Mug Cakes: 40 Speedy Cakes to Make in a Microwave by Mima Sinclair
My rating: 5/5 cats
WELCOME TO MARCH PROJECT!
MARCH PROJECT IS OVER!!!!!
since i never did bring dana’s microwave to the salvation army, i might as well use it to make mug cakes, right?! there are 40 recipes in here, so i’ll try to do one a day for science! let’s do this!
CHOCOLATE & PEANUT BUTTER
mise:
this mug may have been too small. and i forgot to put more peanut butter on top under the nuts, but for my first attempt at mug-cookery, i think it turned out pretty good.
ALMOND & BERRY BREAKFAST MUG
mise:
again, mine doesn’t look as pretty as the one in the book, and the streusel ‘topping’ is now somewhere in the middle
but it’s definitely tasty, and prettier once you mix it up a bit
but it’s not inexpensive, at least this time of year: $7 for 6 0z raspberries and $6 for 6 oz of blackberries plus $7.50 for freaking almond flour, which was a pain to even find. next time i will just buy a mixed-berry muffin and save myself the effort.
BLACKBERRY CAKE
mise:
i wanted to use up the blackberries before they got all moldy, so it’s a little berry-redundant, but this time, i got to use marzipan AND almond extract. also, there was a lot more drama.
MUG TOO SMALL!!! POOR BLOODY WENCH!!
i had been warned. and now i see.
but it does look nice to any airplanes flying overhead
and it was very delicious. very.
RASPBERRY AND PISTACHIO RICE CRISPIES
mise:
after last night’s overflow debacle, i decided to go with a bigger vessel. perhaps more of a bowl than a mug, but i’m learning my lessons.
this one is a sticky, crispy, chocolatey mess (i added extra chocolate because yum)
mug cake shark week rarrrrr
BLUEBERRY MUFFIN
mise:
oh no! this again!
which is actually kind of perfectly appropriate for this mug:
but at least the top came out pretty:
and it’s what’s inside that counts
and by inside, i mean inside my mouth
two lessons learned: keep an eye on stuff when it’s in the microwave, and
CHOCOLATE BROWNIE
mise:
again, i overcompensated with a gigantic mug:
it was so deep i had to use the flash to even get a picture of the finished product:
fortunately, it was so delicious, i made a second round in a smaller mug
very rich and fudgy and filling
BANANA BREAD
mise:
i wasn’t sure i was going to love this—i already have a perfect banana bread recipe and it sure doesn’t have any golden raisins in it. but this one was good. before frosting:
and after:
and for airplanes
i would eat this frosting on anything. try me.
CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE
mise:
and there it is!
aerial:
this mug is cute enough to require a round and round shot. for erica.
and one more yum for the road
ROCKY ROAD
mise:
let the cuteness begin!
and the yumminess
and the messiness
aerial
bite
maggie
i had no idea there were raisins in rocky road. weird. but tasty. sorry about the marshmallow waterfall, foxy!
RAINBOW CAKE
mise:
this one poofed up like crazy!
but it was easily pushed back down
aerial
and now for the finishing touch
ta-daa for hippie cake!
TRIPLE CHOCOLATE CAKE
mise:
this one took FOUR mugs!
i hadn’t read the recipe closely before i started, and i thought it would only take two (NLGM), so i’d planned to use my two leonard cohen mugs because theme. but then i realized this one had metallic accents, so microwave = not cool.
so i made the cake in the big leonard mug, and used the other for making whipped cream
with this recipe, you dump the cake out of the mug
it looks dry here, but it was crazy-moist and delicious. and then—GANACHE WATERFALL!
and then there was whipped cream
nom
this is sean’s new favorite: “like something in a fancy restaurant.”
STRAWBERRIES & CREAM CAKE
mise:
i used one of the smallest mugs i have
but it still only filled half of it
so i dumped it out
and added all the jam and whipped cream and berries and made it look kind of like a garden gnome
it was a lot better than it looked—these cakes are so vulnerable out of their mugs. #slugsnotsnails
CHOCOLATE FUDGE S’MORES
this one is going to need a redo. i made it last night, but there were…difficulties
and now i’m going to have to clean my microwave.
it’s a shame, because i was really looking forward to using the blowtorch. i will try again tonight, and then make one just for today.
