This Cinnamon Roll Microwave Mug Cake is a single-serving dessert made with flour, brown sugar, ground cinnamon, melted butter, and a quick cream cheese glaze poured right over the top.

It’s ready in under five minutes and tastes close to an actual cinnamon roll, minus the yeast and the wait.

Perfect for a single-serve dessert, late-night treat, after-school snack, or quick sweet craving, this microwave mug cake is soft, fluffy, and easy to make with simple pantry ingredients.

Add a little glaze on top for that classic cinnamon roll finish.

If you love easy microwave desserts, mug cake recipes, or cinnamon roll treats, this is a simple recipe to keep on hand when you want something warm and sweet fast.

If quick desserts like this are your thing, these are worth a look too:

Ingredients You’ll Need

Pantry staples do all the work here (nothing fancy, nothing you need to special-order). Light brown sugar keeps the crumb soft, and a splash of milk keeps the batter from turning dense.

Ingredients

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon milk (for glaze)

Directions

In a microwave-safe mug, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt until there are no dry streaks.
Break up any brown sugar clumps with the back of your spoon (it hides in there more than you’d think).
This dry mix is what gives the cake its cinnamon roll flavor, so don’t rush it.
Add the milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract directly into the same mug.
Stir with a fork until the batter is smooth and no flour pockets remain along the bottom or sides.
The batter will be thick, closer to a pancake batter than a cake batter, and that’s correct.
Microwave the mug on high for 60 to 75 seconds, checking at the 60-second mark.
You want the top to look set and slightly domed, not wet or glossy.
Microwaves vary a lot, so the first time you make this, it’s worth watching through the door instead of walking away.
If the center still looks wet after 75 seconds, microwave in 10-second bursts until it firms up.
While the cake cooks, whisk the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and the extra half tablespoon of milk in a small bowl until smooth.
If the glaze looks too thick to drizzle, add another few drops of milk.
You want it pourable, similar to a thick honey.
Let the mug cake sit for one minute before touching it (it keeps cooking a little from residual heat, and the top firms up as it rests).
Pour the cream cheese glaze over the top while the cake is still warm so it melts slightly into the surface.
Serve warm straight from the mug and enjoy!

Important Recipe Notes

Use a big enough mug. This batter rises as it cooks, so use a mug that holds at least 12 ounces. A smaller mug can overflow onto your microwave’s turntable, and cleaning baked cinnamon batter off a turntable is not a fun ten minutes.
Don’t overcook it. A dry, rubbery mug cake almost always means it went 20 seconds too long. Pull it as soon as the top looks set (a little glossiness in the very center is fine, since it firms up during the rest).

Room temperature cream cheese matters. Cold cream cheese straight from the fridge will not whisk smooth, no matter how hard you try. Leave it out for 15 minutes, or microwave it for 10 seconds if you’re in a hurry.
No microwave? Bake it instead. Pour the batter into a small greased ramekin and bake at 350F for about 12 to 14 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Add the glaze once it’s cooled for five minutes.

Storage isn’t really the point. This is meant to be eaten right away while the glaze is still soft (it’s genuinely not as good reheated the next day). If you do have leftovers, cover and refrigerate for up to a day, then microwave for 15 seconds before eating.
Swap the glaze if you want. A basic powdered sugar and milk glaze works fine if you don’t have cream cheese on hand. It won’t taste quite as much like an actual cinnamon roll, but it still gets the job done.

How to Serve, Store & Customize This Recipe

Serving:

Eat this one straight from the mug with a spoon, ideally within a minute or two of glazing it while everything’s still warm and a little gooey in the center. A small scoop of vanilla ice cream on top turns it into more of a dessert than a snack, if that’s the mood you’re in.

Storing:

This doesn’t store well, honestly (the texture turns dense and a bit tough once it’s cold). If you must save it, cover the mug tightly and refrigerate for up to a day, then microwave for 15 to 20 seconds to loosen it back up before eating.

Customization:

Swap the ground cinnamon for pumpkin pie spice if you want a more autumn version, or stir a tablespoon of chopped pecans into the batter for crunch.

Dairy-free? Use a plant-based milk and butter, and swap the cream cheese glaze for a simple powdered sugar and milk one instead.