I added this post to my list of mug cake recipes earlier in the week as I packed for a short family trip to Sanibel Island, Florida. Hopefully, while you are enjoying this Piña Colada Mug Cake, we will relax while soaking up healthy amounts of vitamin D. Though our family has been to Sanibel Island before, we have never visited during the dreaded Spring Break crowds.
However, that is when my 2 adult children were available and we all needed a warm get-away,so we decided to give it a try. In the past, we found Sanibel to be a wonderful destination for family time, just hanging out, shelling, biking, breathing. That’s our unscheduled plan for this trip as well.
If you can’t get away but need a break from still wintery weather (or want to send a care package to someone needing warmth), I offer you a cup of instant sunshine in the form of a Piña Colada Mug Cake. Imagine fluffy vanilla cake speckled with shredded coconut and juicy bits of pineapple.
Then top this tropical treat with generous drizzles of sweet coconut cream. Now stop imagining and grab a mug. A Piña ColadaMug Cake can be ready to eat in 1 microwave minute!
A Piña Colada Mug Cake is made with the magic mixture of one box of vanilla cake mix plus one box of angel food cake mix. I combine mine in a large zip lock bag. Three tablespoons of this cake mixture is stirred together with two tablespoons of water.
Then mix in a tablespoon of sweetened coconut and a tablespoon of drained pineapple bits. After one minute in the microwave, drizzle generously with coconut cream. Take a bite and taste the sunshine.
When I first started playing with 3-2-1 cakes, I wasn’t thrilled. Plain microwaved cake tastes a little like a sponge. Adding goodies to the mix helped, but something was still missing. The trick, it turns out, is syrup.
Sweet, moist syrup turns a novelty dessert into an on-purpose, I-really-love-this dessert! In the case of Piña Colada Mug Cake, the coconut cream (not to be confused with coconut milk) is a must. It moistens the cake and adds a big splash of sweet coconuty flavor.
Coconut cream, in cans or plastic bottles, can be found in the baking aisle or sometimes in the liquor aisle with ingredients for mixed drinks. Our supermarket only carries it in cans, but I have seen coconut cream online in plastic bottles. World Market carries coconut syrup, another good choice, in a small plastic bottle. I prefer the bottle for care packages because the bottle can be easily opened and then closed for storage.
For care package use, pour the two cake mixes into a gallon-size zip lock bag labeled with directions, add a bag of sweetened shredded coconut, a few small cans of pineapple tidbits, a measuring spoon and a package of microwave safe paper cups or a can of non-stick spray.
Please note that aerosol cans are not allowed in international care packages. To mail internationally and/or for no clean-up, I highly recommend adding microwave safe paper cups to your military or college care packages.
A note to those who are gluten-free: 3-2-1 cakes CAN be made with gluten-free cake mix! The angel food cake mix is not necessary. We use Betty Crocker gluten-free mixes for gluten-free 3-2-1 cakes but I see no reason why other brands wouldn’t work as well. Enjoy!
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.
FOR MUG CAKE CARE PACKAGES YOU MIGHT NEED:
PIÑA COLADA MUG CAKE RECIPE
You can quickly and easily mix up your own mug of sunshine! Enjoy a taste of the tropics then share the ingredients and recipe in your next care package !
Piña Colada Mug Cake
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Ingredients
- 1 box Angel Food Cake mix
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- Non-stick spray if not using disposable cups
- Water
- 1 bag sweetened shredded coconut
- 1 can pineapple tidbits packed in pineapple juice, drained
- 1 can/bottle coconut cream or coconut syrup
Directions
- In a gallon sized ziplock bag, combine the two boxes of cake mix. Shake the bag to mix thoroughly.
- Lightly coat the inside of a microwaveable mug with non-stick spray or use a disposable microwave safe paper cup. (Without the spray the cake will not transfer out of the mug and the mug is harder to clean.)
- (Here comes the 3-2-1 part) Into the prepared mug, stir together 3 tablespoons of cake mix and 2 tablespoons of water. Mix in a tablespoon of coconut and a tablespoon of pineapple.
- Microwave on high for 1 minute.
- Sprinkle the top of the cake with a little coconut, a few bits of pineapple, and a generous drizzle of coconut cream/syrup. 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 coconut, pineapple, and coconut cream/syrup.
Packing Tips
MORE MUG CAKES TO MAKE IN 1 MINUTE!
Eileen says
I am curious about your info regarding leaving out the Angel Food Cake mix if someone is gluten free.
