Mug cake!

[rosefox]

Cake inna mug is my new favorite thing. It's so quick to make that I prep little jars of dry ingredients to take to work (they'd make great gifts too), keep wet ingredients in my desk drawer, and nuke mug cakes for myself whenever I need an afternoon pick-me-up. Since the original recipes include neither egg nor butter, they're super-easy to veganize with your favorite non-dairy milk.

Vanilla mug cake, based on this recipe:

4 Tbsp all-purpose flour
5 tsp sugar
.5 tsp baking powder
1 pinch salt (or omit entirely)
4 Tbsp unsweetened non-dairy milk (could also use vanilla-flavored if you want the cake to be SUPER vanilla)
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate mug cake, based on this recipe:

4 Tbsp all-purpose flour
5 tsp sugar
.5 tsp baking powder
1 pinch salt (or omit entirely)
4 tsp cocoa
5 Tbsp unsweetened non-dairy milk (could also use vanilla-flavored and omit the vanilla extract)
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix dry ingredients in your microwave-safe mug with a fork, add wet ingredients, mix well until smooth (making sure to get in all the flour around the bottom edge), add add-ins. My favorite add-ins for the chocolate cake are crushed peppermint candy or a couple of tablespoons of peanut butter. For the vanilla cake, try chocolate chips or raspberry jam--or both. Then nuke on high for about 70 seconds or until done. You'll need to do a few to test your microwave and see which power setting and timing work best. It's a terrible sacrifice, making and eating all those test cakes, but you'll manage to cope somehow.

(crossposted to my journal and vegancooking)

Comments

[tibicina]

And what do you recommend for cooking times? Microwave on high? Or something else?

[rosefox]

Oops, somehow I left that out! Yes, nuke on high for about 70 seconds or until done.

[ossobuco]

I made this using 1% milk, and it was really lovely. Good, fluffy, tender cake, which I usually don't end up with out of the microwave. Using the vanilla version, for my add-in I dropped a caramel square in the bottom, which was nice!

Perhaps I'm just a glutton for cake, but it seemed like a very small amount when all was done. That's my only complaint, though. Best mug cake I've ever had.

[dragon_moon]

That's a great idea to make them ahead like that! I'm looking forward to trying these. ^__^

[rosefox]

These are actually double the original recipes! But yes, it's really not a lot of cake--maybe equivalent to eating two brownies.

[variance]

Ok, I have never heard of mug cakes before now, but I just made the chocolate one, and they are my new favorite thing. It's like instant magic. I can't wait to experiment with add ins!

[rosefox]

matociquala introduced me to the idea. It's genius.

[amadi]

Awesome! I'd been hoping for a vanilla version. I'll have to try it soon.

N.B. -- For those who like to measure once rather than risk losing count along the way, 4 tablespoons = 1/4 cup.

[jesse_the_k]

You read my mind when it comes to counting issues.

[ofearthandstars]

I think this is a good place to link to the Nutella Mug Cake. I haven't tried it, but I imagine Nutella lovers would enjoy it. :)

[matgb]

Follow up comment, remembered these today and made them with the 9-yr-old, she's says it's "lovely" and "amazing", very impressed that you can make somethign so nice so quickly. Variant recipes and add-ins are I suspect going to be popular next few days.

[rosefox]

Aw, hooray! That's wonderful. Thanks so much for letting me know.