Nutella Mug Cake

It’s no secret that I like cake. A lot. Unsurprisingly, my children also really like cake. (My husband doesn’t eat cake, but let’s not speak of him right now.) This week, I’m going to talk about an amazing cakey breakthrough: from batter to my belly in 1 minute. Oh yes.

I came across a recipe for a Nutella mug cake on (where else?) Pinterest: http://blogs.babble.com/family-kitchen/2011/03/15/nutella-mug-cake/ Normally I wouldn’t give this sort of thing a second glance because mug cakes are generally pretty dire. The photo caught my eye and there were hundreds of positive reviews underneath the post, so I thought I’d throw caution to the wind and give it a go.

Mug cakes, in theory, are a fantastic idea. They’re quick, simple, and kids love putting them together. In reality, most of them come out of the microwave in one solid chunk. On the plus side, they are super effective at exfoliation. This one actually came out looking and tasting like cake. Proper, spongy, moist cake.

Isla, my 3-year-old, helped make this cake. I love getting my kids involved in cooking, but not in a smug “my perfect children can make a 3 course meal and can identify obscure herbs blindfolded” kind of way. My intention is to get them cooking early and often so that a) they will leave the house knowing how to cook and not eating tinned beans for the next 10 years and b) they can make meals for us, because I haven’t had a night off for a while.

The original recipe didn’t taste strongly of Nutella, sadly. I have omitted it from the batter and used it in a sauce instead.

I’ve also modified the original quantities because there’s no way all of that batter would fit into one mug. I have done this in a microwave safe glass bowl, which also works very well. A word of advice about mugs and microwaves – not all mugs are created equal. Some seem to just get blazingly hot without cooking the contents while others take far less time to cook the batter. I actually prefer the glass bowl method or a large Pyrex measuring cup, tipped out into a bowl after cooking. Whatever you use, be careful when taking it out of the microwave because it’ll be hot.

All microwaves vary and as I just mentioned, cooking dishes and types of mugs will affect cooking times. It’s a little bit difficult to tell when the cake is done, but it should look “fudgy” on top – not completely dry. If you’re cooking this in a clear glass container, you should be able to see that it’s cooked by looking at the bottom.

You can serve this with ice cream or a little more cream poured on top. If you make this in a bowl, tip it out into a serving bowl or plate and top with the sauce and any extras. Eat immediately, or it will dry out and go a bit hard.