CHOCOLATE FUDGE S’MORES TAKE TWO
mise:
this time went better.
ta-DAAAAA!
so smooth and pretty
until—wheeeeeeee
of course, i probably should have been paying attention to the flame instead of taking pictures, and it got a little darker than i wanted
so i added another layer of marshmallows and played with fire again
and again—more burny than i like, but still tasty and fun and much better than the microwave essplosion of last night
mmmmmm
BLACK FOREST CAKE
mise:
lovely cake before glomming on the toppings
and after
i didn’t have any fresh cherries, and they’re out of season anyway, so i just used a chocolate-covered cherry, which i did have on hand
this one is a keeper—very smooshy and good
GINGERBREAD
mise:
first, admire my precious aristocats mug
and now, the cake:
after frosting:
bite:
this one tasted just like hermits; my favorite childhood treat. very sticky and rich and dark-autumn tasting. i did not put any crystallized ginger on top, because i was out, and i wasn’t about to spend 11 bux on new crystallized ginger just to toss a couple pieces on a mug cake. restraint—i am learning it.
CARROT CAKE
mise:
since i was making carrot-mug-cakes with jess (in spirit), i decided to use my goodreads mug to further bind us in this project
i could not find any “sugar carrots” to decorate the top, but i did find sugar dora the explorers, which is the same thing, since both carrots and the nickelodeon logo are orange.
very tasty, even though it’s a lot of stuff just for a mug cake. might as well make a fullsized one, right? and extra frosting?
let’s see yours, jess!
GUINNESS CAKE
mise:
happy st. patrick’s day! this might be my new favorite cake! i started it in sean of the house’s “check out my family crest” mug, which has birds on it, but we’ll let him keep living here anyway.
then, i transferred it to my personal favorite (glass) mug, which is NOT microwave safe ‘cuz it’s got too much bling. foiled again by foil.
but it looks perfect, no?
aerial
bite
this one was so damn moist and sticky. and so worth buying those little white candybeads for. highly recommended and i will now make this every st. patrick’s day.
HONEY CAKE
mise:
i got to use my favorite mug of all time for this one: adorable, misshapen, mine.
aerial
and then….BEES!
yeah, i made marzipan bees
bite
this one was a little dry, but that might have been my fault. those bees though—a triumph! bzzzzzzzzzzzzz
SALTED CARAMEL & CHOCOLATE
mise:
here is my mug, and it’s the last you’ll see of it
aerial
then you dump it out of the mug and put more caramel on it
oh, my…
bite
sooo chocolatey, sooo sticky. delicious!
those were my weekend cakes. i was going to make one tonight, but time got away from me and i am the worst. but i will make TWO tomorrow. this self-inflicted goal of one a day was going so well, but tonight—tonight i must rest.
ok, as promised: TWO MUG CAKES!
COFFEE & WALNUT CAKE
mise:
before topping
and after
aerial
bite
i’m not sure how i feel about this one yet. it really tastes like coffee, and that’s disconcerting to me. i like coffee when it is a liquid, but i have never liked other coffee-flavored things. i only had one bite; i gobbled too much of the other one and filled up
what other one? oh, just this amazing thing:
LAMINGTONS
mise:
this is another multi-step/multi-mug situation, but dooo it, even if you don’t have the cutest mug ever, like i do (which chipped a while back, causing equivalent damage to my heart)
aerial
then you gotta shoomp it out onto a plate
this cake has more holes than G’sM, which is one of the problems with mug cakes—it’s hard to stir the ingredients together properly in such a little space.
