Mug Cakes

Several people asked for my mug cake recipe. In truth, I found it on the internet. There's a note at the bottom that it's from the Food Network. I mostly just toss stuff together in approximate amounts. Oh, and the microwaved cakes will be molten hot when they come out, so give them a chance to cool a bit.

I hope you have good luck with the recipes. The mug cakes are so good when you just want a little something sweet and don't want to make a whole cake.

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Original Chocolate Mug Cake recipe:

1/4 cup flour
5T Sugar
2 T cocoa powder
1 egg
3T milk
3 T veg oil
Dash of vanilla
Dash of salt

Mix all together, microwave until puffy, about 2 minutes.

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Again, I toss stuff in, amounts are approximate. Please read notes below before you start.

My Mug Brownie recipe

In a large mug (12 oz or more), beat an egg*
Add:     a splash of vanilla (1/8 tsp?)
    2 - 3 Tbsp soft butter or oil, or mix it up
    1/4 cup sugar
    dash of salt
Beat vigorously

Add 2 heaping spoons (about 2 Tbsp total?) cocoa powder and beat.
Add a bit of baking powder (1/8 tsp?) and enough flour to make it thick like brownie batter. I just add a few Tablespoons at a time, I never measure the flour.

You can add nuts, I usually throw in some walnuts. Or add chocolate chips, whatever you like.

Microwave on high for 1 minute to 1 1/2 minutes. I start with 1 and add 30 seconds if needed. The top will look wet even if it's cooked, so don't let looks fool you. 1 1/2 minutes is plenty of time, usually.

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NOTES:

*You can use the whole egg, or dump out half (or double the recipe except for the egg and divide the mixture between 2 mugs) since it's more egg than in a traditional recipe.

If you add nuts, you need to cook them for a minute (on a dish) before you add to the mixture, since they won't cook enough during the "baking."

I suggest you try it once as written, then change up the next time if you want to.

More egg=tougher, denser batter.
More oil/butter makes it more gooey.
If it's too dry or tough, use less flour.
I like mine extra chocolately, so I use lots of cocoa.


A note about cocoa: I have Hershey's cocoa (makes yummy chocolate milk) AND I have good baking cocoa. I recommend using baking cocoa, it just give it a richness the Hershey's doesn't. But sometimes I do use the Hershey's. I wonder how the Hershey's Special Dark cocoa would turn out?

Taste your batter before you cook it. If it's not sweet enough, now is the time to add more sugar. I've made a few that were bitter because I didn't use enough sugar. Then you have to add some icing or chocolate syrup or something.

Remember, microwaves and humidity can make a difference, so be aware of that.

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My Vanilla Cake*

1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp soft butter
1 1/2 Tbsp oil
about 1/2 tsp vanilla
Beat well, until well blended.
Add Bisquick, start with 1/2 cup and add more if needed
Beat well (should be very thick)
Add enough milk to make it cake batter consistency.

Put into oiled and floured pan (an 8" or  9" round should do), and bake at 350. It took about 30 mins for me, but start checking after 20. I'm in a high altitude, so it affects baking.


Be sure to taste the batter. If the batter tastes bad, the cake will, too. You can't change the flavor after it's cooked.

*This was made in the oven, but you could probably microwave it. If you microwave it, I would use less milk or omit the milk and use a little less Bisquick. And be aware, this makes a lot of batter, more than for a mug cake.

Notice there is no salt or baking powder, because it's in the Bisquick. I trusted the ratio would be better if I used the Bisquick. It gave the cake a nice, soft texture.

If you want to make pineapple upside-down cake, like I did, don't flour the pan. Melt some butter, about 3 Tbsp?, in the pan, sprinkle with enough brown sugar to cover the bottom of the pan, then put pineapple on top of that. I had rings, so I cut them up, but you can use whole rings or crushed, whatever you have on hand. Then add the batter and bake.