Thursday, September 25, 2008

Microwave Mug Cake


I've seen this recipe floating around on a variety of blogs, and finally gave in and tried it. I have a microwave cake recipe that you make in a bowl, but I like this one better; it's more chocolatey. And it looks funnier too.


I was having a rough time last night, so I made this cake (at 10:30 pm!) and ate it all up. And it was good. Today, I showed my sister how to make it. And it is still good. These pictures are of my sister's cake.


Microwave Mug Cake
4 tbsp. flour
4 tbsp. sugar
4 tbsp. cocoa
1 egg
3 tbsp. milk
3 tbsp. oil
3 tbsp. chocolate chips (optional, but not really. Add them!)
Small splash vanilla

Measure flour, sugar, and cocoa in a large mug. Mix well.

Add egg and mix well.

Add milk and oil and mix well.

Add chocolate chips and vanilla and mix well.

Microwave for 3 minutes at 1000 watts. The cake will rise up over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed. All the recipes said to not be alarmed when the cake rose. But my microwave is weird, and I was alarmed anyway as I watched my cake spill over and drip down the sides. But don't worry, a regular microwave won't have this problem. My sister's cake (made in my mom's microwave) rose properly and didn't spill or anything.

Here it is rising in the microwave

Let cake cool briefly, and tip out onto a plate if desired. Then eat it!


34 comments:

Jeanette said...

I have seen this on about 20 blogs this week. And I am not exaggerating. Everyone seems to be doing this right now.

Michelle said...

How did you know I have been craving chocolate cake without making a whole big one? I am sooo making this tonight! Pity I don't have mint chips. Wait! I have toffee bits! :P

Barbara Bakes said...

An emergency cake craving recipe sounds like an important recipe to have on hand. Thanks!

Bridget said...

I got an email with this recipe last week. It is very dangerous to have chocolate cake just a few minutes away! :)

Stephanie said...

Jeanette - I know I said I saw it floating around on several blogs. What I didn't say was that every single one of them was yesterday alone. It's like suddenly the popular thing to do! Come on, you know you want to make one - everybody's doing it!

Michelle - I didn't know you wanted cake, but I know I did! This would be really good with toffee bits, I bet.

Anjanette said...

Is this the same recipe that the crockpot lady used? How fun!

Stephanie said...

Nope - I checked, and hers is a Brownie in a Mug recipe, using brownie mix. It also looks really good - I might need to try that too!

Anonymous said...

Ha ha! That looks so cute, and delicious. Pity I don't have a microwave :-(

Anne said...

Hahah!How cool is this?! I just might have to give this a try!!

Tiffaney said...

YUM!!! I have never seen a recipe like this, and I will definetly be trying it. Thanks! :D

Michelle said...

BTW- I made this Thursday night. With a big scoop of vanilla ice cream! It was so good that I made it again for myself and a friend after lunch on Friday!

I'm in love!

Jacqueline Meldrum said...

That is so funny! I just love it :)

kylee said...

I really love the idea of this.

Just double it for 2 I guess!

Thanks for posting it.

Anonymous said...

I just made this. I used brown sugar and extra-virgin olive oil (only thing I had around). It is really good! Very moist and tasty!

I am wondering -- do you think this is doable for other kinds of cake? I guess it's pretty easy to exagerrate...I want to make a plain white cake or a lemon cake this way.

Stephanie said...

Jess - sure, I think it would work. Just don't add the cocoa powder. For the white cake, I would do two egg whites instead of a whole egg (the yolk would keep it from being white). For lemon, just add a bit of whatever makes it lemon cake - lemon extract and/or zest instead of vanilla for instance.

You might have to adjust the amount of flour to make up for the eliminated cocoa - just increase it a bit.

Now I want to try it - Lemon Microwave Cake, yum!

Tami said...

I've been seeing these around so much lately and have been tempted to try it but haven't..yet. Thanks for posting pictures of it! The pics seal the deal for me..yep, I'm going to try it! MMM!

Anonymous said...

What about leavening? It really rises without baking powder or soda?

Stephanie said...

Yeah, it really does! I think it has to do with the egg. Like it shows in the picture, it rises over the top of the mug while it's cooking, and it's really fun to watch. :-)

This cake does have a different texture than one baked in the oven that uses leavening. This cake is more heavy and rich, with the texture you might expect from a steamed cake.

Anonymous said...

This is genius. I often want cake sometimes after dinner - say at 10pm, when all the bakeries in my neighbourhood are long since closed and I feel it's too late to start making a full blown cake. This is perfect for those occasions. And it tastes very good!

Anonymous said...

I thought it was too sweet when I made it the last time, so I tried it again with 2 T of sugar and found it was easier to eat with less sweetness.

Anonymous said...

I thought it tasted pretty good! However,this recipe needs a pinch of salt and you can use a flavored liquor like Amaretto instead of vanilla. Also I found that it was hard to mix thoroughly in the mug and it stuck to the mug when I wanted to remove it. I mix it in a small bowl and poured it into a mug in which I have buttered and sugared the bottom so it will release. Also, don't over bake so check the wattage of your microwave

Stephanie said...

Good tips, Anonymous. I've also found it hard to stir in the mug. I'll try it with a pinch of salt and mixed in a separate bowl next time I make it. :-)

Anonymous said...

How about Bailey's instead of milk? mmmmm the adult version

Imogen said...

This is amazinggg,,

im so doingg thiss for myy sweet 16 lol :P

x

Anonymous said...

Totally stumbled on your blog today, right to this recipe. Shared it with my friends in a project (linked to you, from here, I think my blog is private for now but if you'd like an invite let me know!) and am going to make it with friends tonight! Trying some with Bailey's, all with Pam in the cup.
Also found a delicious sounding lemon recipe here
Maybe it's because I'm in Canada, but I hadn't even heard of this!

K said...

I never know you could make a cupcake in the microwave. cool. I know I am a bit behide :b so I can't wait to try it! Thanks for posting and good tips everyone.

k said...

I made the cupcake, it raised but after I take it out it shinked! Why is that? Help

Stephanie said...

K - it's supposed to fall after it's done cooking. You can see in the pictures that mine did too - the picture of the finished cake shows it much lower in the mug than the picture in the microwave, I figure as long as it tastes great, it's okay that it doesn't stay tall! :-)

bespoke mugs said...

nice work and thanks for sharing.i will try make cup cake.

RiceBunny said...

I made this cake, and it didn't turn out very well.. i completed all the instructions, but the cake turned out too spongey and hard to slice into...

Jane said...

Yum!

My lemon variation is as follows

5 tbsp flour

5 tbsp sugar

1 egg

3 tbsp oil

lemon zest--not a lot--you'll know

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice (all i had!)

1 1/2 tbsp coconut rum

splash vanilla

it came out nice and light and fluffy--not too lemony--or coconut-y either! Thanks for the inspiration!

Phil said...

It reminds me of an instant pudding that we had in Tasmania. I love it, minus the chips. Stir in some whipping cream (unwhipped) for a delicious dessert :3

Anonymous said...

This even works as a Gluten Free treat if you use a GF flour. I've made it with rice flour and i've made it with tapioca flour--both with equally great results!!

Unknown said...

This even works as a Gluten Free treat if you use a GF flour. I've made it with rice flour and i've made it with tapioca flour--both with equally great results!! Breville Smart Oven