3 Layer Cake Made in the Microwave
Save RecipeHi Bold Bakers!
I have been inspired by all of you to bake a full-size 3 Layer Cake Made in the Microwave. Yes, you heard me right! Microwave Baking, or what I call “Micro-baking” is my thing. As you all know I am no stranger to Microwave Mug Cakes, or Microwave Mug Meals. If you can eat it, I can make it in a mug in the microwave. From more mug cakes than you can imagine to microwave snacks like Microwave Potato Chips, I have never been afraid of using my microwave to the max. But this time is different! I’m making a full shebang, bells, whistles and all, full size, 3 Layer Cake Made in the Microwave!
I love creating recipes for the microwave. I know from listening to you, that not all of you out there have a full kitchen including an oven. And I know you sometimes want an amazing dessert fast.
So I decided to go extra Big and Bold this time and trade in my mug for full-sized Silicon Cake Molds. This means that after mixing up my Best Ever Funfetti Cake batter, I simply divided it between my 3 microwave safe cake pans, and set the timer to 2:30 minutes. Even I could not believe how perfectly baked these cakes came out after such a short time in the microwave. And of course, this is the perfect cake for my Best-Ever Buttercream Frosting recipe.
This means next time you want to make a cake for a special occasion, or just feel like you need that sweet slice, you can have one in minutes instead of hours. Honestly, you have to see this for yourself. Who wouldn’t want to go from zero to Funfetti in under 10 minutes? I can’t wait for all of you to give this microwave cake recipe a try!
Want to get crazy with more cakes in your microwave? Check out my Microwave Mug Cakes & Meals on my Gemma’s Mug Meals Collection page.
- 3 ⅓ cups (1lb 1oz/ 500g) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups (12oz/355g) sugar
- ½ cup (3oz/90g) light brown sugar
- 1 cup (8oz/240g) butter, melted
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups (16oz/480g) Buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Buttercream Frosting
- ⅔ cup (3oz/90g) sprinkles
- In a large bowl, mix together flour, both sugars, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt butter in the microwave.
- In a separate jug, whisk the egg, buttermilk, and vanilla extract until combined.
- Stir in buttermilk mix into the dry ingredients, followed by the butter until no lumps remain. The batter will be thick.
- Lastly, stir in sprinkles, but do not overmix because the sprinkles will bleed their color.
- Divide the batter evenly between 3 silicon microwave safe cake tins.
- One at a time microwave each cake for 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Remove from the microwave and allow to cool before turning out. (this cook time is based on my microwave which is 1200Watts so your cook time may vary)
- Once cooled turn each cake out out and level the tops.
- Frost cooled cake: Start by frosting a thin ‘crumb layer’ with my Best Ever Buttercream Frosting recipe. Chill for 30 minutes to set the frosting. Once that layer is set apply a second layer of thicker frosting
- Decorate as desired with sprinkles. There may be leftover frosting depending how much you wish to use.
- Cover cake and store at room temperature for up to 7 days. Enjoy!
Meet Gemma
Hi Bold Bakers! I’m Gemma Stafford, a professional chef originally from Ireland, and I’m passionate about sharing my years of experience to show you how to make game-changing baking recipes with over-the-top results! Join more than 1 Million other Bold Bakers in the community for new video recipes every week!
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You are a joy to watch and immensely clever.
Please share for the microwave cakes, or any other, when can butter be substituted with oil or somethings more economical without loosing on taste or texture.
Thank you so.
Stay the awesomest!!!!
Hi Joana,
Thank you, that is very kind.
The problem is that changing the butter for oil will change the results. However, a good quality baking margarine, sold in a block, behaves reasonably well in a recipe. It will cream, and melt, and is good for sponge cakes, and ok for frosting too. Most of these are vegetable based, oils which have been hydrogenated, and this is an issue for some people.
Look in the chill cabinet in your store, choose a good quality one for best results,
Gemma 🙂
Hi Gemma,
What will be the approx. weight of this cake in kg?
Thank you
Hi Amys,
If you total the weight of the ingredients in a recipe, and allow for evaporation, you will get to the approximate weight of the finished cake.
