Watch out mug cake lovers, this might just become your new go-to! This Cinnamon Nut Swirl Mug Cake is like a short cut cinnamon roll with no kneading, no rising, and no rolling required! It’s the perfect quick fix for when you need just a couple bites of cinnamon-y sweetness without having a whole pan of cinnamon rolls staring you down all day. Or when you don’t want to pay $5 for a cinnamon roll the size of your head. Because while I love cinnamon rolls that big, I don’t need cinnamon rolls that big. 😅
What’s with Mug Cakes, Anyway?
Mug cakes certainly aren’t for everyone, but if you’re the type of person that doesn’t like to keep sweets on hand, but does have the occasional sweet craving, mug cakes are the perfect single-serving fix. They take just enough work that I’m not tempted to make them ever day, but they’re certainly easier than making a whole dessert or going out to buy a single portion of something. They do also require a pantry stocked with basic baking ingredients, like flour, sugar, baking powder, etc.
Do I Have to Use a Microwave?
Yes, this recipe is designed specifically for the microwave. Ovens cook at a much slower pace, so this recipe would have to be tested and adjusted to compensate for the difference. Unfortunately I have not tested this recipe for conventional ovens.
Can I Use Non-Dairy Milk?
Because the milk is such a small quantity in this recipe, I do think you could get away with using a non-dairy milk, like almond or soy. You may also be able to use a non-dairy butter substitute as well, as long as it does not contain too high of a percentage of water. I have not tested this recipe with either of these non-dairy ingredients, so this is just my best guess.
Estimated Pricing
Take the pricing breakdown below with a grain of salt. This recipe uses super small quantities of ingredients that already cost pennies at normal volumes, so the calculations are definitely more in the range of a general estimate.
Cinnamon Nut Swirl Mug Cake
Servings 1Ingredients
Mug Cake Batter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour ($0.03)
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar ($0.04)
- 1/4 tsp baking powder ($0.01)
- 1/8 tsp salt ($0.01)
- 1/8 tsp cinnamon ($0.02)
- 1 Tbsp chopped pecans or walnuts (optional) ($0.16)
- 1/2 Tbsp butter, melted ($0.03)
- 2 Tbps milk ($0.04)
Cinnamon Butter Swirl
- 1/2 Tbsp butter, melted ($0.03)
- 1 tsp brown sugar (0.02)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon ($0.05)
Icing
- 1 Tbsp powdered sugar ($0.01)
- 1/2 tsp milk ($0.01)
Instructions
- In a small mug (about 1 cup volume), stir together the dry ingredients for the mug cake batter: flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and chopped pecans.
- Add the melted butter and milk to the dry ingredients in the mug and stir until a thick batter forms.
- In a separate small bowl or mug, melt the butter for the cinnamon butter swirl (about 15 seconds in the microwave). Stir the brown sugar and cinnamon into the melted butter.
- Drizzle the cinnamon butter swirl over the mug cake batter, then gently fold them together until they are only about half mixed. There should be thick ribbons of the cinnamon butter swirl throughout the batter.
- Microwave the mug cake for 45-55 seconds (for a 1100 watt microwave, cooking time will vary with microwave wattage). The mug cake will create quite a bit of steam as it cooks, so don’t be alarmed. Let the mug cake cool for 1-2 minutes.
- While the mug cake is cooling, stir together the powdered sugar and milk for the icing, using the same small bowl used for the cinnamon butter swirl. The residual cinnamon in the bowl will flavor the icing.
- Drizzle the icing over the mug cake and enjoy while it is still warm.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
Love microwave mug cakes? Check out my Funfetti Mug Cake, “The One” Chocolate Mug Cake, Blueberry Mug Muffin, 5-Minute Microwave French Toast Mug, and 5-Minute Savory Microwave Breakfast Mug.
How to Make Cinnamon Nut Swirl Mug Cake – Step by Step Photos
Start by adding the dry ingredients for the mug cake batter to a small mug (about 1 cup volume): 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1 Tbsp brown sugar, 1/4 tsp baking powder, 1/8 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp cinnamon, and 1 Tbsp chopped pecans or walnuts. Stir these ingredients together until they are well combined.
Next, add 1/2 Tbsp melted butter (microwave butter for about 15 seconds in a separate bowl) and 2 Tbsp milk.
Stir the wet and dry ingredients together until they form a thick batter.
In a separate small bowl, melt another 1/2 Tbsp butter (microwave 15 seconds or so), then stir in 1 tsp brown sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. This is the cinnamon butter swirl.
Drizzle the cinnamon butter over the mug cake batter, then gently fold them together, only until they are about half mixed. You want thick ribbons of the cinnamon butter throughout the batter.
