After last week’s microwavable curry, I’ve been on a microwave-cooking kick. A friend of mine, sympathizing with the fun of the microwave-cooking challenge, sent me a link to this little recipe from the blog “Dalmatia Gourmande.”
What could be better than two-minute chocolate cakes for two? After testing it out (a few times, admittedly), I tweaked it a bit. Try them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream:
Magic Chocolate Cakes
1 egg
3 T. sugar
¼ t. salt
½ t. vanilla
2 T. plain yogurt
2 T. oil
1 T. Nutella
2 T. cocoa powder
3 T. flour
¼ t. cinnamon
Mix ingredients in a bowl. Batter should be soft. Divide between two greased ramekins or small coffee mugs and microwave on high (800 watts) for two minutes.
Microwave temperature here is key. Before you make these for anyone you want to impress, test them out for the guy down the hall. The recipe calls for just two minutes, but my microwave tends more towards two and a half. Consider yourself warned.
If the microwave’s not your thing, or if you’ve got a stove and want to share the rewards of your kitchen chemistry with more than just one friend, try this fudgy chocolate cake recipe from my Aunt Janet.
This cake is absolutely wonderful—it’s gooey, chocolaty and vegan, if you skip the frosting. Plus, the base ingredient is zucchini, which is cheap and abundant in the fall. When zucchini’s not in season, try substituting other vegetable purees: carrots, applesauce or eggplant.
Janet’s Zucchini Cake
3 c. shredded zucchini
¾ c. oil
2 t. vanilla
3 c. flour
1 ¾ c. sugar
½ t. salt (no more than this!)
2 ½ t. baking soda
¼ c. + 2 T cocoa powder
nuts, if desired
Mix zucchini and oil in a bowl. Add remaining ingredients, stir. Pour into 9×13 pan. Bake at 375° for 25-30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Frosting:
½ c. butter
4 T. milk
1 t. vanilla
¼ c. cocoa powder
3 c. powdered sugar
Boil butter, milk, and cocoa. Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients. You can adjust the consistency by adding more powdered sugar or more milk, according to how you like your frosting. Once the cake has cooled, frost it and enjoy.
Until next time, happy caking!