but once you frost it and roll it in frosting and coconut and doll it up all nice, you’d never know how unstable and porous it is underneath
assemble:
this one is mighty AND delicious AND sometimes looks like a grumpy monster face:
RED VELVET CAKE
mise:
again, i think i have chosen the perfect mug (bowl?) for this cake
braaaiiiiinnssss
zombie braaaiiinnsss
made even brainier when the frosting is added:
i haven’t tried it yet; dinner first! but i will report back.
okay, so bite:
believe it or not, coming from someone who has never given a shit about red velvet anything before, this one is a new favorite. the frosting was just the right amount of sweetness for the not very sweet cake, and it was just warm and gooey and wonderful. even sean of the house loved it, and he has similar (although more rudely expressed) opinions about red velvet cake. so glad i changed my mind and made this one.
CHOCOLATE, GINGER, & PEAR CAKE
mise:
okay, so i caved and bought crystallized ginger after all. this recipe calls for “candied ginger in syrup,” which as far as i can tell is not something that exists/has ever existed anywhere, so i made my own with crystallized ginger and ginger syrup, and it turns out that the only thing cheaper at whole foods than my local grocery store is crystallized ginger, so whee!
for this one, i also used what is more precisely defined as a “bowl,” but this time it was definitely necessary:
i’m not sure how anyone could fit an entire pear in a proper mug and not have the cake explode up around it. plus, this is adorable.
definitely cook it longer than it says, though, because the pear releases juices as it cooks, so the cake surrounding the pear takes a while to become cakey.
then top it with more ginger syrup and cocoa powder:
and yum.
bite:
STICKY TOFFEE
mise:
aerial:
mug:
this is another one that you dump out of the mug and onto a plate with great messiness:
go home, mug cake, you’re drunk!
ewww, and disorderly!
this one was really really good. i didn’t have high expectations; i thought it would just be another not-chocolate dried fruit cake, and who needs more of those, right? but this is a keeper. it’s the gooiest thing ever, and it has dates in it, so it’s practically a health food.
CHOCOLATE & CARAMEL POPCORN SUNDAE
mise:
first, the mighty shark mug:
this recipe is a party in a mug. it starts out kind of quiet; everybody’s just awkwardly munching on the crudités:
and then blammo!
i am the rodney dangerfield of mug cakes!
aerial:
this one was as good as it looks. messy, sweet, zero dates, much chocolate.
i took friday off from mugcaking because i wasn’t feeling well, so i made these both yesterday, at the same damn time. and because they were both rowdy—ice cream melting, caramel dripping—the photography was more frenzied than usual, so i neglected to take my trademark bite shots. sorry for breaking our traditions! i will try to remember better tonight!
UPSIDE-DOWN APPLE & CINNAMON CAKE
mise:
another make & dumper, another drunk & slumper:
aerial:
then you cover it with the caramel sauce that you are NOT sending to nadine:
and then ice cream it:
bite:
no mug cake in the history of the universe was ever eaten as rapidly as this one. holy moly—this is DELICIOUS!!! i want to make this every day of the week for the rest of my life. an apple a day, after all…
this one also took two mugs, so i went with a theme again:
MOJITO
mise:
did you know you could buy teeny tiny bottles of alcohol?? so teeny! it’s like being back in my hometown of rhode island!
i used my tiki mug for this one. it seemed appropriate, even though you can’t see the tiki face so good:
aerial:
then you hafta fancy it up like you’re on a resort vacation:
so much going on here!
i will test it and take the bite-shot later; i still have to eat dinner, after all…but tomorrow, all will be revealed!
okay, here is THE BITE:
i think i made the frosting too powerfully peppermint and it overwhelmed every other taste. the cake itself is good, but once you take a bite of frosting, your palate is destroyed for at least an hour. peppermint does not fuck around.
VANILLA CONES
mise:
this one you make in a mug, like this cutie patootie:
but then you actually cook it in a cone:
and then you add the homemade frosting and jimmies (hi, marjorie!):
and then you realize you don’t have room for the flake or strawberry syrup in that tiny cone, so you go ahead and make one in a mug, just for fun:
bite:
and now i have diabetes.
LEMON CURD CHEESECAKE
mise:
and i had some of these lying around, so i added them at the last minute:
i made this in a clear mug, to better appreciate the stratified layers, but since it required two mugs, i also used my hunger games mug because literary, and because the release party was on my birthday, which was nice of them
here are the stratified layers:
aerial:
bite:
the consistency on this one was way off, probably because i didn’t want to have just a smidgen of cream cheese left over, so i hucked the rest in. i promised lemon-lover greg i would make this for him, so i will try to make my second attempt more successful. the flavor is wonderful, but it’s wicked runny.
COKE FLOAT/CHERRY COKE FLOAT
mise:
this ‘coke float’ recipe included a variation to make with cherry coke/ice cream/gummies, so i made BOTH! and i used these coca-cola glasses, even though they are not mugs and it means that some other worthy mugs will never make their way into this project. but they were too perfect not to use, yeah?
aerial:
icing:
tadaaa!
coke:
bite:
cherry coke:
bite:
i was surprised at how much this one tasted like coke/cherry coke. but i’m running out of room AGAIN, and still one to go, so i have to shhhhh.
HALLOWEEN GHOST
mise:
another dump-in-a-plate cake:
with more ganache!
coat liberally with delicious ganache:
and then play with fondant and food coloring to make A SCARY GHOST!
WWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
I KNOW, RIGHT???
this one was very fun, so there’s no reason to wait for halloween to make your own.
bite:
not only terrifying, but also tasty. i’m just going to make mugs of ganache on a weekly basis from here on out.
and, you can giggle to yourself like a nerd by using an appropriate mug, even if the cake doesn’t stay in it for long
hahahahahahah get it?? because it is DEAD—wooooo hooooo i am the funniest baker of mug cakes in this whole apartment!
i am loopy with month-long sugar high, so lemme just say how much fun this project was, and i hope it was enjoyable for youuuu people, too, and that it inspires you to make many mug cakes of your own and share your pictures with me please!
okay, so here are some of the mugs that couldn’t come out and play. first, this one:
what a boring-looking mug, karen! why didn’t you use that one—too plain?
NO! BEHOLD THE INTRUDER:
this mug might be microwave-safe, but there’s no way i was gonna be scraping mug cake off of all of those tentacles…
then we have this one, which i love, but is totally not microwave safe. doodly-doooo, just some people swimming in the ocean…
but when you add hot water—SHAAAAARKS!
then we have this little guy:
but i thought he was too similar-looking to this one:
that i used for the ill-fated s’mores cake, so he just hung out, pouting.
i love this hippo mug:
but i wasn’t sure if he was microwave-safe or not, so i erred on the side of caution.
WHY YOU HATE ME, KAREN??
i paid a steep price for neglecting him
then there is parade of samurai:
this mug has a little crack in it, and since crack is whack, i decided to leave it where it was.
dapper kitties are risky because they are just a small mug:
and this one is super-duper tiny:
also, i’m not sure if the message here is “readers are whores” or “readers are lonely and desperate for attention”
so i decided to try not to offend anyone. (:
and finally, another booooring one.
or is it? it is NOT! once you get some chalk, it is the best mug ever, but totally not microwave-safe:
and i get to show off my unparalleled artistic skills:
it is like she was looking into a mirror!
so, those are some of the mugs that didn’t make the cut—i hope this was in some way interesting to you. since finishing this project, i have purchased The Absolute Best Mug Cakes Cookbook: 100 Family-Friendly Microwave Cakes, which has over ONE HUNDRED recipes in it. maybe a future project with the rest of my mugs? why the hell not?
since march hath 31 days and this cookbook hath 40 recipes, here are the ones that didn’t make the cut:
-GLUTEN-FREE CHOCOLATE CAKE
-EGGLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE
-BIRTHDAY BONANZA
-LEMON & POPPYSEED DRIZZLE
-CHRISTMAS CAKE
-PIÑA COLADA
-MOCHA
-BAILEYS ON THE ROCKS
-WHITE RUSSIAN
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