**Note: I take absolutely no credit for this recipe. It was posted on the parenting board I frequent, and I Googled it to see if I could find a source. It fascinated me to discover that it appears to be a fairly recent recipe, though I couldn’t track down the exact origin (I probably could, but I don’t have that much patience) and it’s spread being posted on everything from craft forums to miniature horse forums to parenting forums to blogs (like mine). I wish I knew who the original poster was so I could credit them, but I hope they realize what kind of viral life their recipe has taken on. If it’s not a new recipe, then it’s taken on a new life again in the past month or so.

Now for the recipe:

Dangerous Chocolate Cake-in-a-Mug

Why is this the most dangerous cake recipe? Because we are now only five minutes away from chocolate cake any time of the day or night!

Grab 1 COFFEE MUG. (Get one of your largest ones that can go in the microwave.)

Take a 1 TBSP MEASURING SPOON and add the following (Keep reusing the same spoon for less clean-up.):

4 Tbsp. cake flour*
4 Tbsp. granulated sugar (ok – you start feeling guilty here)
2 Tbsp. cocoa

Take a regular butter knife and mix up the dry ingredients.

Add 1 EGG

Take the same regular butter knife and stir it well. (not all the flour will mix in but most)

Take that same Tablespoon, and measure in:

3 Tbsp. milk (any kind)
3 Tbsp. oil (any kind but peanut)
splash in a little vanilla

Take the same regular butter knife and stir it well this time.

Optional: Add in up to 3 Tbsp. chocolate chips. (I put in the mini chips.)

Put the mug in the microwave, and cook for 3 minutes. (on a typical 1000 watt microwave – if your microwave is average size and under 5 years – it’s fine)

The cake will rise up over the top of the mug — Do not be alarmed!

Either eat it from the mug — or, dump the cake out (it just slips out) onto a plate and eat.

It makes WELL ENOUGH for two people and possibly three — or you can eat it yourself.

I squirted on some chocolate syrup I had in the refrigerator and a little whipped topping. It looked like some fancy dessert.

YUMMMMMMM!!!!!!! It so cures the chocolate fix!

*OK, so I didn’t have cake flour, so I used self-rising, which worked fine. It just makes a heartier cake. If you want a lighter cake and don’t have cake flour – you can spend the time sifting 1 cup all-purpose flour and 2 Tbsp cornstarch to get cake flour. Or – shoot – I bet doggone all-purpose flour would work for this just fine, too. It depends if you want a light and fluffy cake or a heavier cake. It’s chocolate cake. Either way would be good to me!

Just another note that 1) cake flour is not the same as self-rising and her substitution suggestion isn’t quite correct:P and two, there are cleaner versions of this recipe out there, with less dialogue, but I thought this one was more interesting (though obviously not the original since they used different flour).

Cake flour substitute: For 1 cup of cake flour, substitute 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour. You also can try substituting 3/4 cup all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch for every 1 cup of cake flour called for in a recipe.

Cleaner version of recipe follows:

5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE

4 tablespoons cake flour(that’s plain flour, not self-rising)
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons baking cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips(optional)
a small splash of vanilla
1 coffee mug

Directions:
Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well
Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.
Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla, and mix again.
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don’t be alarmed!
Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.
EAT! (this can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous).