Tuesday, July 29, 2014

13 Easy Microwave Mug Cakes Week 12: Apple Cinnamon Mug Cake


Compliments of theKitchn
Recipe by The Hungry Hedgehog

Hi Friends,

It's our 12th week with only one more to go, therefore, it's only fitting to go with a comfort mug cake. Microwave mug cake is an awesome idea, but it’s only awesome if it tastes as good as the oven variety. No matter how easy or convenient it is, cake isn’t worth making or eating unless its totally delicious and has the perfect spongy but not an actual sponge cake texture.

Some people can make a mug cake in under five minutes, but it took a little bit longer especially since the frosting was made too. This recipe still shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes total. Cake cravings, beware!

This mug cake is a small (but satisfying!) portion, best for a short mug or ramekin. If you want a large mug sized cake, double the ingredients and change microwave time from 45 seconds to 1 minute.

The cream cheese frosting recipe calls for room temperature cream cheese. This is kind of important or the frosting won’t mix well and will be lumpy. Just in case you don’t have an hour to let your cream cheese sit out, one trick is to put the cream cheese in a small zip bag and knead it with your hands until it warms up.

Now, for the Apple Cinnamon Mug Cake...

Microwave Mug Cake Part 1: Apple Cinnamon
Serves: 1
Prep time: 7 minutes
Cook time: 1 minute
Total time: 8 minutes

Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1 heaping tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon applesauce
  • 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1/2 tablespoon milk
  • 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

Icing
  • 1 tablespoon room temp cream cheese
  • 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon milk

Directions
1. Prepare icing by whisking ingredients with fork until fairly smooth, then set aside.

2. Mix together dry ingredients very well. Add applesauce and mix (it will be thick and sticky) and then mix in remaining ingredients. Dump into a small (7-10oz) mug or ramekin.

3. Microwave on high for about 45 seconds. Top with Icing and serve.

Bon Appétit to all our Apple and Cinnamon lovers...

Check back next Tuesday for another quick and easy Microwave Mug Cake from your friends at Interior Design!

Your kind contribution will allow us to continue sharing great, no cost and cost saving ideas for your space. Click the "Donate" button below to make a contribution. Thank you!





Live well,
Yvonne

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

13 Easy Microwave Mug Cakes Week 11: Chocolate Orange Cake


Compliments of theKitchn
Recipe by Pixi Wishes

Hi Friends,

Welcome back and thank you for joining us on our 11th week toward the 13 Easy Microwave Mug Cake series. These little cakes are quite the little gem. We have featured 10 other mug cakes that we hope you have enjoyed and shared and thought this one was truly a find made using microwave-safe soup mugs.

Hope you enjoy!

Chocolate Orange Cake

What you will need:
  • 8 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup caster sugar
  • 1 teaspoon orange essence
  • 1/4 cup orange juice
  • 2 cups of self raising flour
  • 1/2 cup Dutch cocoa
  • 2 eggs (exclude if too spongy)

Chocolate Drizzle:
  • 1 cup icing sugar
  • 200 grams milk chocolate melted
  • 1/2 cup orange juice

What to do:
In a large bowl beat together 6 tablespoons of butter with 1 cup of caster sugar. Add in the orange essence, orange juice and eggs, Continue to beat. Sift in the flour and cocoa and beat until a smooth batter forms. Grease your mugs with a little butter and pour in the batter. about 2/3 full. Cook for around 2 minutes. Turn your cakes out into a bowl and drizzle with the chocolate orange glaze.

To make the glaze: Simply whisk together the melted chocolate, sifted icing sugar and orange juice.

Makes around 4 mug cakes.

Enjoy and Bon Appétit...

Check back next Tuesday for another quick and easy Microwave Mug Cake from your friends at Interior Design!

Your kind contribution will allow us to continue sharing great, no cost and cost saving ideas for your space. Click the "Donate" button below to make a contribution. Thank you!





Live well,
Yvonne

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

13 Easy Microwave Mug Cakes Week 10: Lime Coconut Mug Cake

Compliments of theKitchn
Recipe by Kirbie's Cravings

Hi Friends,

Welcome to out 10th week in the inspired 13 Easy Microwave Mug Cakes series. This week we are featuring a mug cake based on the “Put the Lime in the Coconut” song? (Officially its title is “Coconut” by Harry Nilsson.) So as a tribute to that end we are doing a Lime Coconut Mug Cake - Hope you enjoy...

Lime Coconut Mug Cake

Ingredients
  • 4 tbsp all purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 2 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 4 tbsp full fat coconut milk
  • 1 tsp coconut flakes
  • 1/4 tsp lime zest

Directions
Combine all ingredients except lime zest and coconut flakes into a microwave safe mug. Stir with a small whisk until batter is smooth. Make sure you get all the flour, sometimes it gets stick around the edges of the mug. Briefly mix in coconut flakes and lime zest. Microwave for about 1 minute. Top of cake should be dry and look finished. Top with additional lime zest before eating.

Now that's putting the the Lime in the Coconut!

Bon Appétit...

Check back next Tuesday for another quick and easy Microwave Mug Cake from your friends at Interior Design!

Your kind contribution will allow us to continue sharing great, no cost and cost saving ideas for your space. Click the "Donate" button below to make a contribution. Thank you!





