Lemon Mug Cake Recipe
I love Mug Cakes for their quick ability to satisfy my cake cravings. This Lemon Mug Cake is my favourite as it is full of bright citrus flavours and can be ready in minutes!
So, what is a mug cake? A mug cake is literally a cake that is made in a mug. They’re easy to make and it is single-serving which makes them a great alternative to nip that cake craving in the bud!
Sure you can now buy mug cake mixes, but why bother when you can make homemade mug cakes as delicious as this one in absolutely no time.
More Amazing Cake Recipes
If a mug cake just won’t cut it, why not check out some of my favourite cake recipes?
Lemon Mug Cake
Ingredients:
3 Tbsp All-purpose Flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 Large Egg
3 Tbsp granulated sugar
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp grated lemon zest
2 tsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp Icing Sugar
Directions:
Spray a 16 oz mug with non-stick cooking spray. (These 16 oz mugs are the perfect shape for this!)
In a small bowl, combine dry ingredients until well mixed.
Using a fork, beat in egg, oil, lemon zest and lemon juice until well blended.
Pour into mug and microwave on High for 90 seconds.
Cool in mug and eat directly out of mug or remove carefully to a plate. Sprinkle Icing Sugar and lemon zest over top.
Lemon Mug Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp All-purpose Flour
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 Large Egg
- 3 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp grated lemon zest
- 2 tsp lemon juise
- 1 Tbsp Icing Sugar
Instructions
- Spray a 16 oz mug with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, combine dry ingredients until well mixed. Using a fork, beat in egg, oil, lemon zest and lemon juice until well blended.
- Pour into mug and microwave on High for 90 seconds.
- Cool in mug and eat directly out of mug or remove carefully to a plate.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
1Serving Size:
1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g
Enjoy!
Liz Lampman is a coffee-fuelled Mom of 2 girls and lives in Hamilton, Ontario. She enjoys cooking and baking, food photography, and reading.
Yum! I love mug cakes and I especially love lemon desserts, so this is a double win for me.
This looks totally yummy, have pinned! Love any lemon desserts but this is so simple I can’t wait to try!
This looks so fabulous! I love the idea of cake in a mug – great way to ensure portion control!
I tried it tonight with lime instead of lemon (I live in a region with plenty of lime and no lemon) and a good quality, fruity olive oil. It was delicious. Thanks a lot!
Tried this tonight. It turned out quite horrible. The texture was way off. Giving it two stars because I didn’t have the zest.
Try adjusting the cook time. If it goes too long it can get weird and chewy but if you get the time right it is the same texture as a baked cake.
If you didnt have the zest, thats not the recipe’s problem!
Love this! Came out nice and fluffy. It’s mild–I feel like something needs to be added tho. I ate it with fruit. Be careful if you are doubling the recipe–two eggs is too much so you have to add more sugar and flour to balance it out.
This is yummy! I’ve made it twice and added lemon extract the second time to give it more of a lemony flavor.
@Emily, try adding some vanilla and cinnamon
Oh, and I also added a glaze of 3 tb sugar:1 tb lemon juice, heated in the microwave for 30 seconds or til it bubbles. I got that from Allrecipes.
I tried it, and at first it wouldn’t cook, then i kept microwaving it and it burnt, smelled awful, and wasted my lemon. :( Absolute disaster. I wonder if I did something wrong. UGH!!! It smells revolting! I am sorry to say it failed. :( Don’t get your hopes up when trying this recipe. Sorry!
I have made this cake twice now and it is delicious and exactly what I was looking for– one generous serving of light, fluffy lemon cake in a fraction of the time it takes to make a whole one. I think the key here is not to overcook it. The 90-second cooking time is perfect for my microwave, but I imagine this would need to be experimented with. I wanted more lemon flavour the second time around, so I added an extra 3/4 tablespoon of lemon juice. Turned out great both times! Thanks for the recipe!
Tried it yesterday added butter instead of oil! It came out really yummy! Came back today to do it again!
I really loved it! It will be our christmas dessert! We ate it with sweetened whipped cream and it was absolutely delicious!
This recipe makes a great, quick treat. First time I tried it – 90 seconds was too much! 75 seconds seems to work great with my microwave. Would recommend this recipe, you might have to tweak with your timing.
Yes, you definitely do have to tweak with the timing!
Tried this today, and completely forgot to put the oil in. Turns out, it doesn’t need the oil, and it tasted delicious. I had to cut the cooking time to 60 seconds.
Oh awesome, I will have to try it without the oil for sure. Thanks for sharing!
I tried it , the taste is ok…. but the texture was awful! what can I do so it gets fluffier?
It’s probably the cook time, if you over-cook it, it does get a weird kind of chewy thing going on. The cook-time is a suggestion, it will vary from microwave to mircowave.
I just tried making this and it was delicious! It’s the first mug cake I’ve made that really has the texture of cake. Thanks so much for the recipe.
Just Tried making this cake by adding double the amount of ingredients and used butter instead of oil while lining bowl with butter as well. Also used unrefined sugar instead of white sugar. Before adding all ingredient into microwave bowl I added some lemon curd to the bottom of the bowl. I spooned all the main ingredients on top of the lemon curd, and allowed for 90 seconds. Once I turned out the cake the lemon curd drizzled down from the top. Really quick and nice handy recipe thank you.
