Microwave Mug Cakes

This is the perfect weeknight dessert.  I microwave them when we are sitting down to eat, and they are perfect for dessert time.   I have been playing with many flavor combinations, and will continue to add them to this blog post as I come up with them.

Serves 4

PROCEDURE:
Place 4 wet ramekins or coffee mugs on a microwaveable platter.  Mix all the ingredients and divide batter evenly among the ramekins.  Top each container of batter with the fillings.  Microwave for 2-2.5 minutes on high, then let cool for a few minutes.  Top with a sprinkling of powdered sugar, whipped cream, or ice cream, and serve warm.

INGREDIENTS:

Chocolate:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup milk, 1 teaspoon vinegar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons olive oil.  Recommended fillings: miniature chocolate candies; chocolate chips; peanut butter; Nutella; pie filling; jam

Vanilla:
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup milk, 1 teaspoon vinegar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons olive oil.

Coconut, guava, and cream cheese:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup cream of coconut (such as Coco Lopez), 1 teaspoon vinegar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons olive oil.  Filling: 1 inch piece of guava paste and 1 inch piece of cream cheese.

Key Lime Pie:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup milk, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1 tablespoon grated lime zest, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons olive oil.  Extras: graham cracker crumbs packed in the bottom of the cup before pouring batter, and lime curd injected with a squeeze bottle after baking.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 10 large cookies, soft and chewy.

3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon sea salt
⅓ cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup canola oil
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl, mix flour through salt. In a separate bowl, mix syrup, vanilla, and oil.  Add the syrup mixture to the dry mix and mix with a spatula until combined.  Add chocolate chips, and mix until combined.  Scoop onto baking sheet covered with parchment.

Bake on preheated oven for 9-10 minutes, until the edges feel firm to the touch.  At this point, the centers will still be very soft.  Remove from oven, and let cool in pan for 5 minutes.  Remove from pan and place on cooling rack, to cool completely (or eat immediately with ice cream).

Homemade Cake Mix

Mix in a zip-lock bag and store in pantry for up to 3 months.   Use as you would use store-bought cake mix.


Vanilla cake:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon potato flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Chocolate cake:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Chocolate Oreo Covered Strawberries

Yum. Please bear in mind that I kinda threw these together, so the amounts are approximate. I did not use the expensive long stemmed strawberries for this. I imagine they are pretty pricey, so I just used regular strawberries that had no stems, and used a fork for dipping. They looked and tasted fancy.

12-15 Oreos
12-15 strawberries (the larger the better)
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

Crush the oreos with a big mallet or rolling pin and put on a plate. Set aside.

Melt chocolate in a double boiler. Set aside.

Wash the strawberries. For each strawberry, pat dry with a paper towel, insert fork on the stem end, dip to cover in the melted chocolate, roll on Oreo crumbs to cover, and place on parchment paper lined baking sheet. When all berries are covered, place pan in freezer for about 10 minutes or until chocolate is set.

I know for a fact that the covered berries will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for 24 hours. We ate all of ours by then, but I can't imagine they would last fuzz-free much longer than that.

Black Bean Brownies, Semi-Homemade

One day I got home from work and decided everyone wanted black bean brownies. But it was one of those days... After a long day at the office I just didn't feel like measuring and whisking a gizillion ingredients. So I channeled my inner Sandra Lee and grabbed that box of brownie mix from my pantry...

It IS perfectly fine to take a shortcut sometimes. Right?

Black Bean Brownies, Semi-Homemade

1 18-20oz box brownie mix*
1 teaspoon corstarch
1/4 cup water
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Optional:
a dash of cinnamon
a dash of cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 8x8 or 9x9 baking pan and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk brownie mix and cornstarch (and optional ingredients). In a medium bowl, whisk the water and oil. In a food processor, process the beans until smooth. Add the water and oil mixture to the beans and continue processing until completely blended. Add the bean mixture to the brownie mix mixture and stir to combine. Pour onto prepared pan and sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly on top. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan on cooling rack.

* I have tried this recipe with the following brownie mix brands:
Ghirardelli Double Chocolate (20 oz)
Betty Crocker Fudge Brownies

Black Bean Brownies

I love this black bean brownie recipe from the Meal Makeover Moms. I have to say, it is pretty perfect the way it is from a culinary standpoint. But, it has too many eggs for my allergic Gabi. He can tolerate about 1/6 of an egg at a time, so I made a few tweaks. The result is a good compromise that Dan, Gabi and Daniela love.

If you don't have an egg allergy to deal with, I highly recommend you stick with the Meal Makeover Moms' recipe. Here's my less egg-y version:

Black Bean Brownies

One 15 ½-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed very well
1 large egg
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
4 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons water
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch salt
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips, divided

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray an 8 X 8-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

2. Place the black beans in the bowl of a food processor; process until smooth and creamy. Add the the rest of the ingredients, except the chocolate chips, and process until smooth. Add ¼ cup of the chips and pulse a few times until the chips are broken up a bit.

3. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle the top with the remaining ¼ cup chocolate chips.

4. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until the edges start to pull away from the sides and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan before slicing.

Very Very Skinny and Easy Tres Leches Cake

No meat substitutions going on here. But, this one is a real crowd-pleaser.

Very Very Skinny and Easy Tres Leches Cake

1 box Betty Crocker Golden Vanilla cake
3/4 cup Egg Beaters
water
zest of 1 lemon
1 small can sweetened condensed milk
1 can low fat evaporated milk
1 cup 2% milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 small container fat-free Cool Whip

1- Prepare the cake on a 9x13 pan, following the package directions, with the following substitutions/additions: Egg Beaters instead of the eggs, and water instead of oil (I think the box calls for 1 1/2 c water and 1/3 c oil, so just add 1 1/2 cup + 1/3 cup water and no oil). After everything is mixed, add the lemon zest. Bake. Cool cake completely in the pan. Poke the cake through with a fork so that the sauce is absorbed.

2- In a large bowl (I like to use a 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup) whisk the condensed milk, the can of evaporated milk, and enough 2% milk to make about 3 1/2 cups of sauce. Add vanilla. Whisk everything well. Pour sauce over cake. Cover and chill for 8 hours. Spread Cool Whip on top.