under 30 minute chocolate cake for two (or one)

you can make a cake even without turning on the oven. yep. yep again.

when i happened to stumble upon this recipe by broma bakery, i knew i had to try and make it. i had this recipe kept open on a tab on my phone and bookmarked on my computer, and left it there to gather dust...until today.

this took so fast to make, so if you're thinking of making this, let me give you a head start on this very, very important step: take out your butter now to let it soften to room temp! this part always gets me, so whenever i'm trying a new recipe, i read ahead to check on the butter temperature (cold, melted, softened to room temp, etc) before i start. always. that and eggs, the two ingredients that do make a difference whether they're used straight from the fridge or room temperature.

this recipe is brilliant, because it's essentially a mug cake CAKE. everyone loves a mug cake, so why not fancy it up to turn it into a cake cake..? this cake can actually be for one (ahem, i like chocolate okay), but also very easily for two. this is probably the ultimate test to see how well i share...

the cakes fluffed up a lot for me the first time i made it, so i ended up only making 2 separate cakes with enough for 3 layers -- but i've also heard mixed results. so, go ahead and make 3 cakes per the original recipe, which will give you options to use all 3 or 2 of the *better* cakes.

ingredients:

for the cake --
1/2 cup sugar
7 tbsp flour
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
2 tbsp oil (canola or grapeseed)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp water

for the icing --
4 tbsp butter, room temp
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp milk
dark chocolate shavings (highly recommended! fancy level 10/10)

instructions:

1. mix together dry cake ingredients: sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
2. add wet ingredients (egg, milk, oil, vanilla extract, water) with dry ingredients.
3. grease three mugs: if you don't have same sized mugs, you can use the same mug 3x after thorough cleaning and re-greasing! 
4. microwave each mug, on its own, for 1 minute on high.
5. shake and loosen, place on a plate/parchment/board and let it cool to room temperature: place in the freezer for a quick cool down if you're in a rush!
6. for the frosting: beat butter, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and milk until light and fluffy.
7. frost the top of each layer before stacking together.
8. sprinkle shaved dark chocolate bits on top!

 

okay so this might not be the most aesthetic looking cake you've seen, but it was most certainly the easiest to make while hitting all the right places on your taste buds...