My microwavable chocolate cake experiment

A couple weeks ago my mom forwarded me an email entitled "The 5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake." Obviously, I had to try it at some point. Last night I finally did...although I'm pretty sure soy milk and eggbeaters aren't perfectly suitable substitutes for milk and a whole egg. So, here's the recipe:

5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE 4 tablespoons flour 4 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons cocoa 1 egg 3 tablespoons milk 3 tablespoons oil 3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional) A small splash of vanilla extract 1 large coffee mug (MicroSafe) 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 extract, 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 !

I did use semi-sweet chocolate chips, which resulted in extra melty chocolate goodness. I didn't have any regular milk or real eggs, so I used my vanilla Silk soy milk and a 1/4 cup of eggbeaters to substitute for the 1 egg. I licked the spoon after stirring it up and definitely tasted soy milk, so I think next time I really need to wrangle some regular milk. Popped it in the microwave and the BF and I watched it rise, but then it fell a bit. I'm thinking that's because I didn't use a real egg....which is also the reason it wasn't as light and fluffy as the recipe claimed it would be. I let it cool a couple minutes after I took it out of the microwave, then ran a knife around the inside of the mug and popped it out on to the plate and cut it in half. Here it is:



The BF and I agreed that the flavor was good, but it was a bit dense and rubbery....probably because of the whole egg/milk thing. I did some research online to find out what vegans use as substitutes for milk and eggs, because I've had some really yummy vegan chocolate cakes before. Shockingly, vinegar can be used as a substitute for eggs, because it has the same leavening properties. Who knew? I'll have to give that a whirl next time I'm desperate for chocolate cake and don't have any eggs! Regardless of the slightly rubbery texture, we ate the whole thing. I'm definitely going to be trying this recipe again....so much better for a lazy person like me than having to go all the way to the store for dessert!

Big fat FAIL!

We went to dinner at Nora's Wine Bar the other night and I was determined not to stuff myself until it's painful. We always order way too much, plus I drink lots of wine from the fun machine dispenser thingy ("enomatic system" is the proper terminology, but I prefer to call it a thingy). This time, between the 4 of us we ordered a caesar salad and eggplant cakes (with extra tomato chutney of course) to start. For our main courses, we got the seafood and couscous, which is my favorite, a mushroom and spinach pizza and the Alaskan ling cod. I tried a couple bites of the cod, but hardly had any of that. Basically, I had slice (and an extra tiny piece I can't even classify as a slice) of the pizza and some seafood and couscous. I hardly even had any couscous and I didn't even eat the whole piece of bread slathered in tomato and garlic goodness that comes with it. Plus, being the designated driver, I only had 1 glass of wine. I was doing so well. Perfectly content and full, but not crossing the line to pain and the need to be rolled out of the restaurant. Then a couple other people we know sat down to chat and apparently dessert was ordered. Bollocks. It's not like I can pass up the warm flourless chocolate cake. That would just be rude. Plus, the people who joined us insisted on buying us another glass of wine, and I couldn't be rude and turn that down either. I just drank a couple sips and gave the rest to the BF, who happily obliged since I was driving his ass home. I only had a couple bites of the cake, but then miraculously ANOTHER chocolate cake appeared because the other dessert we ordered (some kind of fruit tart) was gross. That's why I don't allow fruit in my dessert. It just messes shit up. Anyway, by the time we get up to leave, I'm feeling like I'm about to burst. We get home and I proceed to curl up in the fetal position and rub my tummy as to avoid puking. Damn you Nora's! Why do you always do this to me???