School is back in session and the internet is filling with pumpkin recipes, sure signs that fall is supposed to be here. Apparently, the weather here in St. Louis hasn’t gotten the seasonal change memo. Temperatures have been in the high 90’s with a heat index of over 100. Toasty. Muggy. Hot. I am not ready to embrace cool weather foods. Instead I offer 3-2-1 Mandarin Orange Microwave Mug Cake, a sweet treat full of sunshine, cooked to deliciousness without turning on the oven!
Ever since I began dreaming up 3-2-1 Cake combinations, my grocery cart frequently contains seemingly random items as I peruse store shelves searching for potential shelf-safe ingredients. Syrups, canned fruits and fruit fillings, candy, chocolate chips, all are fair game.
I bake mostly from scratch, yet boxed cake mixes are a standard in my cart. It is absurd how excited I get when Betty or Duncan or that adorable Dough Boy come out with a new flavor offering.
I was embarrassed to find that I had exclaimed out loud when I found white chocolate syrup in the coffee aisle.
This box of Orangesicle cake mix has been waiting for inspiration to strike for much of the summer. I wanted to add white chocolate for the creamy taste but couldn’t figure out a white chocolate ingredient that could be shipped in a hot weather care package.
White chocolate syrup was just what this 3-2-1 Mandarin Orange Microwave Mug Cake needed. Syrup makes a big flavor and texture improvement to 3-2-1 Cakes. White chocolate syrup provides creamy flavor while adding glistening moisture to the cake.
If orange cake mix is not available, vanilla mix is an excellent substitute. The white chocolate chips in the photos are not included in the recipe.
They are in the photos to suggest white chocolate flavor and would melt if shipped in hot weather. However, if 3-2-1 Mandarin Orange Microwave Mug Cake ingredients are shipped in cold weather, white chocolate chips would be a tasty addition.
You can read more about desert safe ingredients and find an index of all of the desert safe recipes on The Monday Box by clicking here.
3-2-1 Mandarin Orange Microwave Mug Cake
Ingredients
- 1 box Angel Food Cake mix
- 1 box orange or vanilla cake mix
- Non-stick spray if not using disposable cups
- Water
- 4 cans mandarin oranges
- 1 bottle white chocolate sauce
Instructions
- In a gallon sized ziplock bag, combine the two boxes of cake mix. Shake the bag to mix thoroughly.
- If using a microwaveable mug, lightly coat the inside of a with non-stick spray. Without the spray the cake will not transfer out of the mug and the mug is harder to clean. If using a disposable, microwave safe paper cup, no non-stick spray is needed.
- (Here comes the 3-2-1 part) Into the prepared mug/cup, stir together 3 tablespoons of cake mix and 2 tablespoons of water. Add a rounded tablespoon of halved mandarin orange segments. Stir.
- Microwave on high for up to 1 minute until cooked. (My microwave takes 45 seconds.)
- Add a few orange segments and a generous dousing of white chocolate sauce on top of the 3-2-1 cake. Then eat it right out of the mug. If you want to transfer the cake onto a plate, run a knife around the edge between the cake and the mug to loosen, dump out onto a plate, then add the oranges and white chocolate sauce.
Notes
- Combine the two cake mixes into a gallon-size ziplock bag labeled with directions.
- Include a measuring spoon, a can of mandarin oranges, and a bottle of white chocolate sauce. If the care package is international, include microwave safe paper cups.
- If the care package is domestic, add either a can of non-stick spray (for use with a ceramic mug) or microwave safe paper cups.
- Don’t forget to include the “recipe”.
Nutrition
If you enjoy this 3-2-1 cake, you might also enjoy:
Christine @ Must Love Home
Love it! I have never seen a 3-2-1 before so I admit I was curious! Thee are awesome…I am pinning and saving this post just for me too! Thank you so much for sharing with us at Friday Favorites! I would love for you to join me at mustlovehome.com for the Wonderful Wednesday Link Party…and enter our $40 PayPal Cash Giveaway for May!! Hugs – Christine at Must Love Home
Frugal Hausfrau
What cute little cakes! I love that you made them in cups!! Thanks for linking up with us on Throwback Thursday!
