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    Home » Recipes » Vegan Quick & Easy Recipes

    Published: Mar 31, 2023 · Modified: Jun 30, 2024 by DJ · This post may contain affiliate links · 5 Comments

    Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Mug Cake

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

    My easy and drool-worthy vegan lemon mug cake recipe is one of my favorite quick recipes on the blog because it tastes as good as a lemon cake that has baked in the oven.

    The only difference is that this treat takes less than 2 minutes to make inside the microwave which means that you can make this as a speedy snack when you're in a rush to go somewhere or you have a busy day.

    A vegan lemon mug cake sitting inside a large, white ramekin after being half eaten. It's topped with lots of glaze. this recipe

    I always love to add poppy seeds to this lemon mug cake too, as they add tasty, earthy flavors to it which compliments the tanginess, as well as the light and airy texture perfectly. You'll see what I mean when you try it!

    If you like these kinds of flavor combinations, I also have a vegan lemon poppy seed cake and a vegan orange poppy seed cake which you will adore. Especially if you'd prefer to make a full cake. Otherwise, try another mug cake in the form of a vegan Biscoff mug cake which tastes incredible.

    Jump to:
    • Why You Will Love This Mug Cake
    • Ingredient Notes
    • Substitutions & Variations
    • How To Make A Lemon Poppy Seed Mug Cake
    • Expert Tips
    • Recipe FAQs
    • More Vegan Mug Cake Recipes
    • Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Mug Cake

    Why You Will Love This Mug Cake

    • Simple Ingredients - The mug cake is made from 9 'easy to find' ingredients and uses small amounts of each of those ingredients. This mug cake is single serve and totally, uncomplicated.
    • Quick & Easy - This might just be the best thing about this recipe. Just like my vegan mug brownie and vegan banana mug cake recipes, this treat can be made within 70-90 seconds which feels miraculous when it's ready.
    • Great Texture - Considering the fact that this mug cake can be made or quickly, it tastes so good! In fact, it tastes just like an actual oven lemon cake, despite cooking at least 10 times faster. It's fluffy, soft and so enjoyable.
    • Allergy Friendly & Plant Based - This vegan lemon poppy seed mug cake recipe is completely vegan and dairy free.

    Ingredient Notes

    The ingredients that you will need to make a vegan lemon mug cake, laid out over a white, marble background.
    • All-purpose flour - Regular white flour is the only type of flour that you should be using for this recipe, unless you're looking to make it gluten free.
    • Poppy seeds - Poppy seeds and lemon are a match made in heaven. These little, yet mighty seeds give the cake an extra earthy tone and aroma. These were also used in my vegan lemon poppy seed muffins.
    • Soy milk - After testing the mug cake several times, I found that using soy milk always gave the lemon poppy seed mug cake the best consistency time and time again. Other plant milks such as, almond milk and oat milk were quite good too.
    • Fresh lemon juice - Don't use concentrated or artificial lemon juice in this recipe. The mug cake will suffer due to a lack in authentic flavor. Instead, using freshly squeezed lemon juice, alongside the lemon zest will give the cake a major flavor boost which is full of delicious zesty goodness. You'll see the huge effect of this if you try my vegan lemon cookies and vegan lemon raspberry cake recipes.
    • Powdered sugar - This will be used for the lemon drizzle glaze. I like mine to be quite thin and runny for this recipe.

    See recipe card for full information on individual ingredients and quantities.

    Substitutions & Variations

    • I understand that not everyone wants to top their mug cake with a glaze and because of this, you can change the topping. I sometimes like to top my mug cakes with fresh blueberries and dairy-free whipped cream. I've even had it with dairy-free yogurt and maple syrup. You could even top it with vegan dulce de leche caramel if you really want to spice things up. There really are so many options!
    • If you wish, you can also make this lemon mug cake gluten free. The great thing about this is that only ONE of the ingredients needs to be substituted out and that's the all-purpose flour. The rest of the ingredients are naturally gluten free. These days, there are many 1:1 gluten free all-purpose flour alternatives which are made specifically for baking. Feel free to use one of those for this recipe.

    How To Make A Lemon Poppy Seed Mug Cake

    For the full method, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

    The lemon glaze mixed together inside a plastic container.

    1. Make the lemon glaze.

    The dry mug cake ingredients, including the poppy seeds combined inside a white ramekin.

    2. Mix together the dry mug cake ingredients.

    The wet ingredients have been added and the dry ingredients have been folded into them to form a smooth batter.

    3. Add in the wet ingredients.

    The vegan lemon mug cake has been baked. It has risen.

    4. Cook the lemon mug cake.

    The mug cake has been topped with the glaze and has begun to be eaten.

    5. Top with the glaze and serve.

    Expert Tips

    Don't over-mix the mug cake batter - This cake isn't the biggest so you want to enjoy every spoonful of it. This won't be possible if you over-mix the mug cake batter as the cake will become dense and gummy. Mix gently until a batter is smooth and combined.

