Delia made this cake last night. She makes it often and cuts it into 3 slices, covers it with powdered sugar and serves it to her sisters. It's this cake in a mug recipe, which I have ever so slghtly changed over the years. We don't make it in a mug. We mix it in a bowl first and then microwave it in this small dish for 3 minutes and it works like a charm. I remember how much I loved my easy bake oven, and this is just like that, only better.
I know a microwaved cake sounds gross, but this one is not—it's just not like a cake baked in an oven. The texture is very similar to a steamed pudding. I remember the boxed microwave cakes and brownie mixes you could buy in the 1980s and how horrible they were, this is nothing like that (pete swears these mixes were really good if you didn't eat the middle). It's lovely with whipped cream on top or a scoop of ice cream while it's still warm. Caramel sauce is good, too. And it's the perfect amount for them to split 3-ways. The quality of cocoa powder and chocolate chips make a huge difference. I also use melted butter, not oil. And if it's for me, I add 1/2 tsp. of instant espresso powder.
The best is watching them make this all by themselves. Once they made it with quinoa flour by accident. It was so foul, and I couldn't figure out why the kitchen smelled like wet mushrooms.
Here's how we make it:
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
- 1/2 tsp vanilla and instant esperesso powder (if desired)
- small handful of chocolate chips
It's so easy, just mix everything together and add the chocolate chips last. Then microwave at full power. 3 minutes is perfect for us using a shallow dish with a very old weak microwave—so it might take less time for a new microwave. It should cool just a bit before you cut it and eat it, but not too much, it doesn't keep well.
