For those days when you’re craving something that’s not on the menu at the Hub, try something new: make a dish from scratch! Purchase students in the residence halls, don’t fear: you don’t need a fancy kitchen to make great tasting food – all you need is a microwave! Put that MicroFridge to good use – it’s not just for making popcorn anymore.
In this column I plan on sharing easy recipes with you, along with ingredient lists, helpful tips, and step-by-step instructions. All of these recipes are prepared and taste-tested before they’re posted, so they’re guaranteed to be good. (I plan on testing out vegetarian and vegan dishes too!)
So have some fun with friends and try out a recipe or two. Give Micro-Cooking a try and remember: just because you have a small kitchen, doesn’t mean you’re limited in your possibilities! Happy cooking!
This Week: CHOCOLATE CAKE
A new month means new birthdays to celebrate. My friends and I have been on cake-baking duty for a few birthdays this year; using the stoves and other kitchen appliances that so conveniently come equipped in the apartments on campus to do our baking. In the dorm buildings, we’re not so lucky. Although it may not be the same as a great big birthday cake, you can assemble a cake of some sorts in a flash to satisfy your sweet tooth – using your microwave, of course! I decided to test out some substitutions in this recipe when I realized I didn’t have eggs or oil on hand – I tried using bananas and yogurt instead – and was pleasantly surprised to like the new texture and flavor. So I’m posting the original recipe, but I’ll put the substituted ingredients in parentheses if you want to give it a try. Note: using banana in the cake definitely gave the cake some fruity flavor (but if you’re a fan of chocolate and banana, it’s right up your alley)!
CHOCOLATE CAKE
For this dish, you’ll need:
- A spoon to mix
- Measuring spoons
- A microwave-safw coffee mug
Ingredients:
- 4 tablespoons flour
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons baking cocoa
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 egg (or ½ of a banana, mashed)
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 3 tablespoons oil (or 3 tablespoons plain / vanilla yogurt)
- Optional: chocolate chips, any toppings you may want
Method:
- Wash your hands before handling food!
- Add the dry ingredients into the mug.
- Add in the wet ingredients and mix until the batter becomes completely wet. Try to eliminate any clumps (the banana may make the batter lumpy).
- Microwave on high for approximately 3 minutes. The cake will begin to rise in the mug and, depending on the size of the mug, it may rise over, but don’t be alarmed.
- Allow cake to cool before adding any toppings (if desired) and digging in. (Note: if you substituted any ingredients, you may find the cake has a different consistency than you’re used to – but I guarantee it’s delicious!)