Not wanting to deflect any of the joy and congratulations for Chelsea and Marc Mezvinsky for the birth of their daughter Charlotte last week but my favourite former First Lady and Secretary of State has also become a grandmother for the first time.

www.cbcnews.com

During the week, I posted a few photographs about #Mocconamoment, a competition that I was asked to be part of by my very favourite instant coffee brand.  The objective of the challenge was to enjoy the box of goodies Moccona sent and to use them as inspiration for an Instagram worthy Moccona moment or two.  The rainy weather last Thursday was the perfect excuse to take to my bed and workshop some ideas.

Inspiration found me in the shape of Not Quite Nigella’s recipe for 5 Minute Chocolate Peanut Butter Mug Cake and the Parisian mug that came in the Moccona parcel was the perfect size to ‘bake’ in.  I consulted the Google Culinary Institute for a recipe I could adapt and finally found the Instructables version which was unique in being quite specific about the amount of beaten egg required for a single cup of cake.  It turns out that a whole egg can make things a bit gluggy and dense.  I’ve included the original recipe at the end of this post.

I found it easier and less messy to mix the cake batter in a separate bowl before pouring it into my lightly oiled (with spray) mug.  You need to be precise with the measurements for the dry ingredients and this is what I used – 4 tablespoons of plain flour, 4 tablespoons of sugar and1 tablespoon of Dutch processed cocoa.

I placed 3 tablespoons of chocolate chips in my mug.

As Toddler SSG ate a few for afternoon tea.  He’s only seen me bake with the distinctively purple packets of Cadbury chocolate chips twice but he can recognize the packet on sight and knows to stand at my feet quietly with an innocent look on his face to get his share.

To the dry ingredients add your wet – 2 tablespoons beaten egg, 1 tablespoon of oil (3 seemed a bit excessive) and coffee (2 tablespoons boiling water, 1 tablespoon milk and 1 teaspoon of Moccona).

I only needed to microwave mine on ‘HIGH’ for 1 minute.  The edge of my cake came away neatly from the mug at this point so I knew it was pretty much cooked.

Be warned, this recipe makes a very rich and moreish cake.  It turned out much tastier than I expected, it was very moist despite my reduction of the oil down to a tablespoon.  It also kept well for the next day.  I reheated in the microwave for 10 seconds and it was still cake like in texture and not rubbery which sometimes happens with microwaved cake.

What a dangerous recipe to know!!

This is the original recipe from the Instructables website.

Instructables 5-minute Chocolate Cake


INGREDIENTS:

• 4 tablespoons flour 
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
• 2 tablespoons whisked egg 
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 3 tablespoons chocolate chips
• splash vanilla or other flavoring – try peppermint or cinnamon

For a fudgier version, omit egg.


METHOD:

• Add all of the dry ingredients to the mug and mix.
• Add the egg and combine well. It gets pretty pasty at the point.
• Stir in milk and oil.
• Add chocolate chips* and splash of vanilla. Stir well
• Microwave for 3 minutes in a 1000w oven, or 4 minutes in a 700w oven.