Oh I LOVE the idea of using the lemon curd. Mmm!
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. I have finally joined the in a mug movement. Due to my love of skinny jeans I had to revise it as follows. 3T whole wheat flour 4T flour. 1/3 cup egg whites 6T agave 4T smart balance melted in microwave and cooled. This is for two servings and I cooked it in a cereal bowl. I then added extra lemon juice to warm cake and iced it. OMG. Wonderful
My husband liked this cake. How easy is this! My microwave needs slightly less time but the cake turns out well.
I agree. Lemon Curd in the bottom of the cup next time would be the best.
Made it tonight, had the texture of a steamed cake.. was good overall.. I added a little more lemon juice and then on top of it after it was microwaved, I added more lemon zest, more lemon juice and honey.. It was good for a 90 second microwave mug cake..
I had been craving cake for weeks – my oven igniter is out and I’m a bit broke. With it being summer, that’s kind of a win, but baked goods, amirite?!? Sadly, there are waaaaaaaaay too many chocolate mug cake recipes. Not that I’m complaining, but sometimes you want something different. This recipe was quick and easy, and crazy delicious. Side note: add a splash of lime juice (or pineapple juice) for a bit of a twist. Can you tell I made more than one?
Oh pineapple juice would be great!
I made this with gluten free flour. The lemon turned out horribly. But then I reduced the egg down to only egg whites. I also replaced lemon juice with vanilla extract. I replaced the lemon juice with chocolate chips. So don’t be afraid to make variations of this amazing recipe.
Just made this. Did not have a fresh lemon so used bottled lemon juice and a little bit (like 1/8th tsp) of lemon extract in place of zest. I also added a bit maybe 1/8 tsp or less of salt to the dry ingredients. Always need salt.
Also, I did not grease the mug. Mixed the dry ingredients in the mug, made a well, put in oil and rest of wet ingredients with egg last and scrambled and mixed the egg and wet ingredients in the well then mixed them into the dry ingredients.
End result, really, really good. I mean just liked a baked cake. Very slight texture difference almost unnoticeable. It totally a go to cake for when you just want that one serving and want it quick.
Cane out pretty decent but even with adding twice as much lemon juice it didn’t taste strongly of lemon. Perhaps a touch of salt will help bring out the lemon flavor?
You can add a drop or two of lemon extract for more lemon flavour.
The cake craving hit and I made this tonight. And then scarfed it down in about 90 seconds! Delicious. Next time I might try a bit more lemon juice or some of the other suggested variations. This one’s a keeper. Thank you!
I too added more lemon juice. I’m a lemon dessert fanatic. I also added a pinch of salt to bring out the flavor. After I made the icing with lemon juice & powdered sugar, I used a wooden skewer to poke holes in the cake & poured the glaze so it would seep into every bite. Yum
Mmm I love the idea of turning it into a poke cake! Yum!
tonight i made it and it was horrible all i could taste was the vegetable oil i would recommend not adding any olive oil.
… Olive oil is not vegetable oil. Never bake with olive oil, it will make anything bake taste off.
Made it tonight and eveyone loved it! I usually read comments before but I had a craving so no time for that. 90 sec was perfect for my microwave. Next time I will add a little more lemon (we LOVE lemon). Topped it with a powdered sugar and lemon juice icing. Thanks for the recipe! Filing it for future desserts!
Oh, my! This was a MAJOR treat & after the first made others in different flavors to see which was best. The verdict? All of them! I’m on FODMAP, which is, in & of itself, quite a restrictive diet & takes a lot of diligence & patience. I’m also dairy, soy & gluten intolerant, so finding &/or adapting recipes can be a challenge. Here’s what I learned: use a good, all purpose gluten free flour. After mixing the dry & wet ingredients, rest the batter 3 minutes, then mix it well again. My microwave is low wattage so I began testing with a toothpick at the 90 second mark; it needed an additional 15 seconds. The usual gluten free flour graininess was all but gone! And, as much as lemon is a favorite, orange & lime are going to be “great buddies” as well. Thank you for introducing this mug cake to my “go to recipe” file – it’s a very welcome addition.
I’ve always been sceptical of mug cakes, but the lemon cake craving hit and there was only one little egg in the fridge…well, I am sceptical no more!
This was more like a pudding than a cake but still delicious and satisfying. I doubled the amount of lemon zest in the batter, held back some of the sugar and then sprinkled it on top once the cake was baked, along with an extra drizzle of lemon juice (like lemon pancakes).
Thanks for the recipe!
Forgot to give a rating
Loved this. Used melted butter instead of oil. Served it with a quick lemon cream cheese frosting. Delish
This is a keeper! I tried it gluten free with King Arthur Measure for Measure flour and it was AMAZING! I am going to add more lemon next time but seriously, this is an AMAZING recipe. Best mug cake I’ve found yet!!
