By Keighley’s Mike Armstrong, an award-winning master baker with a big passion for baking. See facebook.com/bakermike001

WHAT is a mug cake?

It’s a cake made in a microwave, in less than ten minutes, using simple ingredients you don’t even have to weigh out – with no waste, no leftovers and very little washing up!

Where’s the catch?

There isn’t one.

Conventional cake making methods can be tricky, as we’ve all learned through trial and error.

There is such an exact science behind it that a bit too much of this, or not enough of that, can often have dramatic disasters – both costly and time consuming.

However, mug cakes will appeal to everyone making instant, simple cakes so easy you will soon be crating your own recipes like my warming winter gingerbread.

The main differences between an oven and a microwave are the way they heat food and the speed at which they do it. This affects two things – the microwave can’t brown or crisp cakes and, just as it cooks the cake faster, it also dries it out faster if you overcook it.

There will be some explosions and a fair bit of mess, but as soon as you learn a few dos and don’ts you will soon be creating amazing perfect cakes time and time again, waiting for the microwave to ping.

Mug cakes are fun quick fixes and once you have made one, every night will become a mug cake night!

Let’s look at a few basic ingredients first before you all rush off and splatter the kitchen walls and dog in batter.

The butter must be room temperature for ensuring a delicious rich flavour, but you can also use sunflower or vegetable oils or even margarine, just swap in the recipe in place of butter.

Eggs add richness making the cake lighter and you should always use medium.

Salt can be omitted if you wish, but using a little salt always intensifies the overall flavour of both sweet and savoury cakes.

Sugar will mainly call for caster or soft brown being finer textured and much better to dissolve quicker when cooking.

Self-raising flour is the most convenient to use as the balance of flour and baking powder have been measured out for you and saves you the worry about over-or-under-use of raising agents.

You can’t beat a bit of fiery, toe-tingling ginger pud when it’s cold outside.

Can you muster one up this weekend with the added bonus of no washing-up and a pudding just for yourself?

RECIPE

GINGERBREAD MUG CAKE

Makes one winter warming pud

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons softened butter

3 tablespoons golden syrup

1 tablespoon black treacle

1 medium egg

3 tablespoons soft brown sugar

3 tablespoons self-raising flour

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Pinch of salt

To decorate:

2 tablespoons of softened butter

4 tablespoons icing sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon crystallised ginger, sliced – optional

Method:

1. Place the butter into a large 350ml mug and microwave for 10-20 seconds till melted.

2. Add the golden syrup, treacle and egg and beat together with a fork.

3. Add the sugar, flour, ginger, nutmeg and salt and beat again until thoroughly combined.

4. Cook in the microwave for 2 minutes 20 seconds @ 600W, 2minutes @ 800W or 1 minute 40 seconds @ 1000W.

5. Meanwhile, make the icing. Beat the butter, icing sugar and cinnamon together until light and fluffy. Spread the icing over the warm sponge, swirling with the back of the spoon, and top with the crystallised ginger.