Mug Cakes

  I've seen recipe books for mug cakes but couldn't figure out what they were until I checked on line.  My goodness, they are small cakes microwaved in a cup till done.  No more making a cake for one or two people and hoping you'd get it eaten before it went bad.

I checked out a few recipes and they don't look hard to make.  Just the standard flour, sugar, butter or oil, baking powder, and an egg.  The only difference is that the amount for each ingredient is cut down to just enough to cook in a coffee mug.

In general its between 1/4 and  1/3 cup flour, 1/2 an egg or 1 egg depending,  up to 1/4 cup of sugar, 1 to 2 tbsp of oil or butter,  1/4 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp vanilla, and a pinch of salt.  Some recipes have you add chocolate powder (3 tbsp) for a chocolate flavor, perhaps apple sauce or mashed bananas, depending on the flavoring.  I've even seen coffee cake recipes which follow the same basic form but add a crumbly top made of flour, butter, and sugar. 

I've seen recipes that ask you to mix the ingredients in a bowl and then add to the cup while others have you mix it in the cup before baking.  No matter, once its mixed and in the cup, microwave it for 2 min at high.  Keep an eye on it so its not over cooked.  Let set for 15 minutes before eating.

If you want a more specific recipe, do a quick search on the internet where you'll find mouthwatering ones like Nutella mug cake, chocolate orange, chocolate peanut butter, apple cinnamon or even a S'mores mug cake. 

Just imagine having a do it yourself dessert bar with all the ingredients available so people can make their own mug cakes.  Include some gluten free flour for those who need it or have flax, chia, or egg substitute for strict vegans.  You could use small disposable cups if you didn't want to wash all those cups afterwards.

I'm going to have to try a carrot mug cake.  I always have pulp left over after making fresh juice and I could make small mug cakes on demand.  I love adding a bit of pumpkin pie spice to my carrot cake recipe and I top them with a wonderful cream cheese frosting.  The best way is to let the cream cheese soften before adding powdered sugar and a smidgen of vanilla.

Do you have a favorite mug cake you'd like to share?  Please let me know.