This finished cake will be about 1.5kg.
I hope this is of help,
Gemma 🙂
Wonderful recipe, great cake texture, frosting pefect! THANK YOU GEMMA!!I made an Easter cake, came out lovely. What a game changer!
I’m thrilled to hear that.
P.s We just filmed a 3 layered carrot cake made in the microwave that will be up on the website really soon. It was INSANE!!!!!
Gemma.
I’ll definitely be on the lookout!
Hi gemma,
Thanks a lot for giving such a good recipe .
It’s my first cake that I have baked on my own it was very nice and every one in my house liked it alot.
Nysha😀
Hi Nysha,
Good for you, so very well done, I am delighted that you managed this recipe well,
Gemma 🙂
Hi Nysha,
Good for you, I am delighted to hear that, very well done. Carry on baking now,
Gemma 🙂
Hi Gemma!
I’ve baked 3 times using the same recipe by replacing flour with 4-5tbsp of cocoa powder and frosting with Chocolate Ganache recipe.. Also tried Red velvet..All tasted awsome.. It was my first time baking and was bold to bake in a microwave only cos of you Gemma.. You’re a gem :×
Now that I’ve purchased new 24cm round silicone cake mold.. Please advice how many parts should the batter be divided and the time required to bake in my 700w microwave..
Eagerly expecting your Chocolate Cake and Butterscotch cake in Microwave recipe..
Thank you so much..Awaiting your reply..
Much love <3 !
Hi Amy,
Thank you so much for your kind review of this recipe, your suggestions too, and what made it right for you!
This is a 9 inch pan.
I would need to try this recipe in this pan, and I have not done so. I thin 2/3 of the batter should do it for you, and time it for 5 minutes, check it and proceed at 1 minute intervals, that is how I do it! Make a not of the time, then you will know for the future,
Gemma 🙂
Thank you so much for your reply Gemma.. You’re absolutely right, it took 6mins and 40 secs.I did the same thing mentioned above and it’s a success. Cooling the cakes for chocolate frosting. I baked Chocoate cake again..
🙂
That is great Amy, thank you so much for letting me know,
Gemma 🙂
For the microwave 3 layer cake the ingredients call for 2 large eggs, but in the instructions it says whisk the egg. So which is 1 or 2 large eggs. Thanks
Haha1 Sarah, you are right.
I tend to make the egg singular! Once they are broken they are all one to me. lol.
follow the quantities in the recipe,
Gemma 🙂
Good day, Can I use metal tins for this ?
Good day to you too!
NO!
Microwave energy generates heat in the food so it needs to be able to penetrate the material used. Oven ware, ceramics/glass/silicon will work well for you.
Hope this is of help,
Gemma 🙂
Ok thank you
I was wondering if I could use silicone cupcake pan and cook them in the microwave? Or can I use a regular cupcake pan and bake it I. The oven? How long would I bake them for.
Hi Karen,
Yes, really either thing. For the microwave it will be fast, and you will need to stand over them, some will bake ahead of others.
For the oven bake in a preheated oven, at 180C/350F for 15 – 20 mins or so.
For cupcakes though this recipe for crazy cupcakes is an easy, and easy to remember recipe. (https://www.biggerbolderbaking.com/crazy-cupcakes/).
Thank you for being in touch,
Gemma 🙂
Hi Gemma!
Can i add any other flavours to the same recipe?
Hi there,
Sure! Add cocoa, about 2 tablespoons of sieved cocoa to the dry ingredients.
Add good quality instant coffee powder, 2 twaspoons will do it, you can dissolve this is a little boiling water, and add a little milk.
Add Lemon zest! Use the juice to make a simple glaze with powdered sugar, pour it over thee cake.
Really lots of things to add, dried fruit too, experiment,
Gemma 🙂
Hi Gemma! Am new to your blog and am already in love with it! Just a question, i made the microwave cake today and it came out amazing! The only confusion am having is about whether i managed to get the right texture? Mine came out the fluffiest and lightest, sponge cake like texture. It this the intended texture or did I do something wrong? Anyway thumbs up for this recipe, it was amazingly delicious!
xoxo from Mauritius!
