1-2-3 Chocolate Microwave Mug Cake

Calling all Chocoholics! I will stop at nothing to bring you a fix! Last month I received an email "forward" from my brother-in-law with a recipe for a 5 Minute Chocolate Microwave Mug Cake. My first reaction as a long time baker was suspicious, but the concept was intriguing. The recipe kept buzzing around my head and I thought, what the heck, I'll just try it. My suspicion came back and I wanted opinions first, so I "googled" it. Wh-o-a....bad reviews from everyone. OK, so I won't try it. Well, sometimes I can drive myself crazy by not letting go of an idea. I made it and, you know, they were right...it brought a whole new meaning to rubbery...and bad tasting. Now I had a challenge before me. There had to be a way to make this work. So many people work in offices and schools, live in dorms or have minimal kitchens, but have microwaves. You may just want a quick fix of chocolate cake without a big production, so I had an obligation to solve this dilemma. I won't even go into how many times I tested this recipe, but I think my next blog may have to be on the best place to buy elastic waist pants! I will lovingly give you the outcome of my recipe testing with a few caveats. Microwaves have different power. Since I never bought into the bigger is better philosophy, I have a fifteen year old 650 watt microwave, so you'll have to gauge your cooking time on that. I also don't like food to be cloyingly sweet, so I have a light hand with the sugar. One of the points of this cake is to make it with ingredients that are easy and accessible, so I used plain Egg Whites in a carton and canned whipped cream (gasp!). Whipped cream is a must with this cake...take a bite, squirt on some more whipped cream...take a bite...repeat until finished! So if you're game, give this a try and let me know how it comes out. The worst thing that can happen is that you have a new brown rubber ball to play with or...some attractive new stretchy pants!

1-2-3 Chocolate Microwave Mug Cake

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
2-3 tablespoons sugar (according to desired sweetness)
1 tablespoon flour
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as canola
3 tablespoons egg white or plain Egg Whites in a carton
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
optional:
1 teaspoon chocolate chips

*As a variation, substitute almond extract for the vanilla.
Also, you can change the chocolate chips to any flavor chips you'd like.

In a 1-1 1/2 cup microwave safe mug, blend cocoa, sugar, and flour together. Add milk, oil, egg white and vanilla. Stir vigorously for 2 minutes, (or until you've sung Happy Birthday 6 times!) making sure to get all ingredients incorporated. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top, if desired. Bake in microwave for 2 minutes. Check to make sure it is cooked on the bottom by lifting it a little with a spoon. If it is runny, cook 10 seconds more at a time until done. Do not overcook, as it will be rubbery. It puffs up and may overflow, but that is OK, it deflates somewhat as it cools. You want the texture to be moist and slightly undercooked. Let cool until just warm and serve with whipped cream squirted fresh from the can.
Serves one.

Download 1-2-3 Chocolate Microwave Mug Cake (pdf)

Written and photographed by Diane.