Strawberry season is still in full bloom! I am really enjoying the giant, super red, super sweet strawberries that are available now (and on sale!). So, I created another fast and easy recipe starring strawberries before they go out of season again: strawberry shortcake mug cake! (Say that three times fast.)
This mug cake is a little different from the mug cakes I’ve made before on Nibble and Dine. Rather than adding the fruit directly into the cake (like in this honey peanut butter banana mug cake) or on the bottom, like this apple cinnamon mug cake, the strawberries are kept raw and added in between layers of cake after its cooked. This really allows the strawberries to shine by keeping their fresh texture and vibrant color.
And the cake itself is so airy and light; it pairs perfectly with the fresh berries and clouds of fluffy whipped cream. With only a few minutes prep, you will be in a lovely summery state of mind as you dive into this refreshing and luscious shortcake!
Strawberry Shortcake Mug Cake Ingredients
The ingredients are simple as you would expect; for the cake you will need: flour, butter, sugar, baking powder, milk, vanilla and salt. For the strawberry filling, just strawberries and some sugar; the sugar helps pull some of the moisture out of the berries and creates more of a “saucy” vibe. And you will need whipped cream! Lots of whipped cream, as much as your heart desires. In fact, I don’t even list an amount in the recipe, because it really does come down to your own personal tastes, and I will not make you feel like you need to restrain yourself!
How to Make Strawberry Shortcake Mug Cake
Like most mug cakes, this recipe is simple to put together in only a few easy steps.
Step One: Prep Strawberries
All you need to do here is quarter the strawberries and mix with 2 teaspoons of sugar. Stir until the sugar begins to dissolve and then just set it aside for now. The berries will start to release some of their juice and the sugar will continue to dissolve as it sits.
Step Two: Melt Butter
Grab yourself a large microwave safe mug and place the butter inside. Microwave on high, until the butter is mostly melted. This took me about 45 seconds. If it’s not completely melted, don't worry; it will continue to melt as it sits.
Step Three: Mix Batter
You will be mixing your batter directly into the same mug with the melted butter, but before you add any more ingredients, tilt the mug around and swirl the butter around the sides, this will help the mug cake release more easily after it’s baked.
Next, just dump in the rest of the batter ingredients, in any order, it doesn’t matter! Then stir with a fork until there are no more lumps. It will go from looking like this:
To this!
Step 4: Microwave Shortcake
Pop the mug back in the microwave and cook on high until the cake it firm to the touch and there is no wet batter left on the top. For me this took 1 minute and 15 seconds. Start with this amount of time, and if your cake isn’t done yet, microwave for another 10 seconds.
Optional Step: Make Whipped Cream While Cake is Cooking
You have many whipped cream options - you can use store-bought whipped cream in a can, or whipped topping in the tub, those are both perfectly good options and super easy! Or, if you want, you can make your own. While the cake is microwaving is a good time for this! For small amounts of whipped cream, I like to use my stick blender as I mentioned in this post for Almond Raspberry Ricotta Parfaits. Just pour some heavy whipping cream into a tall-sided jar (enough to cover the head of the blender) add a big pinch of sugar, and go to town until it's whipped to your liking!
Step 5: Assemble the Strawberry Shortcake Mug Cake
Here is the fun part! Once the cake is cooked, run a knife around the edges to help it release, and turn over onto a plate.
Cut the cake in half horizontally, and add about half of your whipped cream, and then half of your strawberries.
Put the second half of the cake on top, then add more whipped cream and the remaining berries. The berries will probably spill off the top but that looks nice and inviting I think! You are all done, and now it’s time to eat your delicious summer dessert!
I hope you enjoy this super fast, super fresh and delicious summer dessert! If you make it please leave me a comment below to let me know how you liked it!
Print📖 Recipe
Strawberry Shortcake Mug Cake
This strawberry shortcake mug cake is fluffy, sweet, and refreshing, and best of all, it's really easy and fast to make!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 minutes
- Total Time: 7 minutes
- Yield: 1 shortcake 1x
- Category: dessert
- Method: microwave
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 4 strawberries
- 6 tsp. sugar, divided
- 1 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 5 tbsp. flour
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- ¼ c. milk
- ¼ tsp. vanilla
- pinch salt
- whipped cream (see note)
Instructions
- Quarter the strawberries, or, if they are very large, cut them into chunks. Place them in a small bowl and sprinkle 2 tsp. sugar over top. Stir until the sugar begins to dissolve, set aside.
- Place butter into a large, microwave safe mug and microwave on high for 30 - 45 seconds or until butter is mostly melted. Remove from microwave and swirl butter around the bottom and sides of the mug.
- Add the remaining ingredients except whipped cream to the mug and stir until smooth and no lumps remain.
- Microwave for 1 minute and 15 seconds on high. Remove from microwave and check that the top of the mug is dry. If there is still wet batter on the top of the cake, microwave for another 10 seconds.
- Run a knife along the sides of the cake, place a plate on top of the mug and flip over to release the cake onto the plate. Cut the cake in half horizontally and top with half of the whipped cream. Add about half of the strawberries on top. Place the other half of the cake on top of the strawberries. Add the rest of your whipped cream and strawberries on top.
