The Conversation
Valentine’s Day might be marketed as THE couples’ holiday of the year, but maybe you’re an independent woman who’s truly happy being single (especially when there’s only one spoon to spare). You’re kinda loving rockin’ it on your own, and there’s nothing better than not having to share your dessert when you know there are people facing serious dessert-for-one FOMO. This is where single-serve mug cake recipes come in. Whip up some single-serving love, then tell all your coupled friends to grab a fork or spoon (yep, just the one) and check out these 17 mug cake ideas.
Banana Mug Cake With Simple Cream Cheese Frosting
You know those bananas in your kitchen that used to be yellow? They’re finally going to realize their full potential with this recipe. Frosting not optional. (via Cooking Classy)
Gooey Caramel Molten Lava Brownie Mug Cake Sundae
Just look at this beautiful work of art: It’s a cake, it’s a brownie and it’s even a freaking sundae. It’s the perfect dessert for the Type-A personality in us all. (via Savory and Sweet Food)
Single Serve Carrot Cake
Bugs Bunny himself couldn’t resist a bite of this carrot cake — it’s got an entire carrot inside! Add a dollop of yogurt and pecans to the top and you could technically call this breakfast… right? (via Heathers French Press)
Cinnamon Roll Mug Cake
The cinnamon roll craving doesn’t just hit in the morning. Satisfy your needs with this single-serve cake that tastes JUST like the real deal. (via Kirbie’s Cravings)
One-Minute Coffee Cake in a Mug
How cheeky is a coffee cake made in a coffee mug? You’re going to have to double-fist the mugs, because a cuppa joe is necessary with this one. (via Yummy Healthy Easy)
Cookies ‘n’ Cream Mug Cake
You know that feeling when you’re down to your last two Oreo cookies and they’re just not going to do it for you? Crush them up and make this mug cake to stretch those cookies a lot further. Crisis averted. (via Kirbie’s Cravings)
Lemon Blueberry Mug Cake
This low-carb mug cake is perfect for when your sweet tooth doesn’t want anything too sweet. It’s also paleo — you truly can have your cake and eat it too. (via All Day I Dream About Food)
Lime Mug Cake
Try this mug cake when your wanderlust starts kicking in and it’s cold outside. A fresh zest of lime is all you need to instantly be transported to a tropical oasis. (via Kirbie’s Cravings)
No-Bake Strawberry Mug Cake
Everyone can appreciate a restaurant-quality dessert that’s healthy and requires no cooking. This pretty treat is perfect for those spring nights when you’d rather spend your time outside. (via Skinny Ms.)
Nutella Chocolate Chip Mug Cakes
PMS and Valentine’s Day really don’t mix. Desperate times call for this chocolate overload mug cake, STAT. Also good for any other day, just because. (via Spice in the City)
Chocolate Peanut Butter Mug Cakes
If the dessert world had a celebrity couple, it would be chocolate and PB. And this cute little mug cake would be their offspring. (via The Saucy Gourmets)
Peanut Butter Cinnamon Oatmeal Mug Cake
Hidden inside the depths of this dense oatmeal cake is a molten center of creamy peanut butter. This is the non-chocolate lover’s answer to lava cake for sure. (via Brownie Bites)
Pumpkin Spice Latte Mug Cakes
We all love a good PSL, but you can only get them a few months out of the year. You can, however, have this PSL mug cake whenever and wherever you want. Like right now. (via We Are Not Martha)
Red Velvet Mug Cake
What better way to get yourself in the Valentine’s Day spirit than with a big mug of red velvet cake? Try adding a spoonful of cream cheese in the middle for a creamy icing-like effect. (via The Novice Chef)
S’mores Mug Cake
There is something so comforting and nostalgic about a s’more. Bonus: The marshmallows create an instant frosting with zero effort. (via Running with Spoons)
Snickerdoodle Mug Cake
If you have a few extra moments, take the time to layer cinnamon sugar between mounds of luscious cake batter. Your reward is a single-serve dessert that tastes just like a snickerdoodle cookie. Worth it. (via Five Heart Home)
Strawberries + Cream Mug Cake
In the depths of winter we tend to long for the fruits of warm weather even more. Next time you’re feeling the frigid temps, treat yourself to a mug of this fruity dessert and you’ll instantly feel better. (via The Suburban Soapbox)
More From Recipes
Welcome to Selfmade Finance School, our new money series with Block Advisors to help small business owners with their tax, bookkeeping, and payroll needs year-round. This week, we explore the tax implications of bringing family members into your business.
