to make two cakes, make sure you cook them individually in the microwave.
- This cake is best eaten straight away.
Healthy Cinnamon Roll Mug Cake
This Healthy Cinnamon Roll Mug Cake is comically easy to prepare and is the perfect quick fix for cinnamon bun cravings.
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter melted (about 15 grams)
- 1 large egg
- 3 tbsp superfine almond flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp coconut sugar or your favorite granular sweetener
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp cinnamon
Cinnamon sugar topping
- ⅛ tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp coconut sugar
- small pinch of salt
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 tsp unsalted butter softened about 5 grams
- ½ tbsp cream cheese at room temperature
- ¼ tsp honey or maple syrup
Instructions
-
Add all cake ingredients in a microwave-safe mug. Mix with a small fork or whisk until the batter is smooth.
Note: use a mug that can hold at least 8 oz of liquid - it will dome up but it will not overflow. 8 oz is the minimum size.
-
In a small bowl, mix together cinnamon sugar ingredients. Sprinkle half of it over the cake (save remaining for another cake or as extra topping).
-
Cook the cake in the microwave at full power for about 1 minute and 15 seconds to 1 minute and 30 seconds. Be careful to not overcook the cake because that will cause the cake to be dry when it cools.
-
While the cake is cooling a bit, add room temperature butter and cream cheese to a small bowl mix until super smooth. Stir in honey.
-
Place frosting into a piping bag or use a Ziploc bag and cut a small hole at one corner. Pipe a swirl over the still-warm cake (or simply smudge the frosting over the top!). The cake is best enjoyed warm.
Recipe Notes
If you decide to make two cakes, make sure you cook them individually in the microwave.
This cake is best eaten straight away.
See the blog post for more tips!
If you tried this Healthy Mug Cake Recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe below and let me know how it went in the comments – I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook for more deliciousness and behind-the-scenes!
Lily {GastroSenses}
I am sucker for mug cakes and with cream cheese frosting looks pretty killer!
Marie
Oh the frosting really takes this one from great to delish! Thanks so much for stopping by!
Kushigalu
Love this healthy and quick version of cinnamon buns. I would love to try this for breakfast soon. Thanks for sharing.
Marie
Oh, this makes a fantastic breakfast any day of the week, any time of the day, 🙂
Andrea Metlika
I absolutely love this cinnamon roll mug cake! It is perfect for a quick treat any time of day.
Marie
So happy you like it, Andrea! It's such a treat!
Luci
This cinnamon roll mug cake is delicious! I have been craving cinnamon rolls so this recipe was a no brainer for me! It is so simple and so sweet for a quick recipe!
Marie
Oh yes, this is definitely the fast lane to cinnamon roll bliss! Happy holidays!
Jeannette
I do love a cinnamon roll, but making it healthy is perfect for every occasion! Thanks!
Marie
Oh this one has all the flavors of cinnamon roll and none of the belly rumbles afterwards! Hope you get to try it soon! Happy holidays
Bindia
This looks so delicious and easy to make! I can’t eat eggs so what can I use as a substitute?
Marie
Hi Bindia! You could try a flax egg I guess! Let me know how it works out.