Sweet cravings are hard to kick, and while it’s easy to indulge in packaged goods like sweets and chocolate, home-baked treats are a welcome change. Making a whole cake from scratch is one way to satisfy sugar cravings for days, but there’s an easier option when you want something small.
In just three minutes, you can whip up a cake using a microwave, your favourite mug, and a handful of cupboard ingredients. This recipe, shared by Good Food, has 16 ratings and four out of five stars, with one baker claiming it “tastes like banana bread”. The “easy” formula calls for mashed banana – a great use of overripe fruit – plus optional additions like nuts and maple syrup for extra flavour.
Banana mug cake recipe
Ingredients
One banana, peeled
One egg, beaten
One tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil
Half tsp vanilla extract
Three tbsp maple syrup, plus extra for drizzling (optional)
Four tbsp plain flour
Half tsp baking powder
One tbsp chopped pecans or chocolate chips (optional)
Method
Unlike most cake recipes, this banana mug cake doesn’t require many utensils, just a large, microwave-safe drinking mug, a knife and a fork.
Peel the banana and split it in half. Slice a few thin rounds from the centre of the fruit and set them aside for later, then mash the rest directly into the mug.
Weigh the remaining ingredients and add them to the mug, excluding the banana slices. Mix everything with a fork to combine.
If you wish to add some chopped nuts or chocolate chunks to the cake, sprinkle in a few before baking and stir through.
Microwave the mug on high for one minute and 30 seconds, then use a skewer to test if it comes out clean when inserted into the middle. You may need to microwave it for another 30 seconds if it’s still wet in the middle.
Test the mug cake with the skewer again, then remove it from the microwave and leave to cool for one minute. Top with the banana slices you prepared earlier and drizzle over maple syrup.