Notes
If you want to make your own whipped cream, an immersion (stick) blender is an easy way to make a small amount. Add some heavy whipping cream to a tall, narrow container (at least enough to cover the head of the blender). Add a big pinch of sugar and blend until whipped. You can do this step while the cake is microwaving!
Dawn
Oh how easy this is 🙂 Our strawberry picking season is just about to start in a couple weeks and I love that I don't have to turn the oven on to make this. I have never made a mug cake before, but we will be trying this when we get some fresh berries!
Kate
I hope you give it a try it's so easy there's no reason not to. And I love that this simple recipe really lets the berries shine! Happy strawberry picking 🙂
Karly
Love these little single serve sizes! Thanks for sharing.
Kate
I love them too! So easy to make and you don't need to eat a piece of pie every night for a week (although that doesn't sound so bad...) 🙂
Vivianne Burson
It was so delicious!! Came out perfect and tasted just like cake! Yum!
Kate
Thank you so much Vivianne I'm so glad you liked the recipe!
Elena
I was looking for a quick strawberry shortcake and this was perfect! Super yummy. Definitely saving this 🙂
Kate
Yay I am so glad! Whenever someone mentions they like one of my recipes, it really makes my day. Thank you for sharing Elena! 🙂
Cam
Great recipe!! If you do not have whipped cream or double cream to make it, just make the strawberry mixture more liquidy and is still really good!
Kate
Thank you Cam! I'm so glad you like the recipe, thank you for sharing your tips also! 🙂
Lacey
Great recipe. Came out just as it says. I made mine in a bowl and it was delicious with strawberry jam. I will definitely come back to this if I want another mug cake!
Kate
Wonderful, I'm so happy you enjoyed the recipe Lacey, thank you for sharing! And with strawberry jam sounds really good, I'll have to try that next time! 🙂
Liz
AP flour or Self Rising?
Kate
All purpose! Sorry I did not clarify better in the post!
Nancy
LOVE IT!! Super fast and easy!
Kate
Nancy I'm so happy you love the recipe, thank you for sharing! 🙂 🙂
Roshan
It was delicious! The sugared strawberries were a great idea!
Kate
Yay! Thank you Roshan for sharing, I'm so glad you liked it!!
Julia Santana
Wow!!! These were so quick and easy and DELICIOUS!!! Loved it and shared this with many friends. Will be making again!
Kate
Yay Julia I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thank you so much! 🙂 🙂
Kelsey
I’m so impressed with this cake texture! Typically mug cakes are rubbery. This one is delicious 👌🏻
Kate
I'm so happy you enjoyed the cake Kelsey! Yes I agree sometimes mug cakes are tough (no pun intended) to get right haha. I'm glad you liked it thank you for sharing! 🙂
Lexi
By far the best mug cake I’ve ever tried... I am pregnant and was craving some strawberry cake and this hit the spot thank you!!!
Kate
Aw Lexi I am so delighted that this mug cake really hit the spot for you! Thank you so much for sharing. And I totally understand pregnancy cravings by the way, they can be powerful for sure! 🙂
KJones
Wow! Great recipe. Simple and tasty. Not too sweet. Only had blackberries on hand but they also worked really well.
Kate
Thank you so much for sharing, I'm happy you enjoyed the recipe and it sounds like it would be really delicious with blackberries too!
Laura
I had the strawberries and some leftover whipped cream, but was too lazy to go to the store and get a pack of "dessert cups". The mug cake was almost as good, and so quick! I'd maybe add a tad more sugar next time to the batter, but it was super light and absorbed the juice well. Best of all when I want shortcake (or "hot fudge cake" with ice cream) just for me, I don't have to have extras around to get stale or tempt me to overdo desserting. Thank you so much!
Kate
Laura I'm so happy that you enjoyed the shortcake! Next time I'm going to use it to make a hot fudge cake with ice cream, sounds divine! 🙂
Amy
This is the best thing ever!!!!!! I am smiling from ear to ear. I’ve never had a mug cake that is so delicious, I feel like I have just eaten the most delicious thing I have ever eaten and it took only two minutes to prepare! I used plant based butter and whipped cream and oat milk instead of real milk and it worked wonderfully to create a light well risen sponge. Thanks for the recipe!
Kate
Amy your comment has made my day! I'm really happy that you enjoyed the recipe, and it's great to know that this recipe works with vegan ingredients too. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Maya
Hi, I’m so eager to try this recipe but do not have a microwave! Can it be baked instead?
Kate
Hi Maya, thank you for checking out the strawberry shortcake recipe! Yes you could bake the cake instead, as long as you put it in an oven-safe container that is an appropriate size - you want it to be about 2/3 full. So you could perhaps try an oven-safe ramekin? I would bake the cake at 350 degrees F, and start checking it at around the 15 minute mark. If the top is firm and springs back, and a toothpick inserted comes out without any wet batter, then it's done. I hope you enjoy - if you end up making it in the oven please let me know how it goes!
Becca
This worked out perfectly for a last minute craving 💃 thank you! Also loved the tip about the whipped cream and immersion blender, came in so handy!
Kate
Becca I'm so happy that you enjoyed the mug cake! I love using my immersion blender so I'm glad you liked that tip 🙂