Want to whip up a single serving of homemade gluten-free green tea flavored cake in just minutes? This paleo and keto-friendly matcha mug cake is a delicious emerald-hued sponge cake that you can bake in your microwave or toaster oven!
I love that I can whisk together a few simple pantry ingredients, pour the batter into a coffee mug, and pop it in the microwave for less than two minutes, and end up with a fantastic bouncy green tea flavored sponge cake.
This matcha mug cake definitely hits the spot when you need a quick treat that’s not overly sweet! In fact, these snack cakes are very reminiscent of the paper-wrapped sponge cakes my mom used bring home from Chinese bakeries when I was a kid.
What’s the best matcha for mug cakes?
I love matcha—a finely milled Japanese green tea powder—and I love to mix it up and drink it hot or cold, or make desserts with it. However, there are lots of different brands and grades of matcha on the market and picking the right one can be a daunting.
My favorite brand is Breakaway Matcha (not a sponsor, but you can save moola on your order with the code nomnompaleo) and I normally buy the cold brew or culinary reserve to make mug cakes, cheesecake, pudding, or iced matcha lattes. Higher quality matcha gives your drinks and desserts a vibrant green hue and less bitter notes!
No microwave?
No problem! You can pour the batter into an oven-safe 6-ounce ramekin and bake it in a 350°F oven or toaster oven for 18-20 minutes or a 325°F air fryer for 13-15 minutes. The tiny single serve cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. The resulting cake will not rise as high as the microwave version and the texture will be more dense and moist. Although it will take ten times as long to finish cooking, the mug cake will be worth the wait!
What other mug cakes flavors can you can make?
Not a matcha fan or don’t have any on hand? You can make a vanilla or chocolate mug cake by following step-by-step instructions shown below, and using the following ingredients instead:
For a vanilla mug cake:
- 3 tablespoons (21g) blanched almond flour
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or melted ghee
- 1½ tablespoon maple syrup or 1 tablespoon honey or 2 tablespoons allulose (for keto)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
For a chocolate mug cake:
- 3 tablespoons (21 g) blanched almond flour
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or melted ghee
- 1½ tablespoon maple syrup or 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon honey or 2 tablespoons allulose (for keto)
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
Need even more flavors? I have a pumpkin mug cake and a black sesame mug cake, too!
Can you make this nut-free?
Yes! You can substitute the almond flour with cassava flour in a 1:1 ratio and the cakes puff up similarly in the microwave. However, the crumb texture won’t be as tender with cassava flour and it can be a tad gritty. Still, the cassava flour version is delightful if you’re craving a nut-free paleo dessert pronto.
Can you make a keto mug cake?
Yes! I finally found a zero calorie sweetener that tastes good (no aftertaste!) and has no glycemic impact: allulose. Dr. Peter Attia has a great primer on how to use allulose in place of sugar in this post. For these mug cakes, you can use 2 tablespoons of liquid allulose in place of the maple syrup or honey—allulose is about 70% as sweet as sugar so you do need to add a little more. Granulated allulose works as well, but the cake comes out a little drier. Also, allulose does make the cakes a little darker but that’s only a minor difference I noted. (I’ve added the nutrition facts for the mug cake made with allulose in the NOTES section of the printable recipe card below.)
What about other ingredient substitutions?
As I mentioned in Easy Cinnamon Rolls in a Muffin Pan recipe, baking is a science that requires precise measurements, so if I haven’t specifically mentioned a potential substitution, it’s because I don’t know if it will work.
For example, I have no idea if this recipe will work if you substitute the egg with applesauce or a flax egg or if you choose to use another nut flour or sweetener. If you make a substitution and find success, please share your results in the comments so others can benefit from your knowledge!
Time to make Paleo Matcha Mug Cakes!
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons (21 grams) blanched almond flour
- 1 teaspoon matcha
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1½ tablespoons maple syrup or 1 tablespoon honey or 2 tablespoons allulose (for keto-friendly version)
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or melted ghee
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon whipped coconut cream (optional)
Equipment:
All of my recommended kitchen tools are listed here. For this recipe, I used these 6-ounce microwave-safe coffee mugs.
