Microwave Cake

June 17, 2012 By 4 Comments

chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream Did you know that you can make cake in your microwave? Yeah, really. Now I told you before that I’ve been looking for a replacement for J’s favorite chocolate cake. But it was a quest I thought I’d have to put on hold until after we’d moved, seeing as we’ve said goodbye to the oven.  But then it occurred to me that I still had a microwave…there had to be a way to make a small cake in there, right?

Thankfully, pinterest was happy to indulge me with many different recipes and ideas for how to make a cake in the microwave and J was my willing taste tester. It turns out there are many spectacular things about baking  a cake in the microwave. First, the clean up is super easy. I used a grand total of two dishes…one mixing bowl and one ramekin to “bake” the cake in. Although many pinners out there suggested cooking the cake in a coffee mug…this option just seemed like a microwave mess waiting to happen. I can just see the cake climbing up the sides of the mug and oozing all over the microwave.Second, it was fast. I mean, like each cake took a grand total of 5 minutes to make. That’s from pulling out the ingredients to placing it on a plate to cool. Yep, 5 minutes to chocolate cake? I can handle that! [Read more...]
Filed Under: Desserts, Snacks Tagged With: , ,

In Search of the Perfect Chocolate Cake

May 15, 2012 By 1 Comment

Do you use cake mix? Or make it from scratch? I’ve always been a fan of the cake mix. I add things to it. I make fancy frostings and decorations. I make piggy pop cake pops. But I usually stick to the mix for the basic chocolate or white cake.  It’s a little funny I suppose because I insist that everything else must be homemade. I don’t particularly like to take shortcuts. But usually I’m using cake as a part of something else and not making cake for the sake of cake so I look at the cake mix as an ingredient more so than a mix. Plus I can never remember to buy cake flour (easy substitute, btw if you’re forgetful like me, swap two tablespoons of corn starch for two tablespoons of all purpose flour for each cup of flour a recipe calls for).

And I found this amazing cake mix. I mean really, it is the moistest, most delicious chocolate cake ever. And it comes from a bag.  J loves it. I make something with this cake mix every week almost. It’s gotten so bad that we make excuses to make cake. And then stand in the kitchen and eat it while it’s still cooling on wire racks.  No big deal, right? Why mess with what’s already perfect and delicious, right?

But we’re moving and now I don’t know if I’ll be able to purchase that cake mix still. And I use it all the time. So I have to figure out something that tastes similar. And is hopefully just as easy. Okay, well I’m probably not going to get a chocolate cake recipe that’s as easy as just adding eggs, water and oil, but a girl can dream right?

My first attempt at making my own version of this cake turned out really good. But the chocolate isn’t quite right. It’s more like a semi-sweet chocolate taste and I’m going for a rich cocoa taste. Not that this recipe isn’t worth sharing with you. It’s a dense, slightly brownie like cake. It just means I have more tinkering with chocolate cake to try. I’m not quite sure how to modify it to get that taste that I’m looking for. Oil instead of butter?  A different brand or more cocoa? More eggs? Any suggestions are welcome!

In the mean time, try this the next time you are craving a chocolate cake and enjoy!

Happy Eating!
~Nikki


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Chocolate Cake
Author: 
Recipe type: dessert
Serves: 24 cupcakes or 2 8″ rounds
 

Ingredients
  • ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ½ cup boiling water
  • 2 cups cake flour, sifted,
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ¾ cup sugar
  • 1 cup butter
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • ½ cup plain yogurt

Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, sift cocoa powder and add boiling water. Mix until well combined and set aside to cool.
  2. In another bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and stir to mix the ingredients well.
  3. In a third, larger bowl (I know, this already has three bowls, it’s definitely not as easy as cake from a mix, but it’s yummy, I promise!) beat the butter until fluffy, about three or four minutes and then add the sugar and continue to beat for another three or so minutes. Add the vanilla and one egg at a time, beating each egg until it is well combined (it shouldn’t look slimy or shiny) before adding the next egg.
  4. Get that cocoa mixture that you set aside and resist the urge to dip your finger in it and taste! It’s bitter because the sugar hasn’t been added yet. I was bad and I let J try it. His bitter face was priceless! Bad Nikki, don’t let people try things you know don’t taste good! Now, add the yogurt to the chocolate and whisk together (I need a mini whisk, not that a fork doesn’t work just fine for this, but aren’t mini kitchen implements much more fun?!).
  5. Now, back to the butter and eggs. With the mixer on low add a scoop of the flour mixture and mix until well incorporated. Then add some chocolate mixture and repeat and scrape sides of the bowl. Continue alternating until everything is in one bowl.
  6. Scoop the mixture (about ¼ a cup) into lined muffin tins or pour into two greased and floured 8 inch round pans and bake on the center rack at 350F until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 20-22 minutes for cupcakes or 30-35 minutes for cakes.
  7. Place on wire rack to cool completely and top with your favorite frosting (I made raspberry buttercream but just about anything goes with chocolate cake, right?)

Filed Under: Desserts, Misadventures Tagged With: , , , , ,