5 Minute Cake in a Cup



My husband has been working on a big project, and has been bringing work home every night this week.  Some nights he has worked until the wee hours of the morning; it has been a long and tiring week for him.  Last night he went digging around the kitchen looking for something "dessert-ish".  (I've been trying to lose some weight and I have been depriving the poor man of my usual baking efforts.)

I had run across a recipe for a microwave mini-cake earlier in the day, so I grabbed it and went to work!  It took me a few minutes to figure out some substitutions and after that - my husband had warm, yummy chocolate cake in 5 minutes!  Really - 5 minutes to gooey, decadent cake!  Here's my revised recipe and strategy:

"5 Minute Cake in a Cup"

Before microwave...

1 large (mocha style) mug                                                               
1/4 cup of unbleached flour
1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tbsp dark cocoa powder
dash of kosher salt
3 tbsp vegetable oil (whatever kind is safe for you)
3 tbsp vanilla flavored coconut milk (or soy milk)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp water mixed with 1 1/2 tsp powdered egg replacer

Whisk dry ingredients together in the mug.  Add wet ingredients and whisk everything together until smooth.  Microwave for 2 minutes and 20 seconds (or until slightly puffed and not wet on top).  Top with a sprinkle of cocoa powder or powdered sugar and serve warm! 

...After microwave! I don't know why the cocoa powder looks so orange!
 It may not be the prettiest cake, but it's DELICIOUS!

  I also doubled this recipe (mixing it in a large bowl) and was able to divide the batter into 7 "tasting cups" for a perfect kid-sized sweet snack!  I placed all the tasting cups in the microwave at once and it took about 4 minutes for them to cook. Check out the reviews from my children:

I hope you enjoy this quick and easy dessert!  As always, from "The Allergy Safe Kitchen", I wish you "Good cooking and Safe eating"!

Whipped Potatoes

Oh, the silky, indulgent lure of smooth whipped potatoes with good gravy...sounds yummy, doesn't it?  Here are a few of my tips for making delicious mashed potatoes:

• Use gold potatoes (Yukon gold, butter potatoes, always organic if you can)
• Cube potatoes in pieces no larger than an inch for quicker, more even cooking
• Drain your potatoes REALLY well, return them to a the hot pot and let them give off that steam, the more moisture you let them   release before whipping, the better!
• Substitute a little chicken stock for milk and use Earth Balance Spread (not the baking sticks, the spread that comes in a tub!)  I use one full container of Spread for 10 pounds of potatoes. (Oh yes, 10 pounds...we are a family of 9 and we LOVE our mashed potatoes.)
• Don't forget to add a generous amount of kosher salt! 

Do the first round of smashing with a traditional potato masher and then....using a hand mixer, whip the potatoes to desired consistency and enjoy!

 As always, from The Allergy Safe Kitchen, I wish you "Good Cooking, and Safe Eating"!