If you love lemons as much as we do, but you are short on time, why not try this incredibly light gluten free lemon mug cake recipe? This lemon microwave cake is ready from start to finish in about 4 minutes.
Full of rich lemon flavor and topped with a homemade lemonade icing, you will never know this cake is gluten free! Mug cakes are our new favorite summer dessert. You can check out all of my yummy gluten free mug cake recipes for more inspiration.
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Summer is coming and it is the time of year I least like using my oven. Not using an oven to bake is hard, especially for my cake-loving family!
If you haven't had a microwave cake yet, you are in for a treat! This mug cake is not only gluten free, but it is also dairy-free!
You can make this gluten free lemon mug cake in under 4 minutes from start to finish. All you need are a few simple ingredients and your favorite mug! If you prefer a vanilla cake, try this gluten free vanilla mug cake recipe!
Are you ready to give this dairy free lemon mug cake recipe a try?
🥘 Ingredients
- Gluten free flour blend
- Sugar
- Fresh lemon (for juice and zest)
- Light oil
- Egg
- Non-dairy milk
🔪 Instructions:
Add all of your dry ingredients to a bowl and whisk to blend. In another bowl, add the wet ingredients and whisk to blend.
I have tested three gluten free flour blends in this recipe. I liked King Arthur Gluten Free Measure for Measure, Nameste GF Flour, and Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour Blend. This doesn't mean other blends won't work, I just haven't tested any others. Try to avoid flour blends that are high in starch.
As always, if your blend does not contain Xanthan Gum, you will need to add 1 teaspoon.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well.
Can you use jarred lemon juice?
You can easily substitute jarred lemon juice for fresh lemon juice, but you won't have any fresh lemon zest if you use jarred. The rich lemon flavors will still shine through in the most delicious way!
If you want even more delicious gluten free lemon recipes, give some of these gluten free lemon desserts a try! For another lemon treat, give this easy gluten free lemon donuts recipe a try!
Pour your cake batter into a mug. Microwave for 90 seconds. If you are using a deep coffee mug, you will want to add 20 seconds if it needs a bit more time.
Note: The cake is going to rise while cooking...A LOT. Make sure when you put the batter in the cup that it is no more than half full. The cake will grow way past the rim, then sink back down as it cooks.
This gluten free snickerdoodle mug cake rose way up when cooking in the microwave!
Topping ideas:
There are so many fun ways to top this mug cake! Here are some of our favorites:
- Lemonade icing (recipe below)
- Vanilla frosting or vanilla cream cheese frosting (use the recipe in this cake recipe)
- Drizzle on melted white chocolate
- Whipped cream
- Vanilla ice cream
Recipe FAQ:
For my mug cake recipes, I microwave my mug cakes for about 1 minute and 45 seconds. If you use a deep mug, you may need to microwave an additional 20 seconds.
You can use any mug to make a mug cake as long as it is microwave safe. Do NOT use plastic mugs as they can melt or add a chemical flavor to your cake. Make sure your mug is tall enough that the batter will come up no higher than half way.
The only bummer to a mug cake is they just aren't pretty. If you need to make your mug cake look good, you can use a knife to make some simple cuts to make it more uniform.
Once your mug cake is a uniform shape, cut it in half horizontally so that it is like a layer cake. Frost as you would a regular layer cake
This gluten free chocolate mug cake takes about 2 minutes because it is a double serving.
If you love these cakes, did you know you can also make mug cobblers? Try this gluten free cherry cobbler mug cake!
📋 Recipe
Gluten Free Lemon Mug Cake
A gluten free lemon mug cake topped with lemonade icing.
Ingredients
For the Mug Cake
- 1/4 cup gluten free flour blend
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- dash salt
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon light oil
- 1/4 cup non-dairy milk
For the Icing
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients and whisk to blend.
- Add the wet ingredients to another bowl and mix well.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix.
- Pour the batter into a mug, making sure the batter goes no more than 1/2 way up the mug.
- Microwave the cake for 90 seconds.
- Mix the powdered sugar and lemon juice to make your icing and drizzle on top of the mug cake.
Notes
If you are using a tall mug, you may need to microwave the cake 20 seconds longer.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 1 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 543Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 191mgSodium: 508mgCarbohydrates: 77gFiber: 1gSugar: 44gProtein: 13g
**If your gluten free flour blend doesn't include Xanthan Gum, please add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon! **Please note this nutrition information is calculated by a recipe plugin and is an estimate based on the ingredients used in this recipe.
Jen
What type of oil is considered a "light" oil in this recipe?
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Jen, I like to use avocado oil or coconut oil in my mug cakes. Don't use olive oil because it won't do well at a high heat.
Geri DP
Can't wait to try this one; the others were great.
Sandi Gaertner
Thank you so much, Geri. Do you have any requests for new mug cake flavors?