Chocolate Cake in a Cup
Tuesday, February 15, 2011 at 2:46AM | Seeley deBorn
**not the acutal cake! omg so not the cake.
So, in more than a few places I’ve seen a recipe for chocolate cake in a mug. I think you know the one I mean... it makes the email rounds every 6 months or so, and really, who can resist cake in a cup. Handy, particularly if it's almost 10 at night and you absolutely need chocolatecakerightfuckingnoworyou’llkillsomeone.
You do too. Don’t lie.
It’s a neat idea. And for a foodie like me who knows that the whole “cup” cake thing started with cake batter being baked in stoneware mugs back in the early 1800s it’s a bit of food geekery to think you’re making something that old school.
Microwave notwithstanding.
What you need:
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
a small splash of vanilla extract
handful of chocolate chips (optional)
What you gotta do:
Measure the flour, sugar and cocoa into a fair sized, microwavable coffee mug and stir together with a fork.
Crack in the egg and stir it in a bit, then add the milk and oil (I used peanut, but any kind should work), and stir vigorously with the fork. Vigorously.
Nice thing about this one is that there are almost no dishes. Particularly since all of mine are already dirty and on the counter, and on the stove, and in the sink, I think there may even be some on the table...
Once you’ve forked the batter until it’s nice and smooth, put the cup in the microwave (no fork) and nuke it for 3 minutes.
Let it cool before you try eating it!
Hot or cold, this cake is pretty crappy.
I mean yeah, it’s a chocolate fix, but it’s not a very tasty one. No amount of beating will lighten it. It’s dense as all hell and way too eggy. Chocolate scrambled eggs comes to mind. Most snack cake recipes make 8 - 12 servings and use only 2 - 3 eggs. One egg per serving is just too much. I’ve seen a version that includes baking powder, but it’s also got the egg.
The only way this thing is going to make it to being half way edible is if someone can figure out how to make it rise without the egg (maybe baking soda and then vinegar stirred in at the last second?) or just call it a custard. It could probably be turned into one by increasing the milk and decreasing the flour.
I’ve gotten this by email and I’ve seen it posted on forums, and for the life of me I really can’t figure out why the fuck the stupid thing keeps making the rounds. It’s horrible. Next time I need a chocolate fix, I’ll just eat the handful of chocolate chips.
Have you seen this recipe? Forwarded it? Tried it? Please tell me I fucked it up really badly somehow.
Reader Comments (7)
Can't say if you messed it up because I got the recipe from you and haven't had the time to try it. However, I now have a huge Hershey's mug and most of the ingredients. What about apple sauce in place of egg? That's a little easier to reduce.
OMG......you are my new hero, my 6y/o son loves to cook, I usually go with the old reliables he's gonna love making this with me at the weekend..... Fun, fun, fun... And very tasty, thanks
Lauraann :0)
Haha, sorry I meant to put this in the comments for your last post..... The cake in this post didn't look that ....emmmm appetising ;0)
Lauraann
I tend to think the bigger problem is not that you messed it up, but that someone decided you can bake things in the microwave. As for the egg bit, maybe you could use mayo in place of the egg and oil?
@Lauraann1061 - I'll copy your comment into the other post, but if you don't mind, I think I'll leave them both here as well for the added comic relief.
I don't mind at all, made me laugh after I saw the mistake and that last picture :0)
Lauraann you totally had me for a second there. lol Kids would actually probably love a recipe like this. It's super easy and instant gratification. Only, most of the time, they know when food tastes bad and have no problem telling you. Usually as they spit it out.
Okay, next week, I'm going to post something that isn't totally horrible, just so that you all can see that I really can cook. ;)
I only use the white of the egg. And...eh...sometimes my standards are pretty low.