The question for today is this: Does hiring your family members make sense for your business? Let me be clear. This is not a piece about whether hiring your family members makes sense for your relationships with those family members. As someone who is part of a family business, I could fill up a lot more than 600 words on my opinions about that. For today's purposes, we focus on whether it makes sense from an overall "good business and tax implication" perspective. As it turns out, there is a decent amount of tax nuance when it comes to employing your family. Let's break it down based on relationship to the employee:
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Spouses Who Are In Business Together
Personally, if I had to be in business with my husband, it would not go well. However, many couples build viable, strong businesses together and I say, good for them! Depending on how you have your business entity structured, it will make a big difference on the tax treatment of you and your spouse working as partners. Because a business jointly owned and operated by a married couple is generally treated as a partnership for Federal tax purposes, the spouses must comply with filing and record keeping requirements imposed on partnerships and their partners. The election to file two Schedule C (Form 1040) forms, (one for each spouse) permits certain married co-owners to avoid filing partnership returns, provided that each spouse separately reports a share of all the businesses' items of income, gain, loss, deduction, and credit. Under the election, both spouses will be subject to self-employment tax and on net earnings from self-employment and receive credit for Social Security earnings.
One Spouse Employs Another
If you have a dynamic where your spouse is an employee of your business, then your spouse's wages are subject to income tax withholding, Social Security and Medicare taxes. If you are self-employed (not a corporation or a partnership), your spouse's pay does not have to be included in your federal unemployment tax account (FUTA) contributions and payments. However, if your business is a corporation or a partnership you must include that spouse's pay in your unemployment tax contribution calculation.
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You Employ Your Child
First, let's be clear. I work in my family business, but I am an adult, so I am treated just like a normal employee. However, if you, for example, run a family restaurant and want to hire your children under 18 to work for you, there are some tax benefits. But first, you should check with your state for rules on how many hours minors can work (in non-agricultural jobs) and reference the Fair Labor Standards Act for information on limitations on the kinds of work children can perform.
"This is an often overlooked or under-utilized strategy. Paying your children for true services they provide in your business can be a powerful tax-saving tool," says Cathi Reed, Block Advisors Regional Director. "If you are a sole-proprietorship or single member LLC, and the child is less than 18 years of age, the business is not required to withhold FICA or payroll taxes. The child can use his or her standard deduction against income you pay."
You Hire Your Parent
Oh dear. If you are brave enough to do this, know that you will need to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes on your parent's wages and make the appropriate withholdings, but you don't have to pay unemployment taxes. Now all you have to do is convince your parent that you are the boss. Have fun with that!
Is Hiring Family Members Worth It For The Tax Benefits?
"There are some positive tax advantages to hiring family members. It's important to treat a family member like any other employee. Hiring your children can result in substantial savings for businesses. Make sure your child has real, age-appropriate work to do and a reasonable pay rate, comparable to other employees. Consult with a Block Advisors small business certified tax pro to ensure that you are complying with all requirements," advises Reed. "Block Advisors, a team within H&R Block, is dedicated to meeting the tax, bookkeeping and payroll needs of small business owners year-round. To start working with the tax experts at Block Advisors, visit blockadvisors.com."
In my opinion, you should not hire a family member solely because of the tax benefits. You should always hire based on whether that person is right for the job and keep in mind how this hire could materially impact your relationship with that person and others in your family. Finally, as I mentioned, make sure you have a tax professional on your team when making these determinations. As you can see, things can get a little tricky!
*All details were sourced from IRS.gov and blockadvisors.com
The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect those held by Kestra Investment Services, LLC or Kestra Advisory Services, LLC. This is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific investment advice or recommendations for any individual. It is suggested that you consult your financial professional, attorney, or tax advisor with regards to your individual situation. Comments concerning the past performance are not intended to be forward looking and should not be viewed as an indication of future results. Securities offered through Kestra Investment Services, LLC (Kestra IS), member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Kestra Advisory Services, LLC (Kestra AS), an affiliate of Kestra IS. O'Keeffe Financial Partners and any other entity listed herein is not affiliated with Kestra IS or Kestra AS Investor Disclosures: https://bit.ly/KF-Disclosures