camp meals

Snickerdoodle Mug Cake

Cinnamon pancake mix, nut butter, and maple syrup baked in a mug over a stove.

calories
520
weight
3.2 oz
cal / oz
163
protein
14 g
serves
1, scales
prep
3 min
cook
10 min
total time
13 min
water
60 ml boiled
cost
$

Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.

  • Dessert
  • Breakfast
  • Canister stove
  • Campfire coals
  • Car camping
  • Basecamp
  • Backpacking
  • Vegetarian
  • One pot
  • Pre-mix at home
  • Shelf stable
  • Basic

Ingredients

Cinnamon oat protein pancake mix 3 tbsp Kodiak Cakes, or plain mix plus 1/4 tsp cinnamon
Powdered whole egg 1 tbsp stands in for the fresh egg
Almond butter 1 tbsp single-serve squeeze packet
Maple syrup 1 tbsp or 1 tbsp brown sugar to save the liquid weight
Coconut oil 1 tbsp solid at camp temps, which is the point
Water 2 tbsp
Cinnamon sugar 1 tsp for the top

Method

  1. Put an inch of water in your pot and set it on low. You are steaming, not boiling dry.
  2. In a mug or a wide-mouth insulated cup, stir the mix, egg powder, and 2 tbsp of water into a thick batter. No dry pockets.
  3. Work in the almond butter, syrup, and coconut oil until the color is even.
  4. Set the mug in the pot, put the lid on the pot, and hold a low simmer for 8 to 10 minutes. Done when the top springs back and a spoon comes out clean.
  5. Lift it out with a bandana, dust the cinnamon sugar over the top, and let it sit two minutes before eating.

The original is a microwave recipe, which is a problem three miles from an outlet. Steaming the mug in a covered pot gets to the same place: gentle, even heat that sets the batter without scorching the bottom. It takes ten minutes instead of one, and it costs a little fuel, so it is a camp dessert rather than a hurry.

The fresh egg becomes powdered egg, which rehydrates fine in a batter this wet. Coconut oil is the other trail-friendly swap already built into the recipe: it is solid at most camp temperatures and needs no cooler. Do not cut the fat or the syrup. Without them this is a dry protein puck, and the whole point is that it stays tender.

Packing

Mix, egg powder, and cinnamon sugar go into one small bag at home. Almond butter and syrup ride in their own packets. Coconut oil in a leakproof jar; it will melt on a hot day and set again at night, which does not hurt it.

Variations

  • Peanut butter works and costs less. The flavor is louder.
  • No mug? Line your pot with foil, pour the batter in, and lid it over the lowest flame you can hold.
  • Brown sugar instead of syrup drops a few grams and cannot leak.

https://homeandkind.com/blogs/food-recipes/snickerdoodle-mug-cake