Chocolate Mug Cake

Picture this: it's cold, you're in your pajamas and the heater is on and you're all rugged up for bed. Outdoors seems like a forlorn, lonely cold tundra and you'd rather gnaw off your foot than go outside. But a chocolate craving strikes you so intense that you beg your flatmate/husband/dog to go out and fetch you some chocolate cake. Of course they don't and you're left contemplating eating the box of chocolate flakes with a spoon and wondering why on earth you don't have a "Break Glass in Case of Emergency" slice of chocolate cake.

Then I have a good crutch for you. It went round the internet a while back and I'd heard varying descriptions from heinous to delicious so I didn't bother making it. Then a friend Nic who is a new mum to baby Xavier and doesn't have a lot of time to pfaff about the house making cakes put me onto it. I admit I fiddled with the recipe just to make it a bit more luscious and whilst it won't replace a quintuple chocolate cake, it's a damn fine replacement for it when times are tough, desperation is harking and the chocolate withdrawal symptoms won't cease.

You can also use baking powder in which case it will be lighter (simply add 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder to each mug when you add the flour) but it will spill over so place it on a plate before microwaving it and just be aware that it won't look as pretty. The cooking time of course depends on the microwave you have. At 2 minutes, mine wasn't dried out at all and still moist and had a lovely layer of chocolate and a molten layer of chocolatey goodness at the bottom. However mine is not a particularly powerful microwave so setting it at medium, which is what I melt my chocolate on, was perfect. To me, the cooking time is crucial and if you have a particularly powerful microwave, 1 - 1 1/2 minutes will probably do you just fine (and they do cook further on standing remember).  I couldn't resist of course and served it with a cafe au lait ice cream that I made a while back-if you have ice cream it's a delicious addition. And with that my chocolate craving subsided. And don't like chocolate cake? Try my blogging buddy JdG's Lemon & Coconut version here at Play With Your Food! Newsflash: I've found that if you add baking powder but cover it with Glad Wrap then it won't spill over yet is lovely and fluffy.

This is also my entry to Gel's Kitchen's No Time To Cook May 2009 challenge! :)

5 minute Chocolate Mug Cake

Makes 2

• 4 tablespoons flour

• 5 tablespoons sugar

• 2 tablespoons cocoa

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon coffee powder (optional)

• pinch of salt

• 1 egg

• 3 tablespoons milk

• 3 tablespoons oil

• 3 tablespoons chocolate chips or flakes plus 2 tablespoon extra

• A small splash of vanilla extract

• 2 microwave safe coffee mugs

Step 1 - This recipe makes two mug cakes and therefore is made in two separate mugs. You can mix the entire thing in the mugs and therefore avoid any extra dishes except for the egg which I whisk lightly in a bowl. Add dry ingredients to the mugs, and mix well ensuring the there is no flour stuck at the bottom.

Step 2 - Pour in the milk, oil, chocolate chips or flakes and vanilla extract and mix well. Whisk egg lightly in a bowl and pour half of the egg in each mug and mix well. Add the extra tablespoonful of chocolate chips or flakes on top of the batter. Cover with glad wrap.

Step 3 - Do one mug at a time. Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 1 minute on _medium _heat. Then microwave for another 30 seconds on medium heat. Check on the consistency-it should be cooked but still moist and gooey. If it is still not cooked, microwave on another 30 seconds on medium heat. Remember, it will cook further on standing.

_Cooked cake with melted chocolate flakes on top

_

Step 4 - Allow to cool a little and serve with ice cream.