Bake A Cake In A Mug In Your Microwave!

Whilst on lunch break at work I often look through Google images for cake decorating ideas, or amazon for new recipe books, or baking blogs for anything and everything.  I stumbled across this recipe yesterday and I did try it last night but wasn't satisfied with how it turned out so I tried it our again tonight and got much better results.

Ingredients:

4 tbsp plain flour

4 tbsp granulated sugar

2 tbsp cocoa powder

1 egg, beaten

3 tbsp milk

3 tbsp vegetable oil (or canola oil)

3 tbsp chocolate chips

1 tsp vanilla extract

(I would've included flour in the photo if only the bag I had weren't a huge 25lb sack, lol)

First, put all the dry ingredients into your mug (try to find a mug that's slightly larger than normal, I used a normal sized mug the first time I made this and there was a little overspill).  Mix the dry ingredients with a fork until well combined.

Next, beat your egg and add to the mug.  Mix well, it will be very sticky.

Stir in your milk and oil.  The mixture will become much easier to mix.  Make sure you scrape the bottom of the cup with your fork to get any unmixed ingredients.

Add in your chocolate chips and vanilla.  If you don't want to use chocolate chips, get creative!  I used mint chips the first time I made this, for this attempt I used butterscotch chips and toasted pecans.  For a more colourful cake add M&Ms, or use peanut butter chips.  Try toffee pieces or fudge!  Whatever your sweet tooth is craving, throw it in there!

Mix the ingredients again, then move it to the microwave!  Cooking times are around 3 minutes for a 1000W microwave or 4 minutes for a 700W microwave.  To be safe (and to save on clean up time) put a plate under your mug when it's in the microwave.

When your cake is done, remove from the microwave and use a cake tester to see if it is cooked properly, it should come out clean when you insert in into your cake. The cake will also deflate slightly as it cools.

And there you have it!  A perfectly sized individual dessert ready in about 10 minutes!  It's great if you want a quick sweet treat and don't have a lot of ingredients on hand.  The cake is really hot so even though it might smell super yummy be careful when you tuck in.

Enjoy!

Butterscotch Marshmallow Bars

Looking through one of my recipe books I came across the recipe for these.  They looked so good, even if my teeth hurt just looking at the picture, so I grabbed the ingredients I was missing when I was out at the grocery store.

Ingredients:

150g plain flour

40g icing sugar

120g unsalted butter (room temperature)

100g pink and white mini marshmallows

210g caster sugar

150g soft light brown sugar

190g golden syrup

70g unsalted butter

60ml double cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

60g crunchy peanut butter

30g mixed chopped nuts

Preheat oven 170°C (325°F) Gas Mark 3

Line a 9 x 121/2 inch baking tray with greaseproof paper.  In a bowl, mix together the flour, icing sugar and butter until a dough forms.  Press the dough into your baking tray (make a lip around the sides to stop the topping from pouring over the sides later).  Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and the middle is slightly more pale.  Set it aside to cool slightly.  Spread the marshmallows evenly over the base.  Put both types of sugar into a saucepan with the golden syrup and 240ml water and bring to the boil.  Let the mixture boil until it reaches the soft-ball* stage, then remove from the heat and add the butter, return to the heat and bring it to the boil again for around 3 minutes.  Remove the pan from the heat and add in the double cream, vanilla and peanut butter.  Stir continuously until the peanut butter has completely melted into the mixture then pour the liquid over the base, ensuring you coat all the marshmallows with the sauce.  Sprinkle the chopped nuts over the top and let it set at room temperature for at least a few hours (preferably overnight).

Once it has set completely cut it into bars (makes about 10-12) and enjoy.  They are so sweet!

*Soft-ball: To check if your syrup has reached the soft-ball stage get a spoon and drop a small amount of it into a small bowl or glass of very cold water.  If the syrup has reached the correct heat, it will form a soft ball in the water but when it is removed will not retain it's shape in your hand.