    Use a microwave safe mug - Make sure that mug or large ramekin that you use is safe for microwavable use. If they have any metal parts on them, this can be a major health and safety hazard.

    Glaze-covered lemon poppy seed cake on a small, golden spoon.

    Recipe FAQs

    Can I make this lemon mug cake in a ramekin?

    Yes, you can. Make sure that it is a large ramekin as this cake will rise quickly. Also make sure that it is microwave-safe.

    What is a mug cake?

    A mug cake is a single-serving cake treat that is usually made inside a mug.

    Can I oven bake this single serve mug cake?

    I don't recommend that you do this for this lemon mug cake recipe. Microwaving it will give you the best results.

    What size mug should I use for this lemon mug cake?

    I recommend a large mug that holds at least 8 ounces.

    How can I store my mug cake?

    I advise that you eat the mug cake fresh as soon as it has been cooked but if you can't eat it immediately cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for up to 12 hours. Reheat in 10 second intervals inside the microwave.

    More Vegan Mug Cake Recipes

    • A gooey and super chocolate vegan chocolate lava cake on a white plate.
      Vegan Chocolate Lava Cake
    • A smooth and delicious-looking vegan peanut butter mug cake, cooling inside a small, green ramekin.
      Easy Vegan Peanut Butter Mug Cake
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      Easy Vegan Chocolate Mug Cake (1 Minute)
    • A close up photo of a single, melty chocolate chip mug cake on a white plate. It is topped with powdered sugar.
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    If you tried this Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Mug Cake Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!

    A cooked vegan lemon mug cake. The inside looks very fluffy and light.

    Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Mug Cake

    My vegan lemon mug cake is filled with aromatic poppy seeds and only takes one minute! If you love easy treats look no further.
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: Lemon Poppy Seed Mug Cake
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 4 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 1 minute minute
    Total Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Servings: 1 Mug Cake
    Calories: 510kcal
    Author: DJ

    Ingredients

    For the lemon drizzle:

    • 30 g powdered sugar
    • 2 teaspoon soy milk
    • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

    For the mug cake batter:

    • 4 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
    • 2.5 Tablespoons granulated sugar
    • 0.5 teaspoon baking powder
    • 0.5 teaspoon poppy seeds
    • 4 Tablespoons soy milk
    • 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
    • 0.5 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
    • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    Make the lemon drizzle:

    • Add the powdered sugar to a small bowl. Mix in both the soy milk and lemon juice until a smooth glaze forms. Set aside.

    Make the mug cake:

    • In a large ramekin or a microwave-safe mug, mix together the all-purpose flour, brown sugar and baking powder and poppy seeds.
    • Next, pour in the soy milk, vegetable oil, lemon juice and lemon zest.
    • Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until the batter is just combined. Don’t over-mix.
    • Cook your lemon poppy seed mug cake in the microwave for 70-80 seconds. After the mug cake gets past the 1-minute mark make sure that you continuously check on the cake as each microwave is different. The cake will continue to cook at room temperature.
    • Drizzle the lemon glaze topping over the mug cake and enjoy!

    Video

    Notes

    • This cake isn't the biggest so you want to enjoy every spoonful of it. This won't be possible if you over-mix the mug cake batter as the cake will become dense and gummy. Mix gently until a batter is smooth and combined.
    • Make sure that mug or large ramekin that you use is safe for microwavable use. If they have any metal parts on them, this can be a major health and safety hazard.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 510kcal | Carbohydrates: 88g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 253mg | Potassium: 156mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 62g | Vitamin A: 281IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 249mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag Me Today!Mention @vegan_treats_blogger or tag #vegantreatsblogger!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Megan says

      August 20, 2024 at 7:01 pm

      5 stars
      This recipe is DANGEROUS (in the best way)!!! Can’t believe I can make something this delicious in my microwave in less than 3 minutes.
      Thank you so much for this recipe!!!

      Reply
      • DJ says

        August 26, 2024 at 1:04 pm

        Thank you so much for your kind comment, Megan! So happy that you love the lemon poppy seed mug cake recipe 🙂

        Reply
    2. An says

      April 27, 2024 at 8:45 am

      5 stars
      Tried this recipe. It was awesome. I did not add the lemon zest because I got lazy to zest it, but I added an extra half to 1 tsp lemon juice. The mug cake took 86secs in the microwave to cook but the lemon tang, sweet, crunch of the poppy seed was soooo satisfying. It wasn't soggy despite the extra liquid. I will definitely be making this mug cake again. Thank you for the recipe.

      Reply
      • DJ says

        May 08, 2024 at 2:33 pm

        Thank you! So glad you loved the mug cake 🙂

        Reply
    3. G. Taylor says

      April 15, 2023 at 7:56 pm

      5 stars
      Quick, easy and delicious

      Reply
    5 from 4 votes (1 rating without comment)

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    Hi, I'm DJ. Welcome to Vegan Treats Blogger!

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