RESET360 with Camille McLaughlin
Fall Pick: Desserts

Apple Cinnamon Mug Cake

A warm almond flour cake with cinnamon and allulose, cooked in a mug over buttery diced apple and topped with softly whipped cream.

Why you'll love Apple Cinnamon Mug Cake

This is apple pie weather in a mug: a tender cinnamon cake over soft, buttery apple, ready about ten minutes after the craving for something warm shows up. It makes two, so it is a dessert to share on a cold fall night, and it uses one egg, half a cup of almond flour, and the small apple sitting in the fruit bowl.

The apple cooks first. A mug cake takes barely a minute in the microwave, too short a time to soften raw fruit, so the diced apple gets a head start in butter and cinnamon before the batter goes on top. Almond flour gives the cake a moist, rich crumb, the egg sets it, and a little baking soda with a few drops of cider vinegar lifts it as it cooks.

Allulose and cinnamon handle the sweetness, and a spoonful of whipped cream melting into the warm cake finishes it. Cook it one mug at a time and stop as soon as the center springs back, so it stays soft.

Quick overview: This Apple Cinnamon Mug Cake takes 10 min of hands-on time and about 15 min in all and makes 2 servings, each 1 mug cake.

Jump to recipe

Apple cinnamon mug cake topped with whipped cream and toasted pecans
Prep 10 minCook 5 minTotal 15 minServes 2Serving 1 mug cake

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp butter, divided
  • 1 small apple, cored and cut into 1/4-inch dice, skin on
  • 1 tsp cinnamon, divided
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 tbsp allulose Label: allulose, and nothing else
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream, divided Label: cream, with no gums or carrageenan
  • seeds from 1/4 vanilla bean
  • 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup blanched almond flour
  • a pinch of ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 tsp baking soda Label: sodium bicarbonate, and nothing else
  • a pinch of fine sea salt
  • 2 tbsp chopped pecans, toasted

Instructions

  1. Soften the apple: Put 1/2 tablespoon of the butter in each of two 12-ounce microwave-safe mugs and divide the diced apple and 1/4 teaspoon of the cinnamon between them. Microwave each mug on high for 45 to 60 seconds, until the butter melts and the apple turns tender at the edges, then stir. The cake cooks in about a minute, so the apple needs this head start to soften.
  2. Mix the batter: Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in a small bowl in the microwave, about 20 seconds, and let it cool for a minute. Whisk in the egg, allulose, 1 tablespoon of the cream, the vanilla seeds, and the vinegar until smooth. Add the almond flour, the remaining 3/4 teaspoon of cinnamon, the nutmeg, baking soda, and salt and stir just until no dry streaks remain. Baking soda starts to fizz as soon as it meets the vinegar, so the batter goes straight into the mugs.
  3. Fill the mugs: Spoon the batter evenly over the apples. Each mug should be no more than half full, which leaves room for the cake to rise.
  4. Cook: Microwave one mug at a time on high for 60 to 75 seconds, until the cake has risen, looks dry on top, and springs back when pressed lightly at the center. Microwaves vary, so check at 60 seconds and add 10-second bursts as needed. Stop as soon as the center is set, since almond flour cakes turn dry and spongy when overcooked.
  5. Whip the cream: While the cakes rest for 1 minute, whisk the remaining cream in a small bowl until it holds soft peaks, about 2 minutes by hand.
  6. Serve: Top each warm cake with a spoonful of whipped cream and the toasted pecans and eat it straight from the mug.

Storage and leftovers

Mug cakes are best eaten warm, within a few minutes of cooking.

Cover and refrigerate a cooled cake for up to 2 days, and rewarm it in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds. Mix the batter just before cooking, since the baking soda starts working as soon as it is wet. Whipped cream keeps covered in the refrigerator for a day.

Variations

  • Pear and ginger: Use a ripe pear with the skin on in place of the apple and add a pinch of ground ginger to the batter.
  • Cardamom: Use 1/4 teaspoon of ground cardamom in place of the nutmeg.
  • Ramekins in the oven: Spoon the batter over the softened apples in two buttered 6-ounce ramekins and bake at 350°F (175°C) for about 15 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
  • Yogurt topping: Top with a spoonful of plain whole-milk Greek yogurt in place of the whipped cream.

Notes and tips

  • Use a big mug: A 12-ounce mug gives the batter room to rise without spilling over.
  • Choose blanched almond flour: Finely ground blanched almond flour gives a lighter, more cake-like crumb than almond meal, which is coarser and includes the skins.
  • Level the baking soda: A little baking soda goes a long way, and too much tastes soapy, so level the spoon.
  • Warm the egg: A cold egg can firm the melted butter into lumps. Set the egg in a cup of warm water for 5 minutes first.

Nutrition and mindful eating

  • Almond flour is finely ground almonds, so the cake brings fat, a little protein, and fiber along with its tender crumb.
  • The egg sets the cake and adds protein, which helps a small dessert feel like enough.
  • Apple with its skin is a low-glycemic fruit, and cooking it in butter pairs it with fat, the way RESET360 pairs fruit.
  • Allulose and cinnamon bring the sweetness, and allulose sweetens with very little effect on blood sugar.
  • As you eat, notice the warm apple and cinnamon, slow down for the last few bites, and check in afterward: a small, rich dessert like this one should leave you satisfied and ready to close the kitchen for the night.

Frequently asked questions

Have a question about this Apple Cinnamon Mug Cake? Start here, with the questions people ask most.

Can I use monk fruit or stevia?

Yes. Use a monk fruit or stevia sweetener that measures like sugar, and check the label for fillers such as maltodextrin or dextrose.

Why does it need vinegar?

Baking soda needs an acid to make the cake rise. Half a teaspoon of cider vinegar gives it one, and you cannot taste it once the cake is cooked.

Can I make just one?

Yes. Soften the apple in one mug, make the full batter, and cook half of it; the rest keeps covered in the refrigerator for a few hours, though it rises a little less.

Can I make it dairy-free?

Use coconut oil in place of the butter and leave out the cream in the batter, and top it with the thick cream from a chilled can of coconut milk, whipped soft.

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Tags: Fall Pick, Desserts, American, Gluten-Free Swap, 30 Minutes or Less