While this isn't your fastest mug recipe, it certainly is the tastiest! This Lemon Mug Cake With Lemon Curd is made with fresh lemon curd, and a powdered sugar glaze, working together to create an incredible tangy dessert.
Recipe: $0.82 | Per Serving: $0.82 | Servings: 1
I'm a huge fan of lemon flavor, with its tangy sweetness always leaving me craving more. This individual lemon cake is a personal favorite of mine.
This lemon mug cake recipe not only satisfies my lemon cake cravings but also delivers an extra burst of tanginess. From the cake to the curd and icing on top, this treat is perfection.
The powdered sugar glaze adds a creamy sweetness to the dish, and when all three components are combined, it tastes just like a lemon bar but in cake form!
I couldn't be happier with how this microwave lemon cake turned out, and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do.
For more microwave mug recipes, explore my Rice Krispie Treat in a Mug, Peanut Butter Banana Mug Cake, Pancakes in a Mug, Blueberry Muffin in a Mug, and Vegan Mug Brownie.
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🍯 Why This Recipe Works
- Curd for now and later. This makes a small batch of microwave lemon curd to make enough for 3 mug cakes! Or one mug cake and some "sampling".
- Perfect serving size. If food portioning is a problem or you simply don't want a large dessert to go to waste, having a treat for one is an ideal compromise.
- No oven is needed! One of the best reasons to make this recipe is that you can use your convenient microwave and avoid heating the house by turning on the stove.
🥘 Ingredients
Ingredient Notes:
Baking powder- To help the cake rise as it bakes, you'll need some baking powder.
Coconut Oil- To give the cake some necessary fats, use coconut oil (butter or shortening will work fine too). (We also use coconut oil in our Dairy Free Rice Krispie Treats).
Lemon curd- You can use storebought curd or homemade curd by using egg yolk, lemon juice, lemon zest, and butter.
Simple icing- Make a delicious icing for the top of your mug cake with powdered sugar and water.
For specific ingredients and measurements, please see the recipe card below.
📖 Variations
Oil Alternatives- If coconut oil is unavailable, you can substitute it with canola oil or melted butter. Opt for unsalted butter if choosing this option. Alternatively, if using salted butter, omit the additional salt specified in the recipe, including in both the curd and cake components.
🔪 Instructions for Lemon Mug Cake
Step 1: Using a microwave-safe bowl mix the ingredients for the curd until the sugars look dissolved and everything looks well combined.
Step 2: Microwave for 2 ½min to 3 minutes stopping 2 or 3 times to stir. Keep a close eye at the end. If it piles up on the back end of a spoon like a little peak (think whipped cream) then you can stop cooking it as it's good.
Step 3: Let the curd cool while you prep the lemon mug cake.
Step 4: In a microwave-safe mug combine the dry ingredients and mix.
Step 5: Add in the wet ingredients and mix until well combined and no chunks remain.
Step 6: Top with a tablespoon of lemon curd and then microwave for 1 min 30 seconds to 2 minutes. My microwave takes a full 2 minutes but is a lower wattage.
Step 7: While the cake is cooking, mix together your glaze in a small bowl.
Step 8: Let the cake cool for a minute or two and then drizzle your icing on top. Enjoy.
🍴 Recipe Tips
- Microwave Monitoring- Due to variations in microwave performance, closely monitor the cooking progress of both the lemon cake and lemon curd. Even a few seconds can lead to overcooking, necessitating a restart.
- Ensuring Lemon Curd Doneness- After approximately 2 minutes, the lemon curd's egg yolk should reach a temperature exceeding 160°F, indicating thorough cooking.
- This ensures the safety of consuming the curd without concerns about raw egg yolk. Additionally, the curd undergoes a secondary cooking phase in the cake batter, providing an extra layer of assurance.
- Exercise Caution- Exercise caution when removing items from the microwave, as they will be extremely hot. Use appropriate protective measures to prevent burns.
⏲️ Oven Method
You should be able to cook this one in the oven if using an oven safe coffee mug. Make as directed and place it on a baking sheet. Bake 350F degrees for 10 minutes.
💭 Recipe FAQs
If you use plant based butter and dairy free milk then it will be! Unfortunately, I don't know how to make it vegan because the curd has egg in it. But the lemon mug cake has no egg, so you can swap it out for a vegan option if there's one available.
Yes, absolutely. While it makes sense to grab some juice from a lemon you're zesting, if you don't have one handy you can remove zest and just use lemon juice. The flavors may not be as lemony as expected, but it should still taste good.
Adding fresh blueberries to this cake would help to give it an added burst of color, flavor, and sweetness. Go ahead and use a couple, but put them in just before adding the curd and stir them in quickly and then proceed with the next steps fast too so that the blueberries don't settle to the bottom of the cup.
❤️ More Delicious Lemon Recipes
If you tried this Lemon Mug Cake, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and share your feedback in the 📝 comments section below. I would truly appreciate it!
📖 Recipe
Lemon Mug Cake
Equipment
- Coffee Mug (microwave safe)
Ingredients
Lemon Curd
- 1 egg yolk ($0.08)
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar ($0.05)
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice ($0.12)
- ⅛ teaspoon salt ($0.01)
- 1 Tablespoon butter, melted ($0.12)
Cake
- 4 Tablespoons all purpose flour ($0.03)
- ⅛ teaspoon salt ($0.01)
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder ($0.01)
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar ($0.05)
- 3 Tablespoons milk ($0.04)
- 1 Tablespoon coconut oil, melted ($0.18)
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice ($0.06)
- 1 teaspoon Lemon Zest ($0.04)
Glaze
- 1 Tablespoons powdered sugar ($0.02)
- ½ teaspoon water ($0.00)
Instructions
Making the Curd
- In a microwave safe bowl combine your cooled melted butter with the other ingredients needed. Whisk until everything is well combined and the sugar looks mostly dissolved. No chunks.
- Microwave for 2-3 minutes, stopping every 30- 40 seconds to stir. Keep a close eye towards the end. Stop cooking it as soon as you notice it "pile up" on the back of your spoon and create little peaks that don't slide right off. 15 seconds too long can make or break this and cause you to restart.
- Once the curd has finished cooking, let it cool on the counter or place it in the freezer for a few minutes while you prep your mug cake.
Lemon Mug Cake
- In a microwave safe mug combine your flour, salt and baking powder. Mix well and make sure there are no baking powder chunks.
- Add in the sugar, milk, coconut oil, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Mix until combined and no chunks remain. If the coconut oil chunked up as a result of the cold milk, that's a different story and fine. Just note that we aren't looking for lumpy pancake batter here.
- Top with 1 tablespoon of your lemon curd. There should be enough curd in the bowl to make 2 or 3 muffins.
- Microwave for 1 min 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Microwaves vary and my small cheap one takes a full 2 minutes for this cake. It will still look slightly wet on top, you can use a fork to pull up cake from the bottom to ensure that it's fully cooked.
Glaze
- While cake is cooking mix together the ingredients for the glaze. This makes enough for topping a single cake, so double or triple as necessary.
- Pull the warm lemon cake from the microwave and top with the glaze. Let cool slightly and then enjoy.
Charissa Smith says
I tried the lemon mug cake this morning, but forgot to add baking powder. This is a common mistake in baking. I used pre-made lemon curd and this was a great recipe as the curd's flavor bursted in my mouth. Good recipe!
Jennie Alt says
I had a jar of pre-made lemon curd. The tbsp of lemon juice plus the curd is too much lemon, which I normally love. Next time I will put 1/4 tsp of juice and stir in the curd prior to baking.