Hot Buttered Rum Mugcakes

I originally developed these hot buttered rum mugcakes for Paula Deen back in 2010, but given that they are so fitting for a holiday menu and it's sometimes hard for me to remember what I did yesterday, I thought that the hot buttered rum mugcake recipe was worth sharing again. 

Hot buttered rum (for the uninitiated) is a drink often interchangeably described as a hot toddy.  While there are a variety of recipes out there for hot buttered rum, the most common preparation is to freeze a batter of brown sugar, spices (such as nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove), butter, and vanilla ice cream.  When you are ready to serve the hot beverage, mix some frozen batter with boiling water and rum.

This hot buttered rum mugcake recipe uses all of the same spices as the beverage - and because the alcohol is cooked off in baking, it’s kid-friendly. 

Hot Buttered Rum Mugcake Recipe

Important note:  Before baking in a mug, make certain that your mugs are oven-safe.  Not all mugs can be used for baking.  If you do not have oven-safe mugs, you can bake these in cupcake tins with cupcake liners – simply cut the baking time down to about twenty minutes.  The number of mugcakes that you can make with this recipe will depend on the size of your mugs.

Yield: 5 large mugs

Cake Ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup vanilla ice cream, melted
• 1/2 cup rum (I prefer to use a dark or spiced rum, but any rum you have on hand would work.)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Spiced Whipped Cream Frosting Ingredients:

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cake Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Cream the butter and sugar.
3. Mix in the eggs.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar mixture and mix until just combined.
6. Stir in the vanilla ice cream, rum, and vanilla extract.
7. Fill mugs with batter to about 1/3 full.
8. Baking time will vary depending on the depth and thickness of your mugs.  Begin checking on them at around thirty minutes.  They should bounce back when touched lightly and a toothpick inserted into them should come out dry.

Whipped Cream Frosting Directions:

1. Whip heavy whipping cream until it’s light and fluffy.
2. Mix in all other ingredients until just combined. 

Coming Soon

Be on the lookout for hot buttered rum cookies!   They're coming soon!