Method:
In a measuring cup, add the almond flour, matcha, baking soda, and salt. Whisk until uniform.
Add the maple syrup (or sweetener of choice), avocado oil, vanilla extract, and egg and whisk the batter until smooth.
Pour the batter into a microwave-safe mug (6- to 8-ounce size is optimal)…
…place the mug in the center of your microwave (it will rise more evenly in that spot), and cook on high power for 1-2 minutes. (I have a 900 watt microwave and my mug cakes are done in 90 seconds. Adjust the cooking time depending on the strength of your microwave—decrease the time if you have a higher wattage microwave and increase it if you have a less powerful microwave.)
The paleo matcha mug cake is finished cooking when it puffs up and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Let the cake cool for a few minutes and top with whipped coconut cream, if desired.
Polish off your paleo matcha mug cake right away!
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2021).
PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD
Matcha Mug Cake (Paleo, Gluten-free, Keto-friendly)
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons finely ground almond flour or cassava flour
- 1 teaspoon matcha
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1½ tablespoons maple syrup or 1 tablespoon honey or 2 tablespoons allulose (keto-friendly)
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or melted ghee
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon whipped coconut cream optional
Instructions
- In a measuring cup, add the almond flour, matcha, baking soda, and salt. Whisk until uniform.
- Add the maple syrup or sweetener of choice, avocado oil, vanilla extract, and egg and whisk the batter until smooth.
- Pour the batter into a microwave-safe mug (6- to 8-ounce size is optimal), place the mug in the center of your microwave (it will rise more evenly in that spot), and cook on high power for 1-2 minutes. The paleo matcha mug cake is finished cooking when it puffs up and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.(I have a 900 watt microwave and my mug cakes are done in 90 seconds. Adjust the cooking time depending on the strength of your microwave—decrease the time if you have a higher wattage microwave and increase it if you have a less powerful microwave.)
- Let the cake cool for a few minutes and top with whipped coconut cream, if desired.
Video
Notes
- 3 tablespoons (21g) blanched almond flour
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or melted ghee
- 1½ tablespoon maple syrup or 1 tablespoon honey or 2 tablespoons allulose (for ket0)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 3 tablespoons (21 g) blanched almond flour
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or melted ghee
- 1½ tablespoon maple syrup or 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon honey or 2 tablespoons allulose (for ket0)
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Could the batter be made ahead and stored for a few hours before cooking?
I wouldn’t make it ahead of time. You can mix the dry ingredients ahead of time and add the wet ingredients right before you cook the mug cake.
This is the best mug cake I’ve found! Cooks up well and tastes perfect.
Hi! Do you know if a flax egg would work as an egg substitute?
Michelle mentions in the post she doesn’t know if flax egg or another egg substitute would work. If you try it, please post your findings in the comments!
Would it work to triple the recipe and bake into a Matcha Cake in oven instead? I love Matcha Pound Cake and struggling to find a healthy version of it. Thank you so much, your books have change my life!
I’m not sure you can just triple the ingredients and bake it in the oven. I’ll start working on a paleo matcha cake recipe soon!
Help, mine sadly tasted like egg, any suggestions?
Edit: it just occurred to me that I accidentally used baking powder and not baking soda.
The cake shouldn’t taste overly egg-y if you microwave the cake. It does taste eggier if you bake it in an oven.
The first few times I made this with baking soda as noted in the recipe my cake did not rise but rather coagulated into a very eggy tasting and smelling mass. I figured the baking soda was missing some acid so added a pinch of cream of tartar, which worked like a charm! I realized this is basically just baking powder so now I just replace the 1/8 teaspoon baking soda with powder. Now it looks exactly like the photos and tastes amazing. I wonder if perhaps the baking soda is a mistype? Thanks Michelle!
Not a mistype! Maple syrup is slightly acidic so that should activate the baking soda is mixed well!