Hi there,
Fluffy and light sounds like the most perfect description of any sponge I ever heard of!
Well done you. I am happy to have you baking with us, and in your beautiful Island of Mauritius.
So many lovely Bold Bakers now from all over the world, it is really wonderful,
Gemma 🙂
Hello Gemma
In my microwave it has two knobs And it’s 1200w but I don’t no how to use it.The first knob is the power knob and the second knob is for adjusting time and do I need to bake the cake in high heat for 2 minutes .please help me
Adam.!!!
Hi Adam,
Microwaves are generally really simple, the basic models having just that, two function controls, power and time.
Stand in front of the oven and adjust the power button, it should go from: HIGH which is 100% power, to medium high, which is 75% power, to Medium, 50% power, to medium low 30% power (this is the defrost setting), Low will be only about 10% of power, but many ovens allow you to go between these settings.
When the oven is set to 100% (HIGH) power it means that it is on full power for 100% of the cooking time.
At Medium High it will be full power for 75% of the cooking time etc.
You get the picture? The energy phases on and off through the process.
So, follow the instructions for any recipe. If you decide to reduce the power, then the time will be longer. I think you should experiment, just with a cup of water, see what I mean. you can also try one of the mug cakes, this will teach you a lot!
I hope I have helped you here,
Gemma 🙂
Hey Gemma.
I am thinking of making this recipe in cupcakes linen rather than in cake tins and also I will divide the recipe in half. So will you please tell me that how much eggs will i require to make it a hit.
I am always really excited to try your recipes because they are so perfect. I really love them. All thanks to you Gemma.
Love Naama.
Hi there,
This is math!
You divide the ingredients by 2, and it is easier to do this if you measure in grams. You can do this easily with this recipe!
When you adjust a recipe write it out in the priginal, and divide every ingredient carefully, this is relatively easy.
Yes, this will work well for you in cupcake/muffin liners. You may find that some bake ahead of others, so monitor the bake, remove the cooked ones, and continue.
Do let us know how you get on.
Gemma 🙂
i am trying to bake a good cake for a year…all my attempts failed..i found ur website only two days before…tried this cake…OMG still i can’t believe that i made it scussefull…my first successful cake
I’m really delighted to hear that!! Thanks so much for trying my recipes 🙂
Gemma.
Hi Gemma. For my 60th birthday party I made your microwave cake which I dressed with your icing recipe and also made your Oreo cheesecake. Both went down a treat with everyone. This was my first time ever baking in the microwave and making cheesecake. Thank you so much.
I am thrilled to hear that. Thanks so much for trying out my recipes.
And happy belated birthday 🙂
Gemma.
Thank you, gemma. I can’t wait to try other recipes on your site. They look so good!
Can I make cupcakes in the microwave with this batter? And if I can , shall I put them in the microwave all at once or individually?
I’ll be making cupcakes in the microwave coming soon 🙂
Do you have to use buttermilk? No one in the house likes it.. can this be made with regular milk
Hi Charlene,
Feel free to use regular milk mixed with lemon juice or white vinegar. You need that acid to react with the baking soda to help the cake rise. Here is a recipe you can follow : https://www.biggerbolderbaking.com/homemade-buttermilk/
Hope this helps,
Gemma.
Hi Gemma!
Could I use dark brown sugar in place of light brown sugar?
Yes you sure can 🙂
3 cups of butter!!, rigth?
Hi Dolores,
The measurement for this cake is 1 cup (8oz/240g) butter, melted. Not 3 cups of butter.
Happy Baking,
Gemma.
Can I use oil in this recipe instead of butter?
Yes you can Eenash. A flavorless oil or coconut oil will work.
Gemma.
Do you have a smaller individual recipe for this. Enjoy your page very much!
Never mind Gemma! I found it. So Sorry!
Thanks Robin.
I think I saw your comment saying you found one. If not let me know.
Best,
Gemma.
Can I use a cake mix?
Hi there,
Yes, you probably can, but I did not try it, it will be an experiment.
