Is it still baking if you use your microwave?

Many many months ago I came across a recipe for microwaved Nutella cake. Being a sucker for anything that includes Nutella, I jotted it down. (I have since misplaced where I actually found it, whoops!) The other night, hankering for something sweet without the hassle of actually baking something, I went for it. And here is the product of Nutella Cake in a Mug.

What you'll need...

4 tablespoons self-rising flour
4 tablespoons sugar
1 egg 
3 tablespoons Nutella
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil (I used olive oil, and I couldn't tell the difference)
A big ass mug
Microwave


I'm not joking about the big ass mug. I made this recipe in our biggest mug and it still rose over the top (see picture below). I panicked and put a bowl underneath, but nothing actually spilled over, it just rose above the lip and fell again once I stopped the microwave. Grab a couple friends because it's been two days since I made this and there's still a hunk of it in my fridge.

Mix all of your ingredients in your mug. I started with the egg, then the sugar, then mixed in the wet ingredients: milk, oil, Nutella. After that I slowly mixed in the flour and the cocoa powder. I used a small whisk, but the instructions recommended a fork for whisking. Make sure there are no clumps in the bottom edges of your mug. Microwave temperatures and times vary, so keep an eye on it. It took my about-to-crap-out microwave about 4-5 minutes to cook this thing, but the recipe called for 1.5-3 minutes. I plopped the monster into a bowl afterwards and scooped a little ice cream onto it. After a few bites, though, I was overloaded by the richness of it and wrapped the rest for some fridge time.

The cake was pretty good, for something thrown together and microwaved. I imagine it's the same idea behind those Betty Crocker microwavable desserts, except you can use your own ingredients (especially if you've been trying to work through a pound of self-rising flour like I have...). I definitely recommend sharing this with several people unless you want leftovers.

Nothing like the combo of warm, gooey cake and ice cream!