What do you substitute? Another cake mix. All the recipes seem to have two cake mixes?
Also with the Pina Colada cake (or others) can you add any liquor like pouring Coconut Cream over the top? Am thinking this would be a fun quick dessert for a New Years Day party?
The Monday Box says
Hi, Eileen! My daughter is gluten free and makes 3-2-1 cake without angel food cake mix, because we can’t find gluten free angel food. The cakes don’t rise quite as much using just one gluten free mix (such as chocolate, or vanilla) but it still works. Just use 3 tablespoons of gluten free cake mix of your choice with 2 tablespoons of water, and your choice of add-ins. I think liquor over the top would be DELICIOUS! (I write my recipes for college or military care packages so liquor doesn’t make the ingredient list, but would certainly be tasty!) I have always thought that a 3-2-1 cake bar would be awesome at a party. Provide a few mixes, a bunch of add-ins, some water, paper microwave safe cups and a microwave. Perhaps some “recipe” suggestions would be fun too. My one hint based on LOTS of 3-2-1 cake taste tests, is that adding a syrup of some kind (coconut cream, chocolate syrup, caramel syrup, etc) makes a much moister and less rubbery cake. I hope you have fun experimenting!
Eileen says
So then my question now is, can I use two regular cake mixes instead of one angel food cake mix and one regular cake mix if I am not concerned with anything being gluten free? Or is the angel food cake mix necessary as you say it takes the place of eggs.
I plan on making these “cups of cakes” for New Years Eve and have 11 assorted cake mix boxes but no angel food cake mix and wonder if I should get to the market to buy a couple or if two regular cake mixes could work?
Also any idea if a box of brownie mix is a possibility to use along with a box of devils food cake mix?
Just taking stock of my baking pantry for ideas.
The Monday Box says
Hi, Eileen. 3-2-1 Cake is really very simple. If you use any flavor cake mix without combining it with angel food cake mix, it will not rise as much. The texture will be different. I personally, prefer to mix angel food cake in. All of my 3-2-1 recipes are for a flavored mix combined with an angel food mix. If you have 11 boxes of flavored mix at home, why don’t you open one, and try it without the angel food and see what you think. If you like it, then don’t make the mix of angel food plus flavored. Otherwise, head out and stock up on angel food mix and gallon ziplock bags for making the combined mixture :). As for brownie mix, it turns into a rubbery gloppy mess when you try to microwave it! DON’T do it! To make your devils food cake mix extra chocolatey, mix in a tablespoon of chocolate syrup before you microwave. I hope your “cups of cake” party is fabuous! Please let me know if I can help further. 🙂
Jessica says
Well, this sounds super delicious! Is there anyway to make this as a regular cake and without microwaving? Would loooove to make this for a family get together 🙂 Thanks!
themondaybox says
Hi, Jessica! I agree that the Piña Colada flavors would be delicious in a regular cake as well! I haven’t made one (yet) but this is what I would do: Mix up yellow vanilla cake batter according to package directions (or your favorite homemade recipe). Mix in a cup of shredded coconut (sweetened coconut is softer) and 1/2 – 3/4 cup of pineapple bits. Bake according to directions. After baking either top the whole cake or individual portions with sprinkled shredded coconut, pineapple bits, and coconut cream. I think any shape (round, rectangle, or bundt) would be beautiful! Let me know how it turns out! 🙂
Mrs. DeYarmond says
Oh. My. God.
Pina colada is amazing and having a cake with all these flavors makes me crazy !! I think I will try one day !
themondaybox says
Thanks, Sarah! This 3-2-1 cake is the best tasting yet, I think. The coconut creme (or syrup) takes it over the top!
Reeni says
Pina colada must be on both our minds because I made a quickbread this week using the same flavors! They just scream of summer. Hope you’re vacation is going great!!
themondaybox says
Thanks, Reenie! Pineapple and coconut do scream summer and we are all so anxious to say goodbye to this past winter! A Pina Colada quickbread sounds great! I will be looking for the post! 🙂
shannon says
total sunshine in a cup: hope you had a lovely time in Florida! I’ve been to Sanibel many times as a child, and i remember it always being lovely (although we always went at un-spring break times as well, so i hope it wasn’t too busy when you were there). 🙂
blahnikbaker says
This is one lovely cake!! Pina colada…yummmm!!
themondaybox says
Thanks, Zainab! They are tropical instant gratification. 🙂