Do keep a close eye on this when it is baking, that is really important,
Gemma 🙂
Hi, I always make all my cakes in microwave since I don’t have an oven…but this is one of really cool recipes I came across and turned out so good I made a single layered cake though but still looks and tastes awesome…I request you to please make more microwave cake recipes pls if u could make a chocolate cake that will be just perfect… Thanks again for this video!!!
I’m really delighted you like it. I have another one coming soon that is red velvet 🙂
Stay tuned!!
I want to make single layer. Pls write measuremnts. I want to replace butter with oil. Hw much oil(for single layer)
Hi there,
When you change an ingredient in a recipe, you change the result. Replacing the butter with oil will change this recipe, but it can be done. Use the same measure but reduce a little.
Dividing a recipe is a question of math! divide the ingredients listed by three. It is easier for you to do this as you know how you measure, it is easier to divide metric measurements.
write out the recipe as it is, then carefully divide each element, you can do it! A little less oil than butter will be good as butter also has some milk solids, so 70g or so.
I hope this works well for you,
Gemma 🙂
WHAT SIZE PANS DO I NEED FOR THIS YOU NEVER SAID IN YOU INSTRUCTIONS 3-Layer Cake Made in the Microwave | Gemma’s Bigger Bolder Baking https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uC7r9OtI0Xs
Hi Anita,
The molds are 8 inches but 9 inches would work also.
Gemma.
Thanks gemma 🙂. Will surely give it one more go! Ur amazing!
Thank you so much 🙂
Gemma.
Can we replace butter with oil? Hw much?
I made this for a single layer.i halved the recipe.it was a disaster.something went wrong.evry1 who tried it says it was amazing!
could u pls send the mearuement and time for making one single layer?
Not trying to be rude, but you can see that Gemma’s recipe divides into 3 tins. If you want a one layer cake, you would divide the recipe in thirds. You would not cut it in half.
But my cake tin was very big. The recipe uses 8″. So i halved the recipe.
Somwer i did something wrong:/
Thanks so much for the recipe. It’s stinking hot here in Australia right now, so it’s great to be able to bake without turning the oven on.
I have a very old 800 watt microwave and about 5 minutes 30 per cake worked for me.
Because I don’t have a cake turner, I used the microwave turnstile to ice the cake.
Now I have leftovers from the lovely birthday cake. Looks like a cake flavoured version of your no machine ice cream for me 😋
Hi there,
Yes! my sister is a nurse in Perth, she is living in the sea right now, then hiding in her apartment! When it is very cold in some places it can sound like heaven, but I think it is easier to warm up than to cool down!
Thank you for this kind review of this recipe. How clever to use the turntable as an aid to frosting, just my kind of good idea, thank you for sharing this!
Good to have you with us,
Gemma 🙂
How long would i cook it in the microwave for I got a 800 watt one please
Hi,
Cook it for around a minute longer.
Gemma.
How if i replaced the all purpose flour with cake flour? Is this recipe will work as well?
Yes you can, Michelle. No problem.
Gemma.
Hi Gemma, this is a really cool recipe and i wanted to try it out but i dont have large eggs. Could I use about 3 normal eggs?
yes, normal eggs are totally fine 🙂
Hi Gemma. Thank for the wonderful video. Just want to ask you what is the difference between oven cake and microwave cake. And if it is so easy why don’t we use it for all cakes WHY we use OVEN.
THANKS
Hi there,
The oven tends to caramelize ingredients, brown a bake and add flavor.
A microwave cannot do this. Microwaves are also less predictable, as the technology changes from time to time. Getting to know your own oven is vital.
A combination oven, convection/microwave is a great appliance, but again, it is really important to read instruction books, and reallyunderstand what you are doing,
Gemma 🙂
Hey Gemma,
I was wondering if I can use the same batter to make cupcakes, and replace the silicone cake mould with silicone cupcake moulds? Will the timing and rest of the instructions remain same in that case.
