Microwave Chocolate Cake in a Mug

I was so excited to try this cake in a mug recipe.  It had tons of promise.  The idea of whipping up an almost instant chocolate cake in a coffee mug was fascinating to me.  But it didn’t work (at least the first two times).  My first attempt, I cooked it for 4 minutes and the second for 3 minutes.  Both times the cake came out as hard as a rock.  As you can imagine, I was quite disappointed.  It was a waste of good ingredients and time.  How could someone post such a bad recipe?  In the end it was the cooker (me) not the recipe.

After two failed attempts following the recipe exactly, or so I thought... I did some research and discovered that my microwave was a whopping 1150 watt model and it was over cooking the cake.   So I decided to give it one last try, cooking it for only 2 minutes.  It worked like a dream.  The top of the cake was cake-ee, and as you reached the bottom it was fudgy, because of all the chocolate chips that settled to the bottom and melted together.   A scoop of ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream would finish this sweet treat perfectly.

I guess you could say that it was due time I got acquainted with the power of my microwave.  I never cook in it; I only reheat, so until now I didn’t need to know the wattage.  But before you attempt this easy cake in a mug, know your wattage.  The recipe suggests 4 min. in a 700 watt oven, 3 min. in a 1000 watt oven and now I can add, 2 min. in an 1150 watt oven.  If I only knew my wattage ahead of time I would have eaten and enjoyed three cakes instead of only one.

You could as I did the first two times, mix the ingredients right in the mug, but I think the extra effort of mixing the ingredients in a bowl first, then into the mug blends the batter better.  I mixed it as I would a regular cake.  Place the dry ingredients in a bowl, mix to blend.  Add the whole egg along with the rest of the wet ingredients and mix to blend.  Pour into the mug and microwave.  Instant satisfaction.

Cake batter before cooking.

The cake after cooking.  It was taller than this, but as soon as the microwave stopped  it started to deflate.

The cake deflated almost to the rim.

So here are my tips for a successful microwave chocolate cake in a mug…

·         Use a 12 oz. mug or larger (I used a 12oz.mug)

·         Mix ingredients in a bowl before adding it to the mug

·         Watch your cake cook (at least the first time) and if using a 12oz. mug, when the cake starts to expand and reaches about 2 inches above the rim it will only be about 30 seconds away from being done.

·         The cake will deflate once the cooking stops and will shrink back to the rim of the mug

·         Enjoy

MICROWAVE CHOCOLATE CAKE IN A MUG (adapted from a Serious Easts recipe)

4              Tbsp.                     flour

4              Tbsp.                     sugar

2              Tbsp.                     unsweetened cocoa

1              large                      egg, whisked

3              Tbsp.                     milk

3              Tbsp.                     canola oil

3              Tbsp.                     chocolate chips

1              tsp.                        vanilla extract

Place all of the dry ingredients in the mug and mix with a fork.

Add the whisked egg and combine well, it will be pretty sticky at this point.

Stir in the milk and oil until combined.

Add the chocolate chips and vanilla.

Microwave 2 minutes in an 1150 watt oven, 3 minutes in a 1000 watt oven, 4 minutes in a 700 watt oven.

The cake will puff up in the mug while it bakes, but don’t panic, it will deflate when you remove it from the heat.

Top the cake with powdered sugar, frosting, ice cream or whipped cream.

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