Cake in a mug is microwave magic

(I couldn't believe you could microwave a little cake in a coffee mug)

This one falls into the category of you-can't-be-serious recipes — but it is — seriously quick, seriously easy and seriously good, and all rolled into a regular coffee mug.

Fellow blogger Carolyn over at Mommy Memoirs sent me an e-mail earlier this week with a recipe for Minute Chocolate Mug Cake, a quick treat you can whip up in the microwave in about 3 minutes flat. If you've ever had a craving for something chocolate in the middle of the night and you didn't feel like spending a lot of time preparing it, you might want to stop reading now.

Carolyn fired off the recipe to several of us, noting she had not tried it but it sounded interesting. And, she said, if anyone should make it, let her know how it came out.

Less than an hour later, Carolyn said she could not take the suspense any longer and tried it, giving it a "thumbs-up" in the process.

"The taste was surprisingly good, and if you can have it in like 5 minutes, it's worth it," she said.

(That's one big hunk-a-hunk of warm choco cake!)

I thought about this recipe all week, but I don't own a microwave (yes, that's right, I don't!), so I decided to conduct a little "test kitchen" experiment in the office Thursday afternoon. (I flashed back to the Easy Bake Oven I had as a child, the one that "cooked" little cakes using a light bulb for heat!)

I packaged up the wet and dry ingredients separately at home in the morning and brought them into work. All I had to do was crack the 1 egg into the wet ingredients. The recipe calls for 3 minutes at 1,000 watts, but I couldn't find the wattage sticker on the office microwave so I didn't know what to expect. (By this time, my co-worker Bonnie went to check the fire extinguisher hanging on the wall nearby, just in case!)

It actually turned out really well — and it was fun to make. The batter rises up well over the top of the mug, but that's part of the allure (don't panic, the instructions warn for this step).

The recipe calls for mixing all the ingredients together in the mug (no other bowls to wash), but I mixed up the wet separately and added it to the dry so it was well blended. I also greased the mug with a little of the vegetable oil so the "cake" would easily slide out.

Carolyn had said the regular chocolate chips did not melt very well and recommended using the mini ones or chocolate shavings. I opted for the minis — good call.

I found this recipe on lots of other blogs and postings in the blogosphere, and someone had actually substituted applesauce for the oil to make a low-fat version.

My co-workers were pleased with the results, and I was surprised how large a portion it turned out to be. (Nothing a serious chocoholic couldn't handle, though!)

I was tempted to add a bit of baking powder to the mix because there is no leavening agent to make it rise (I read the steam in the microwave does the trick), but I did add a pinch of salt and a dash of cinnamon. I'm sure you could add a few nuts or coconut if you want.

The texture was a little chewy, but given how quickly it all came together, it was just fine — and had it been topped with some vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, I probably wouldn't have noticed.

So give it a whirl the next time that chocolate craving strikes — just don't burn your mouth on the first bite!

And props go out to Carolyn for sharing this fun recipe!

(This mug cake is big enough to share, especially if ice cream is involved)



Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

1. 1 coffee mug
2. 4 tablespoons flour (plain flour, not self-rising)
3. 4 tablespoons sugar
4. 2 tablespoons baking cocoa
5. 1 egg
6. 3 tablespoons milk
7. 3 tablespoons oil
8. 3 tablespoons mini chocolate chips (optional)
9. Small splash of vanilla
   

• Mix wet ingredients; set aside.
• Mix dry ingredients in a small bowl and pour into a coffee mug wiped with a tiny bit of oil.
• Add wet ingredients to dry; mix together.
• Put mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.
• The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed.
• Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.

And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world?

Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!

Enjoy!