Regards,
Ronita
Hi Ronita,
Yes, you certainly may. Keep an eye on them, some may bake ahead of others, so be prepared to remove some and continue to bake the others,
Gemma 😉
Hi Ronita,
Yes, you certainly may. Keep an eye on them, some may bake ahead of others, so be prepared to remove some and continue to bake the others,
Gemma 🙂
Hi Jemma just wondering how would I make this into a chocolate flavoured cake? How much cocoa powder would u add in?
Hi Jerry,
You are correct about the cocoa powder but you can’t just add it in. You would need to take out some of the flour and replace it with cocoa powder.
I’ll do a chocolate microwave cake soon 🙂
Thanks for your reply Jemma and so quickly aswell! I want to make this cake for a friend who’s going through some really bad stuff right now and his favourite flavour is chocolate. Would you be able to give me an approximate ratio of flour to cocoa powder “off the bat” this is really important to me and your cake looks real good and I love all your bigger bolder baking. 😀👍
Hi Jerry,
Adding a chocolate flavor to a cake is reall easy, and the balance of cocoa with flour is dependent on your taste.
For this cake I would say sieve in two tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder, mixed with the flour. Cocoa tends to be lumpy, so combining with the flour and sieving is important.
I am happy to hear that you are looking out for your friend, they say all we need is one good friend, well done, and happy Christmas to you and your friend,
Gemma 🙂
Your recipe doesn’t say whether or not the brown sugar is packed. Will you please clarify? Also, the texture of the cake is a little dense and a slight bit chewy. Did I over cook it? I did it in 30 sec intervals after 3 minutes and there was wet batter on the top of the cake near the middle until I cooked it for 6 min. (my wattage is lower than yours) Please advise. Thanks.
Hi Mandy,
I trend to loosely load a cup, and so my weights may be slightly different to yours, but what matters is being consistent, measure everything the same way, cups are a measure of volume.
In a lower wattage microwave you will need to bake longer, though 6 mins may be a bit too long. The heat will continue to distribute in your bake after it is removed from the oven. This continues the bake. A good test is to feel the top of the cake, if it feels firm it is done!
I think you can cut the time back to 5 mins, remove from the oven, and allow it to stand, but do touch the top first, it should be barely firm.
I hope this helps,
Gemma 🙂
Is the brown sugar absolutely necessary? Can I substitute is with just normal white sugar?
Hi Nita,
Yes! brown sugar tends to add a little flavor, and moisture too, but you can indeed use all white, it will be good,
Gemma 🙂
I don’t have buttermilk to hand, can I use any milk?
Hi Cherie,
(https://www.biggerbolderbaking.com/homemade-buttermilk/) here is the link to a buttermilk substitute. The acid is important here. You can also substitute with a little natural yogurt.
Thank you for being in touch,
Gemma 🙂
I have a 9.5 inch , will it be fine?
Yes that will work great Eenash 🙂
I really wanted to do this and this week last week thursday luckly i found a silicone mould real cheap and i made it the day after , it turned out great everyone enjoyed it very much thanks to you gemma! 😄
Yay! success 🙂
Hi,
The brown sugar in cake to for what?.
And then this recipe if it can be used for the recipe for cupcakes?
Hi there,
Brown sugar brings two things to a recipe, flavor and a touch of moisture.
If you mean cupcakes in the microwave, yes, but you will need to monitor the bake, the shape of the pan will affect the distribution of the microwaves.
For the oven I suggest you use this recipe (https://www.biggerbolderbaking.com/crazy-cupcakes/). This is a great recipe to get to know, easy to remember too, and can be baked as a cake in the oven too.
Hope this is of help to you,
Gemma 🙂
Hi Gemma
Can this cake be reduced to just one layer?
If so what would the quantities be, should I just devide by 3?
Many thanks
Ange
Hi Ange,
Sure!
Yes, divide by 3. Write out the recipe and divide each element. This is the safe way to do it, and you will have it for a later time.
Happy baking!
Gemma 🙂
Hi Gemma,
I’m a subscriber from Thailand 🙂
I would like to make this cake but with Blueberry frosting and Add lemon zest in my cake… But i don’t know how much should i add ?
