Banana Cake in Minutes Made in a Mug
Mug cakes are cakes made in a mug in the microwave. While they might not be as nuanced in texture as regular cakes there is no denying that they are fast, easy and get the job done when you want cake now! As in five minutes from now you want to be eating cake. Yes, they are that quick; we combine all the ingredients with just a fork! Make sure your mug is microwave safe. If it doesn’t say, don’t risk it. And never put any mugs with gold or metallic rims or decoration in the microwave. You will need a mug that is at least 12-ounces in size. Note that these really must be eaten right away. The texture is best within minutes of emerging from the microwave. See Tips about baking time. If your bananas aren’t ripe, read How To Ripen Bananas Instantly for instant success. If you want to gild the lily, top with a dollop of Cream Cheese Frosting as described below in Tips. Watch Dédé make this cake on our weekly segment at Better.tv
- 1 medium sized super ripe banana
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon flavorless vegetable oil, such as canola or safflower
- ¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
- Mash the banana with a fork in a small bowl. Mash in egg (use a whisking motion with your fork) and oil. Stir in brown sugar, flour, baking powder, vanilla and salt and optional nuts just until blended. Scrape into 12-ounce microwave safe mug and cook at high power for 2 minutes. Check mug cake by testing with a bamboo skewer, which should come out with just a few crumbs clinging. Cook in 10-second bursts if it needs further baking but it shouldn’t be more than 2 ½ minutes total. Eat immediately! Top with optional Cream Cheese Frosting (see Tips), if you like.
Bakepedia Tips
- It is hard to standardize recipes for microwaves because they all differ. Wattages can vary from less than 700 watts (often smaller or older microwaves) to over 1000 watts. It is easy to see how high power (the full 700 or 1000 watts) will affect how fast something cooks. Use the lower end of the cooking time as a gauge; check your mug cake at that time, then cook further if necessary. You will get the hang of it. Better to check early than to overcook.
- If you want to top with a dollop of cream cheese frosting simply cream together 2 tablespoons of room temperature cream cheese and 1 tablespoon softened unsalted butter with ¼ cup sifted confectioners’ sugar. Dollop frosting on warm cake so that it melts in, or let cake cool briefly.
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