Baking Fail: Mug Cake

You know when you get a craving in the evening a few hours after dinner and you want a treat but you don't really have anything? Yeah, I turn to Pinterest which is a wonderful resource for anything you need... especially when it's food related!  So, I didn't want to make cookies because that would take too long and I didn't want leftovers so I stumbled upon two delicious-looking mug cake recipes and decided to try them out for Russ and me. 

Chocolate Mug Cake

2 tablespoons flour

1 1/2 tablespoons Splenda Granular or Whey Low powdered

2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon  instant coffee crystals – optional, but brings out the chocolaty YUM!

Pinch salt

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon oil

Drop of vanilla extract

Spray a coffee cup or ramekin with vegetable cooking spray.  In the cup combine the flour, Splenda, cocoa powder, baking powder, coffee crystals and salt until no lumps remain.  Stir in the milk, olive oil, and vanilla until smooth.

Bake in the microwave on high for 35 seconds.  You may need to add 5 more seconds (maybe 5 more after that, depending on your microwave)… but don’t be tempted to overcook or it will be rubbery!  It should be moist on the bottom and will continue cooking as it sets.

Serve with chocolate sauce…a sprinkle of powdered sugar…whipped cream or eat plain as a brownie.

And... um. Yuck. :( I guess I shouldn't have expected much from a 30 second cake, right?

Then I decided to try Russ' mug cake choice, which was like a cinnamon-type mug cake. Unfortunately, I didn't save the recipe... 

It tasted like someone's old, discarded cinnamon toast after it started to cool off. Pretty awful.

So yeah... the beautiful pictures on Pinterest are sometimes deceiving...