Thank you
Varinda
Hi Varinda,
Good to have you with us in Thailand.
Add the zest of one lemon. choose a rough skinned lemon for the best yield. Scrub it before zesting, citrus fruit is often waxed to preserve it.
Not sure about the blueberry frosting! I think you have that sorted!
Gemma 🙂
Hi, thank you so much 💙
I will try my best 😊
Hi Gemma…the cake looks yummy….just wana know if i can use this recipe to bake in an oven?
Hi there,
Yes! It will be perfectly fine. Use 7 – 8 inch pans, and bake all together at 180C/350F for 25 – 35 mins. Keep an eye on this after 20 mins, but do not open the oven unnecessarily. You can color, flavor this batter too. Cocoa/coffee/lemon zest etc will all rock this up!
Gemma 🙂
Hi, at what temperature the microwave should be to make cake layers?
Thank you
Hi there,
Microwaves do not cook with temperature, but with power. The distribution of the energy vibrates the water/sugar/fat molecules of the food to generate the heat, which distributes through the food. This is one reason that you cannot use metal pans in a microwave, the waves cannot penetrate!
I use high power for most of my baking. I hope this is of help,
Gemma 🙂
Hi, Miss Gemma, I’d like to ask if it is safe to use cupcake liners in the microwave? (I mean to put the cupcake liner in a silicone mould)…
Hi Thea,
Yes, it is perfectly safe to use paper in the microwave. The timing is important, this is a quick bake and will not overheat. There is nothing in paper which will react with microwaves,
Gemma 🙂
When i let my cakes cool, why is it that they are so soft that when I am doing my crumb coat the cake sticks to the frosting and just peels off? My cake is like downing on me, it does not look pretty and I don’t know why 😭😭😭
Hi Adelina,
The cake should not be so soft that it is not set! It sounds like it is slightly under-baked. If you remove it from the molds after a few minutes, and allow to go cold before frosting, there should be little or no difference between a microwave cake and one from the oven.
Does this help?
Gemma 🙂
Hi Gemma, I’d like to try this but I do have a question. I u few e weighing scale for dry ingredients. It seems that for the all-purpose flour 3 1/3 cups is not equal to 416 grams (U.S. Cups) or 440 grams (Australia cups). I am afraid the cake will be denser than it is supposed to be if I use 500 grams. Could you enlighten me of the conversion used? Also, can I do substitutions like replacing buttermilk with full cream milk + vinegar, and melted butter to be replaced by oil? Thank you very much!
Hi there,
My recipes are based on my own chart, this is because of the way I load the cups. If you are using ounces/grams do not look at the cup measurements, it will confuse you. Cups work as long as they are the unit of measurement use throughout the recipe. Do not swap and change and all will be well.
Cups from around the world change too, they are based on volume of ingredients, and an informal system of measurement, kitchen cups in fact, your may be a bigger cup than mine, but it balanced in the recipe.
I hope this helps, metric is the most accurate of all!
Gemma 🙂
Thank you for your reply! I understand now. I can start the baking tonight when I get home from work!
how many inches is the baking pan ???
Hi there,
Pans which are 7 – 8 inches will work well for this. Glass/microwave safe/silicon pans will work for you.
Thanks for being in touch,
Gemma 🙂
HI Gemma
I wanted to know if I can bake the cake in the oven rather than the microwave with my cake molds? Also would I need to grease my cake molds before I put the batter in? I am doing a chocolate cake instead of a vanilla cake
Adelina
Hi Adelina,
Yes, perfectly fine in the oven. You do not need to grease these pans, but I tend to do it as a habit really!
Because silicon pans are a bit wobbley, I tend to place them on a flat tray in the oven, it makes them easier to put in and take out.
180C/350F for about 25 mins, but do keep an eye on it. When it feels firm to the touch it is done. About 2 tablespoons of cocoa, sieved with the flour will elevate this cake. I hope you enjoy it,
Gemma 🙂
Okay thank you! Also is it okay to do the cake from a different recipe?
Hi there,
Many cakes will bake perfectly in the microwave, timing is important, and you need to monitor the bake,
Gemma 🙂