Fudgy Chocolate Chip Cake Baby Recipe & Mix-in-a-Mug Gift Idea

Do you ever get a craving for chocolate that won't go away until you've broken down and had some?  I have.  If you're like me, you like things that are quick and easy and require little clean up. Here's my 5 minute fix-

I got this idea more than a decade ago from my Mom.  I was addicted to making them for myself for a while.  They make great gifts for co-workers, teachers, college students, anyone that loves chocolate.  We call them cake babies.  I have no idea why, but I hope you try a little cake baby for yourself.  They're so fluffy and chocolaty.  Yummy to the max!

Fudgy Chocolate Chip Cake Baby Recipe

Dry Ingredients:

4 Tbsp flour

2 Tbsp granulated sugar

2 Tbsp packed brown sugar

2 Tbsp chocolate chips or shavings

1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

12-16 oz. mug that is not plastic or metal, and is microwave and food safe.

Wet Ingredients

3 Tbsp milk

1 egg

3 Tbsp melted butter or oil

1/4 tsp vanilla (or peppermint) extract

To enjoy this yummy mini cake now, simply mix well the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.  Add the milk, egg, butter or oil and mix thoroughly.  Add in the chocolate chips or shavings, vanilla or peppermint and mix again well.  Stir til smooth.  Spoon the batter into the mug.  Microwave on HIGH for 3 minutes.  Let cake stand for a few minutes. Serve immediately. You can even top it with vanilla ice cream, fresh berries, chocolate sauce, powdered sugar, whipped cream or topping of your choice.  Enjoy!

C&H Sugar cane image

Fudgy Chocolate Chip Cake Baby Mix-in-a-Mug Gift Instructions:  

In a food safe plastic bag (I use ziplocks) pour in the dry ingredients listed above, adding the chocolate chips last.  Seal and decorate with ribbon, raffia, or something else pretty like the example above which is wrapped in a fabric square.  Then, type or write up a cute little gift tag with the following instructions (or use the C & H tags HERE, the instructions are the same!):

Fudgy Chocolate Chip Cake Baby:

3 Tbsp milk

1 egg

3 Tbsp melted butter or oil

1/4 tsp vanilla (or peppermint) extract

Whisk together milk, egg, butter or oil and vanilla or mint in a medium bowl.  Add cake mix and stir until batter is smooth.  Spoon batter into mug.  Microwave on HIGH for 3 minutes.  Let cake stand for a few minutes. Serve immediately topped with toppings of your choice, if desired.  (You can list a few recommendations) Enjoy!  Attach gift tags and gift away!

UPDATE!!!   After searching for my old recipe and typing this post, I made an AWESOME discovery.  The folks at C & H Sugar now have a webpage full of many different "cake baby" mug recipes and the ever popular mix-in-a-jar recipes too!  They've even made cute tags you can download and print so you don't have to type and prepare them, saving you time.  Here's their link: http://www.chsugar.com/giftideas/gift-mixes/.  Check it out.  

AND- I have found a gluten free recipe that's almost the same linked HERE.

 Enjoy, and have a Merry Christmas!

Cake Number Three...

This will be my last "test" cake before the wedding next month.  I think I have finally figured out how to maintain smooth textured marshmallow fondant from batch to batch.  This one will be going to our friends Dan and Linea for their 10th wedding anniversary tonight.  he will be surprising her with a homemade dinner.

Cake Number Two...

Some of you know that I have been teaching myself how to bake, decorate, and stack a tiered cake recently. My son will be getting married in less than 30 days ,and genius that I am, I thought it would be nice to make the kids their wedding cake.  (The price quote from a local professional cake decorator pushed me forward too, she charges $5 per person, that would have been way more than I can or would afford for a piece of cake.)

So, here I am posting another example of what I am learning.  I made this cake using the yellow cake recipe found in the Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook, to double the 14" base required four batches of the recipe.  I used the Wilton High Humidity Buttercream Icing recipe as "glue" to stack and prep the cake to cover with fondant.  I covered this cake in a yummy marshmallow fondant that I made by folding microwave melted marshmallows into a mountain of powdered sugar.  It got a bit shiny in the heat and humidity last night, so I think I am going to experiment with a bit of corn starch today on my next cake for our friends' wedding anniversary.

I have made a few "test" cakes so far, and I am learning a bit from every cake.  My only problem has been trying to find ways to give them away afterwards (so I don't get tempted to eat all that butter, marshmallows, and sugar.)  Last night, I completed my largest "base" cake so far, a 14" giant.  Un-frosted it was so heavy my wrists ached holding it.  My son is halfway through wind turbine technician school so I decorated it with a stylized windmill and sent it with him to school today.  Here's a few pictures...

In need of fun and pretty wedding ideas...

My son Jonathan will be getting married to an amazing young woman in September and I am in need of unique decorating ideas.  Their accent color is teal.  I have begun planning stages to make a 4 tier wedding cake.  So far, I have made a two tier cake with dowel supports and decorated it with marshmallow fondant with light teal flowers.

That was soooo much fun!  I'm pretty happy with it considering it was my first two tier cake ever and the first time I've worked with the fondant.  Marshmallow fondant acts like polymer clay.  Who knew?  There are even cookie cutter sets made just for the gum paste and fondant flowers.  That's my next task, teaching myself how to make gum paste flowers.  They look real, but they're not edible like the marshmallow fondant flowers so there will be fewer of em.

Getting back on track, any ideas or pictures of wedding ideas would be appreciated.  So far, this is what I've got:
 

Party City Decorative Plates

Faux Rose Petals for tables from Michaels

This picture came from a Martha Stewart Display at Michaels

I am hoping to create something similar.  Crossing my fingers.

Thanks! 

Heidi