Whilst on the subject of cake, and chocolate, here’s a really quick and easy chocolate cake recipe which can, on occasions, be either rustled up just as guests are arriving for an impromptu bit of cake with a cuppa, or popped in that lunchbox… It only takes 8 minutes, if made as one large cake in our microwave, and let’s face it, everyone has 8 minutes don’t they?
The recipe can be made as a large cake, or in silicon moulds and made up as little cupcake sizes, so the choice is yours.
Just be sure to alter the timing depending on the power of your microwave, and also the size of your container, otherwise you will have burnt little cakes!
Recently we ran out of time, quite literally, in the run up to my oldest’s birthday so had to rush this cake together as our birthday cake! I have since been popping a slice in their lunch box as a treat. I stress this is a treat, and not the norm!
8 minute microwave chocolate cake!
It has become perhaps one of the most used recipes in our household over the last 12 years, due to the speed with which you can create it, and in the knowledge that the cake will be eaten within a day!
So to the ingredients you will need, and please forgive me, these are all in cup sizes (1 cup equals 250ml)…
1 cup flour
1 cup caster sugar
4 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
Sift the above ingredients together.
45ml cocoa powder
1 cup hot water
2 eggs
60ml oil
Whisk the above ingredients together. Then combine the dry and the wet ingredients together. I put them all together in the mixer. Place in a round microwave proof container lined with kitchen towel (to stop the cake from sticking).
Cook for 8 minutes on power 800 Watt.
Ice with your favourite icing.
To make the icing you will need:
140g icing sugar
100g margarine or butter (we prefer unsalted butter)
6ml vanilla essence or extract
4ml hot water
20ml cocoa powder
Beat the icing ingredients together to form a smooth icing.
Ice your cake, add embelishments and sprinkles! In the picture above, King Julien decided to help me decorate with maltesers and the compulsory candles, being a birthday cake. We also used a ceramic loveheart dish, and microwaved the cake in two goes, as we have just the one ceramic dish. Then sandwiched the two lovehearts together with the icing. (For us, microwaving half the mixture in the ceramic dish twice, we gave it 5 minutes for each section)
So what speedy cake recipe do you have? Or do you have some time saving tips to share when time is against you but you’re still wanting to bake?
The Lunchbox Lady x
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