Live well,
Yvonne

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

13 Easy Microwave Mug Cakes Week 9: Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake Mug


Compliments of theKitchn
Recipe by The Novice Chef

Hi Friends,

Welcome back to our 13 Easy Microwave Mug Cake series for this Summer...

We have had comments some mug cakes are just too spongy. The simple explanation is "egg", whenever you are making a mug cake do not include an egg; we use an egg to cook an entire cake so including one in a cake designed for one is just too much and can cause the cake to be spongy. With that settled, lets move on to our featured cake of the week; it's not too peanut buttery - just enough. It’s full of chocolate flavor and has a great texture. When microwaving, it does rise really high and fall. It’s strange and looks awful, but it’s perfect — I promise! Plus, this recipe is great to build off with other flavor combinations. You can switch out the peanut butter for nutella or biscoff spread or you can add fun additions like chocolate chips, marshmallows or nuts! I promise this is your new favorite midnight chocolate snack.

Okay, here we go...

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake Mug

Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • Pinch of salt
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon peanut butter

Suggestion 1: Substitute Oil with Avocados from Mexico

Suggession 2: Stir in mini marshmallows or some chopped walnuts to add a little something different! Add both and it's like a Rocky Road Mug Cake, Yum!

Directions
  • In a large mug, whisk (with a small whisk or large fork) together the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt). Add the milk, vegetable oil and peanut butter. Whisk until smooth.
  • Cook in the microwave on high for 1 minute and 10 seconds. This recipe will rise a lot and then deflate. It's strange, but it's delicious!
  • Serve immediately!

Reminder: Eliminate egg in all your mug cake recipes if the small cakes are too spongy for your taste.

Bon Appétit

Check back next Tuesday for another quick and easy Microwave Mug Cake from your friends at Interior Design!

Your kind contribution will allow us to continue sharing great, no cost and cost saving ideas for your space. Click the "Donate" button below to make a contribution. Thank you!





Live well,
Yvonne

Friday, July 4, 2014

Happy 4th of July!


Happy 4th Friends,

I live a wonderful, prosperous life here in America. Unfortunately, there were times my mind was closed but fortunately, enlightened, as well. I have felt the pain of loss, and the exuberance of winning. I have had relationships go bad, and have started up wonderful new ones. I am an American, and thankful every day that I was born into the abundance that is America.

How fortunate am I to have the medium available to me to be able to express this to you, as well as, receive messages from friends and loved ones, in the peace and tranquility that America is today. We are truly blessed.

Happy Birthday America. I for one, am proud to say I Am An American.

Enjoy this Independence Day in the warmth of home, the love of family and the company of good friends...

Have a good one from your friends at Interior Desgin!

Your kind contribution will allow us to continue sharing great, no cost and cost saving ideas for your space. Click the "Donate" button below to make a contribution. Thank you!




Live well,
Yvonne

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

13 Easy Microwave Mug Cakes Week 8: Vegan Sweet Potato Mug Cake


Compliments of theKitchn
Recipe by Oh My Veggies

Hi Friends,

Welcome back!

In our eighth week is vegan-friendly. No matter how much you’re enjoying your meal, you still anticipate dessert. You always need a little something sweet after dinner–usually it’s just a piece of dark chocolate or something small, but sometimes if you have a light dinner, you have room for something more. But not too much– you might not want a big slice of cake and don’t want to do all the work involved with making a batch of brownies or cookies. That’s why you will love this mug cake!

Mug cakes are easy, they dirty up a minimal amount of dishes and measuring spoons, and they’re ready in a minute or two. There are days when you just need a mug cake, right? At first, you might be put off by the texture because they aren’t as cakey as expected, but you will really start to like the texture and go through a phase where you are making mug cakes once a week or maybe twice a week; fine, three times a week.

Mug cakes have become so popular, there is an entire book about mug cakes. Mug Cakes: 100 Speedy Microwave Treats to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth by Leslie Bilderback is full of unique, delicious recipes for all your mug cake desires and even has an chapter with vegan, dairy-free, sugar-free, and gluten-free mug cakes too. In fact, this Vegan Sweet Potato Mug Cake recipe is included along with many others...

Now, lets get cooking my vegan-friendly friends...

Vegan Sweet Potato Mug Cake

Yield: 2 mug cakes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp egg substitute (exclude if too spongy)
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup mashed cooked sweet potatoes (or sweet potato baby food)
  • 2 tbsp soy, rice, or almond milk
  • 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 7 tbsp self-rising flour
  • Pinch of kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 3 tbsp toasted pecans or walnuts, chopped (optional)

Instructions
In a large mug, whisk together the egg substitute and water with a fork and set aside for 5 minutes to thicken. Stir in the sweet potato, soy milk, vanilla, and sugar. Add the flour, salt, and spices. Beat the matter until smooth. Fold in the nuts. Divide the batter between two mugs. Microwave separately for 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 minutes each until risen and firm.

Suggestion: Make the mug cakes without nuts and top with coconut whipped cream and pepitas, Delicious!

Bon Appétit...

Check back next Tuesday for another quick and easy Microwave Mug Cake from your friends at Interior Design!

Your kind contribution will allow us to continue sharing great, no cost and cost saving ideas for your space. Click the "Donate" button below to make a contribution. Thank you!





Live well,
Yvonne