Mollie
Carlee
How fun are these?! I love orange desserts and can’t wait to give these a try! Thanks for sharing at Throwback Thursday!
sandy ackerman
Hey Wendy! All of your 321 cake recipes are just delicious! My sister came to visit for a week and we had a blast trying all of them!!! I am wondering, could you replace the water with another liquid to aid in the flavors? Like lemonade, chocolate milk, orange juice, etc. Just thinking of new variations! Thanks for a great blog!
themondaybox
Thank you, Sandy! How fun to zap a 3-2-1 party with your sister! I really think that the more you add to a 3-2-1 cake the better it gets! Which variation was your favorite? The Caramel Apple may be my favorite combo… or maybe the Pina Colada. 🙂 Creative 3-2-1 minds must think alike. I tried subbing juice for the water and the cake didn’t rise the same as it does with water. I then tried using 1 tablespoon of water and 1 of juice. It worked, but the flavor difference was minimal. If your experiments create something wonderful, please let me know! 🙂
Nickida
This looks so delicious. I just got a great book to review of Mug Cakes now I want to get ready to dig right in and give some a try. I’ll have to try this one soon.
themondaybox
Thanks, Nickida! The magic in 3-2-1 mug cakes is the lack of perishable ingredients ; no milk, no butter, no eggs. The ingredients can sit on a shelf or be mailed in a care package. Then the actual cake only requires the magic mix, some water, and a microwave (perfect for college student or military with access to a microwave). They are so easy, kids can cook up dessert on their own. 🙂 Enjoy!
GrowingBookbyBook (@growingbbb)
Mandarin oranges take me back to being a kid. I love cake too so this sounds like a perfect combo!
themondaybox
Thanks, Jodie! Kids do love those little mandarin orange segments. They are tiny finger friendly. 🙂 The little orange pieces make these microwave cakes moist and fruity. Thanks for stopping by!
Crystal McWhirter-Lopez
Um. this looks awesome and easy! What a fun treat.
themondaybox
Thanks, Crystal! These 3-2-1 cakes are so easy they make a great kid project! Stir together a few things, zap, and you are ready to enjoy!
gottagetbaked
Wendy, what a cool cake! I love that you can make it in a mug and I’m a total sucker for the creamsicle flavour. I laughed when you talked about squealing in excitement over the white chocolate syrup. I totally do the same thing, even when I’m by myself.
themondaybox
Thanks, Nancy! These 3-2-1 cakes are so easy and fun with interchangeable flavors and add-ins and toppings. I do get caught up in my grocery store “ah-ha moments” ! 🙂
Jess @ On Sugar Mountain
It’s going to be in the 90s all week and I am NOT looking forward to it. >_< At least I can cheer myself up with this citrusy sweet cake! And the microwave sounds marvelous in this heat. 😀
themondaybox
Thanks, Jess! We had such a lovely mild summer and now it is going out with a bang! Ice cream may be what we need in the heat, but its nice to have a little cake on the side. 🙂 Stay cool.
Winnie
OH Wendy – mouth watering cake!
Mandarin orange is a great flavor not only for now, but for winter as well
If I could – believe me I’d grab a few cups and eat 🙂
themondaybox
Thanks, Winnie! I agree that orange is a flavor we eat in summer because it tastes like sunshine and we eat it in the winter because we crave sunshine! 🙂 When orange cake mix isn’t available, the mandarin oranges work well in vanilla cake mix too.
Ashley
It cooled off for a few days here and now it’s right back to over 90! I’m ready for fall 🙂
Love the flavors in this version Wendy! Especially that white chocolate sauce!
themondaybox
Thanks, Ashley! I think that white chocolate sauce was a find! I am imagining it paired with all kinds of flavors on a variety of desserts. It works paired with a spoon too. 🙂
Monica
Okay, I think we are ready for your cookbook now: 3-2-1 cakes and care packages!
I really adore this flavor combination. It’s a great twist (not to mention looks great, too)!
themondaybox
🙂 From your mouth to the publishers ears, Monica! Thanks for the enthusiastic endorsement. These 3-2-1 cakes are fun to think up and so easy to make. It still amazes me when they actually taste good!
Reeni
I am loving this one! White chocolate and orange sounds like a dreamy combo! One I never had before but am clearly missing out on. That syrup. I could drink it. 🙂
themondaybox
Thanks, Reeni! Does sipping the syrup off a spoon count as drinking it? If so, I definitely drank it! 🙂 Sweet, creamy stuff! This combo is very creamsicle flavored.
Ilana
I definitely want to try these 3-2-1 cakes. What size paper cups do you use?
themondaybox
Hi Illana! I use 6-9 oz cups. The cups in these photos are 9 oz. Larger will work but the cake doesn’t rise up to the top and you feel like you are eating half a cake! 🙂 I use paper (not wax coated) cups from Party City, Target, or the Dollar Store. 🙂 Enjoy!
Ilana
Thanks so much.
chrisscheuer
Hi Wendy! This looks like such a fun all-season cake. I love the flavor combinations you’ve put together. Also loved getting to meet you in person last week. Now I feel like I’m visiting an old friend when I come to your site 🙂
themondaybox
Hi Chris! Honestly, meeting and hanging out with you and Scott made the Forum for me! How to describe meeting a friend you have never met, yet felt you knew (at least a bit)? It was wonderful to share stories and experiences. Thank you for being so welcoming!
These 3-2-1 cakes are so silly, but they are the only “baked” item possible in this muggy heat! White chocolate and orange is good!