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When the typical cake feeds a party of 12, it can feel like a huge commitment to bake anything just for yourself. Luckily, there are now more single-serving dessert recipes available than ever, which means that it is possible to satisfy your cravings for traditionally large-format treats in smaller, equally tasty ways.
From banana bread to brownies and beyond, these seven recipes will show you exactly how to make a bunch of miniature classics. Most of them don’t require you to do more than stir everything together in a mug and pop it in the microwave, but the ones that do are totally worth it (looking at you, skillet brownie).
Strawberry Shortcake Mug Cake
If it’s not exactly strawberry season when you get a craving for this treat from Nibble and Dine, simply defrost frozen strawberries instead. Even better—soak them in a bit of lemon juice and sugar and they’ll get saucy and syrupy (pretty perfect for pouring over cake and whipped cream).
Five Minute Apple Crisp
Pinch of Yum cooks these crisps in ramekins, but you can use small glass jars instead if you don’t have any on hand. The recipe is vegan as is, but feel free to swap butter for coconut oil if you don’t mind a bit of dairy.
Single-Serving Carrot Cake
Though this recipe from Katalyst Health is gluten-free, it’s worth making even if you’re not. By substituting oat flour for regular flour, it’s able to maintain the tender and moist texture that’s a trademark of any good carrot cake. And dairy-free alternatives for cream cheese, yogurt, and butter keep the whole thing vegan, too.
Cinnamon Nut Swirl Mug Cake
This mug cake from Budget Bytes is like the child that cinnamon buns and coffee cake should have had a long time ago. While best paired with coffee, it takes only minutes to prepare, making it an excellent option for a late-night sweets craving.
Single-Serving Brownie
If you don’t have a mini cast-iron skillet (which is what this recipe from Well Floured uses), you can bake this brownie in a small, shallow glass jar or ramekin instead. Consider topping it with a scoop of ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream if you’re in a treat-yourself kind of mood.
Two Doughnuts
While this recipe from Joy the Baker technically makes two doughnuts, it’s really better for one person. After all, after you sink your teeth into that first one, you’re definitely not going to want to share the second.
Single-Serving Banana Bread
Banana bread is such a great breakfast when it’s warm and fresh from the oven, but it’s not like you’re going to make a fresh batch every day. Well, you weren’t until you met this single-serving recipe from Donut Worry Be Healthy.
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