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This Backcountry Mug Cake Will Sweeten Up Your Next Camping Trip

This simple backcountry mug cake recipe turns campsite cooking into a sweet adventure with no oven needed.
ByCaLea Johnson|
Chocolatey goodness in one cup.
Chocolatey goodness in one cup. | Zoryana Ivchenko/GettyImages

You can make a warm, gooey chocolate mug cake in your kitchen at home, but who says you can’t do the same out in the wild? Though baking is often considered a tedious task while camping, it doesn’t have to be. Backpacker has a cake recipe that’s sure to become a staple of your future trips.

  1. What’s Backcountry Cake?
  2. Popular Mug Cake Toppings
  3. How to Make Backcountry Mug Cake

What’s Backcountry Cake?

mug cake prepared in microwave
It‘s simple and delectable. | Zoryana Ivchenko/GettyImages

A backcountry cake is made for the great outdoors. Backpackers and campers usually gravitate toward these desserts due to their convenience and portability. As far as equipment, all you need is a single-wall steel or titanium mug, a larger pot to place it in, and a canister stove as a heat source. Getting the ingredients should be a cinch, as you’ll only need a single serving of pre-packaged, microwaveable cake mix to whip up this dessert on the go.

You can opt for a standard cake mix, but that will require you to pack oil and eggs. If you’re worried about the eggs cracking in transit, these packing hacks, such as buying a plastic egg holder or bringing cracked eggs in an airtight container, will make your life easier. Another option is to use egg substitutes like nut butter or aquafaba (the liquid from cooked or canned beans).

Popular Mug Cake Toppings

The sky’s the limit when it comes to backcountry cake toppings and ingredients. You can load yours with these popular options:

  • Chocolate chips
  • Sprinkles
  • Nuts
  • Nutella
  • Bananas 

How to Make Backcountry Mug Cake

Chocolate Mug Cakes
Now it‘s your turn to make it. | Iryna Melnyk/GettyImages

First, grab your single-wall mug and pour the cake mix into it. Then, wet the batter by adding 3 tablespoons of water, ensuring the consistency isn’t too liquidy. You can use a spoon to flatten the top of the batter. If you’re baking with a boxed cake mix, make sure the mug isn’t filled too much; halfway should be enough.

At this point, you’ll have to search for a few flat rocks to place at the bottom of the cooking pot. You can then put the mug on the stones, so that the cake mix at the bottom of the cup isn’t directly exposed to heat. Pour water into the pot until the water reaches just below the top of the batter. Finally, loosely cover the larger pot with a lid or aluminum foil.

Now you can get to baking. Simply place the pot over the canister stove and bring the water to a gentle boil. After about 20 minutes, check the cake for doneness by poking it with a utensil or toothpick. If the dessert is done baking, it should come out clean. You’ll have to let the cake bake a few more minutes if it’s not done. Otherwise, you can carefully remove the backcountry cake with a cloth and serve it with any toppings of your choice. The entire preparation and cooking process should only take you about 25 minutes.

Looking for a banana-focused dessert to satisfy your next campfire craving? Try out this banana boat s’more recipe.

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