Matcha Mug Cake

This Matcha Mug Cake is the perfect afternoon pick-me-up. Matcha latte flavor, plus white chocolate chips, in mug cake form! 

We love matcha lattes around here, but baking with matcha is even more fun. Once you’ve dug into this delicious matcha mug cake, try our Matcha White Chocolate Cookies. Same great flavors in a soft, chewy cookie. 

Jump to:

• Why Make This Recipe
• 🥗 Ingredients
• 🥣 Step-by-Step Instructions
• 🧐 Recipe FAQs for Matcha Mug Cake
• 👩‍🍳 Expert Tips
• Other Delicious Cake Recipes
• 📖 Recipe
• More About Molly

Why Make This Recipe

• So Quick: Just stir the ingredients together and pop it in the microwave to “bake”. Cake in just over a minute!
• Single Serving: Mug cakes are the perfect serving size for one. A sweet treat that won’t tempt you with leftovers for the next few days.
• Matcha Flavor: Matcha powder adds such a lovely flavor to baked goods, and the addition of white chocolate chips is the perfect pairing.

🥗 Ingredients

• Butter: Unsalted butter is our preference, but feel free to use salted if you prefer. In that case, leave out the additional salt in the recipe. 
• Flour: This recipe uses regular all-purpose flour. For a gluten-free version, you could try replacing it with gluten-free flour. 
• Sugar: We use regular granulated sugar in this recipe. You could replace it with brown sugar, or even with a sugar substitute like honey or maple syrup.
• Matcha Powder: You can find matcha powder in the tea section of many grocery stores. You can also purchase matcha online. Look for culinary grade matcha, as it is more affordable than ceremonial-grade and still great for baking. But as this recipe only calls for ½ teaspoon, you can spare some of your premium matcha too! 
• Milk: We tested this with a 2% dairy milk, but the recipe should also work fine with a non-dairy substitute.
• White Chocolate Chips: Using white chocolate chunks or mini chips are fine, or you can chop up a white chocolate bar. 

🥣 Step-by-Step Instructions

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a microwave-safe small bowl and let cool slightly.

Mix 5 tablespoons flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, ½ teaspoon matcha powder, ½ teaspoon baking powder, and ⅛ teaspoon salt in a microwave-safe mug. 

Stir in 2 tablespoons milk, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, and the butter.

Stir in 1 tablespoon white chocolate chips. 

Microwave for 75 seconds on high. 

Let cool for a couple of minutes, then serve.

🧐 Recipe FAQs for Matcha Mug Cake

👩‍🍳 Expert Tips

We did quite a bit of research and testing for our mug cake recipes, and here are the most important tips:

• Use a regular ceramic mug. One with straight sides and a more narrow opening is better than one with a very wide opening. A narrow tube helps the cake develop volume.
• Don’t fill your mug more than halfway. 
• Mix the batter well to make sure there isn’t a chunk of flour at the bottom. 
• Don’t worry if your cake deflates a bit after it comes out of the microwave—this is going to happen with a mug cake recipe. 
• Check the wattage of your microwave—you may need to adjust your cooking time more or less. This recipe was tested with a 800-watt microwave.
• Clean the edges of your mug with a spatula or wipe the rim of your mug with a damp paper towel after adding all of the ingredients. This will ensure your matcha mug cake cooks and rises evenly. 
• Make sure to let your cake cool slightly before eating, because the middle can be extremely hot when it comes out of the microwave.

This green tea mug cake lends itself to other flavor combinations too. Try adding ginger, sesame seeds, or different types of citrus (orange, lime, grapefruit, lemon). You could also add nuts—macadamia nuts in particular make a delicious combination with the matcha and white chocolate. 

Feel free to experiment with the matcha flavor. You can add more or less matcha powder to this recipe depending on how strong you like the flavor. And next, try this Matcha Crème Brûlée recipe.

If you’re looking for a creative way to serve your cakes, mix the batter in a bowl, then fill small espresso cups. As with the traditional mugs, only fill halfway, and adjust your baking time accordingly. Then serve with a dollop of whipped cream and extra chocolate chips—so cute!

Other Delicious Cake Recipes

Love mug cakes? We’ve got more ideas and flavors for you! Oreo Mug Cake is a fun one, or try one of these:

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