Microwave the mug cake for 45-55 seconds (this is the time for an 1100 watt microwave, your time may vary with the wattage of your microwave). The mug cake will steam quite a bit as it cooks, so don’t be alarmed. Let the mug cake cool for 1-2 minutes.
While the mug cake is cooling, make the icing. Use the same bowl used to make the cinnamon butter swirl. The residual cinnamon in the bowl will flavor the icing. Stir together 1 Tbsp powdered sugar with 1/2 tsp milk until a thick icing forms.
Drizzle the icing over the Cinnamon Nut Swirl Mug Cake.
Enjoy while still warm!
This looks delish! Could one use Half&Half in place of the milk?🤷🏻♀️ Thank you!
We haven’t tried that but you can certainly give it a shot if it’s what you have on hand.
Just made this, doubled the recipe for a bigger mug cake, microwaved for close to two minutes and it turned out great! Definitely making this again!
Beth, I just realized why I love your blog. Most recipe bloggers include long meaningless stories and commentary before sharing their recipe to increase the time people spend on the site and to have more room for ads. Your commentary is relevant and interesting (e.g. can I make this substitution, the step-by-step photos) to achieve the same length on the site to keep up your engagement and ad levels. So smart! So amazing! Thank you for giving us content that we actually care about. You are the best!
This totally exceeded my expectations. Tasted just like a cinnamon roll without all the work and all the extras laying around tempting you 😂 45 seconds was perfect in my microwave. Will be making this again and again.
Very good and simple to make. Satisfied my craving for cinnamon rolls without having to make a big cake! Thank you!
I’ve only made one mug cake recipe before (which I lost!), but this one is even better. It came out perfectly and it’s so quick to make. I think it tastes like a cinnamon swirl pastry! So yummy! Going to make this for my boyfriend later as a nice surprise. Now I just have to avoid the temptation of making it every day.
This came out amazing!!! I’ve tried a mug cake once about a year ago and it came out horribly, but I decided to give this recipe a shot. So delicious and easy to make! Thank you for sharing, I recently came across your website and I’m already looking forward to trying more recipes :)
Welcome April! We’re happy you found us. And had a delicious dessert success!
This was so so good. So easy to follow and so delicious! Highly Recommend.
Thank you Emma!
Soooo good. Whipped it up on this snowy morning & all the men in the house said it was delish! Super easy. Super quick & no one arguing over the last cinnamon roll😉
That’s a good morning to me!
Very tasty! I make the chocolate mug cake from your cookbook all the time and really like this cinnamon swirl version too. With the chocolate I’ve taken to substituting two tsp of the flour with almond flour. It makes the cake moister and and adds nutty flavor. Tried the same trick with the cinnamon bun version and it worked beautifully. Thanks for sharing!
Oooh sounds delicious!
So light and fluffy! Great instructions to make it perfect every time.
Soooo gooood! I don’t keep baking powder in the house because it goes flat on me so I used 1/8 tsp cream of tartar + 1/8 tsp baking soda and it turned out great!
any gluten free version?
Unfortunately I haven’t worked with gluten-free flour so I can’t help with this one. :(
I made it this morning with Pamela’s Artisan Flour (GF) and it was delicious!
Glad to hear it works with the GF all purpose substitute. :)
Definitely going to try this with gluten free flour. I have been craving cinnamon rolls!
You’re a genius! Best mug dessert I have ever made, thanks to you.
I was so excited to make this as a midnight snack for myself, that I accidentally grabbed the wrong measuring cup and used 1/2 of a cup a flour without doubling any of the other ingredients. I also didn’t check to make sure I had all the ingredients before I started. This called me to substitute water for milk. When the batter was to dry to mix, I added a couple more tablespoons of water. That should have been a warning sign that I was using too much flour. You can imagine the Frankenstein’s monster I created. My husband enjoyed, but he could eat anything. Going to try again in a week or so. I wonder if buttermilk would taste good in this? Oh, well….
First time i made it, i messed up really bad. It wasn’t edible. Right now, i just made it again and it looked a lot like the picture. But it was also definitely not edible! Dont make this, it’s a waste of money and ingredients! Still pretty fun making it tho
Welp, I went ahead and gambled the $0.45 worth of pantry staples and I (like every other reviewer) thought it was fantastic! Maybe try again…
Ha! Hooray Angela!
It worked perfectly for me! Tasted delicious and was cooked throughout perfectly. I wonder what went wrong?
I added maple syrup and canned whip cream on top with extra pecans. OMG IT’S SO GOOD!!!!!
Ohhh maple syrup!! Good idea!