5 star Delicious! I read several reviews before trying this. With a few modifications, it turned out to be lemonylicious! I used Pilsbury gluten free flour, substituted butter for oil, 1tbsp of lemon extact and 2tbsp of lemon juice. I didn’t have any zest. I cooked for about 75 seconds. It came out perfect! Thank you for sharing the recipe and thanks to all reviewers for sharing your experience.
Not sure why my phone won’t let me select 5 stars. This recipe is definitely going into my favorites..
Now it lets me select all of the stars!
Correction, I only used a tsp of lemon extract. Sorry about that.
Wow, looks delicious! Do you know what Watt microwave you used to get 90 seconds to be perfect? I can’t wait to try and hope mine turns out just as well!
Great recipe! I followed it exactly, aside from an extra squeeze of lemon juice (as I like it super tangy) and it came out perfect. Such a lovely light texture and oh so comforting eating it from a cozy warm mug 😊 Definitely reccommend giving this a go!
I was feeling like a little dessert tonight and I wanted to try a different mug cake from the mug cookie I usually make. I squeezed a full lime and used a good amount of zest. It was delicious!! Thanks for such a simple recipe that was exactly what I wanted and needed tonight!
Devine! I followed the recommendation for added lemon extract and it turned out perfect! Very soft and spongy. I will be making again and again which means I am going to have to get some lemon curd. Oh, I only nuked it for 75 secs.
I have been making all kinds of mug recipes lately . This is, by far, my favorite so far. I had my granddaughter s over for a few party. We made this in 2 mugs, turned in out on a pretty plate, covered with powdered sugar. So good! More than enough for the 3 of us. They like my lemon bars. But they loved this. Thanks
This is absolutely delicious! I’m not a huge lemon fan, but my husband is, so I decided to try this tonight just for him. I followed the recipe to a T and it came out perfect – super light and fluffy and full of lemon flavor! This will definitely be saved in my yummiest recipes folder :). Thank you!
This is a great “starting point” recipe! I reduced the sugar, bumped up the juice (I used lime), omitted the zest because I didn’t have any, and cooked for 75 seconds. YUUUMMMM! Very forgiving and flexible! Will definitely make again! Thank you for sharing it with us!
For the 90-sec cooking time, what is your microwave’/ power?
Very yummy!
Absolutely delicious! I used GF flower and coconut sugar with honey. I also added vanilla and extra lemon. Great texture and great cake!
READ IT!!! MADE IT!! ATE IT!!! WONDERFUL
Did anyone find that it tasted to much like egg? The texture was perfect? The lemon taste was great but somehow ours tasted and smelled like to much egg. Can I make it without egg?
I agree! Too eggy… I had to throw it out. The lemon was okay.
Easy 5 STARS!! I am not new to mug cakes, I have tried a lot. I have to say, this was absolutely delicious and is by far my favorite mug cake now!!! It’s awesome! I don’t know why there are so many negative reviews because I thought it was great. I forgot to add the 1 Tbsp of powder sugar so I mixed powdered sugar with the remaining 1.5 tsp of lemon juice I had left and poured it on top. So Good!! I put it in the microwave for 75 seconds and other than a small skim of uncooked batter around the edges it was perfect. I used a fork and pulled the cake gently away from the side of the mug and could see it was cooked through as well as a toothpick came out clean. My new favorite recipe, thanks so much for sharing!!!
I’ve made this recipe many times now. Turns out perfect every time.
Last night my family was here for dinner and unexpectedly asked for dessert. There being six of us, I quadrupled the recipe and baked it in one baking dish. Also used gluten free flour. Once again, I was delighted with the result. Quick and easy.
Best mug cake recipe I’ve tried. Didn’t have an actual lemon for zest, so I put in a couple drops of lemon oil instead and think I’d do another drop or two next time to really amp up the lemon flavor. Also added a tiny splash of vanilla – it’s just not a sweet without vanilla in my world. I did sprinkle some icing sugar on top but I think a quick glaze with more juice would take it even higher. Will have to try with some melted butter instead of the oil, too. Yum!
Good recipe! I made some adjustments: I didn’t add the powdered sugar because I wasn’t sure if it was supposed to be a batter ingredient or a garnish. That amount doesn’t impact the texture or sweetness to any significant degree. I added a dash of Orange extract and a couple grinds of sea salt. (A little salinity brightens the flavor of citrus and, in cakes, makes the AP flour a bit less “paste-y” tasting.) When I “bake” cakes in the microwave, I like to use small, flat-bottomed Corningware type container with a glass lid. I find that it keeps the cake very moist and spongey. It also cooks evenly because the batter will settle into an even layer. At the very end, I used a couple tablespoons of confectioner’s sugar and a healthy squeeze of lemon juice to make a lemon drizzle and poured it over the cake at the end. I like my lemon desserts sharply lemon flavored – sweet & tangy. For those of you using bottled lemon juice and “don’t have any lemon zest” — your cakes are not going to taste very good. Fresh lemon zest is where all the intense lemon flavor lives.
Not a fan, too much egg and it makes that basically the only flavor.
Every time I make a lemon mug cake with oil it turns out terrible, so this time I replaced it with 2 tbsp of melted butter & it turned out so so fluffy & yummy! I prefer more lemon in desserts so I’ll have to try it with more next time.