15 minutes and you get to dig into these delicious mini treats…
As much as I love trying different food that much I am conscious about making it healthy. I love baking cakes and decorating it. Hopefully, one day I could decorate cakes like a pro, long way to go though. Since it’s just my husband and I, the thought of finishing the whole cake by ourselves stops me from baking cakes often. However, I make sure to whip up cakes during special occasions.
There are two wonderful people in my life with whom I can talk about food and cooking endlessly: my mom and sister. I sometimes call them to clarify some silly doubts at odd times when they are sound asleep as it would be day time for me. I know I am such a horrible person, but they have never yelled at me for spoiling their sleep and would help me whole heartedly. Both of them are phenomenal cooks. I have to tell you that my sister had a passion for cooking right from the young age. When we were home alone, my sister was the one who cooked delicious food for me, I just gobbled up and envied her culinary skills. She still continues to amaze me…
A couple of days ago, my sister shared the recipe for making a cake in the microwave. When I heard about this recipe, I instantly wanted to try it as it only called for 4 minutes of microwaving. After all, who wants to let go such easy breezy recipes???
I tweaked the recipe a bit, I made chocolate cake instead of white cake. I adore mini cakes and mini desserts, so I ended up making mini black forest cake. I used microwave proof ramekins to make the mini cakes. You could either make a whole cake in microwave proof pan or try these mini cakes. Use store bought strawberry syrup and whipped cream or make it from scratch.
These are perfect for any parties, you could make the cake batter way ahead and let the guests make their own cakes. You have so many ways of customizing this cake, use different kinds of syrups, frostings, garnishing, fruits, toppings etc etc…Let your creativity rule!!!
Mini Black Forest Cake – 4 minute Microwaved Chocolate cake
Makes: 4 mini cakes in ramekins
Ingredients
For making cake:
- All purpose flour- 4 tbsp
- Cocoa powder- 2 tbsp
- Powdered sugar- 1/2 cup
- Eggs, room temperature- 2 large
- Baking powder- 1 tsp
- Oil- 1/4 cup (I used light olive oil or use vegetable oil)
- Milk- 1/4 cup
- Vanilla extract- 1 tsp
For making strawberry syrup:
- Strawberries, diced- 8
- Sugar- 1/4 cup
- Water- 1/8 cup
- Lemon juice- 2 tsp
For making whipped cream
- Heavy whipping cream- 1 cup
- Powdered sugar- 3 tbsp
Other ingredients:
- Strawberries- to garnish
- Chocolate squares- grate it and garnish over the cakes
Instruction
- In a large bowl, combine powdered sugar and eggs using a whisk till it turns smooth without any lumps.
- Add oil, whisk well
- Add vanilla extract and combine well.
- In another bowl, sift all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder together.
- Add 1/2 of the flour/cocoa powder/baking powder mix to the wet ingredients, combine well using a whisk.
- Add 2 tbsp milk, whisk well.
- Add the rest of the flour mix, mix well and then add the remaining milk, whisk well without any lumps.
- Grease 4 large microwave-proof ramekins with butter.
- Pour the cake batter to fill only half of the ramekin as the batter would rise to double while microwaving.
- You can keeep 2 ramekins in the microwave.
- Microwave at high power for 4 minutes.
- Warning: Do not open the microwave in between ( I did this and this actually spoils the texture of the cake).
- After 4 minutes of microwaving, let it rest in the microwave for another 3 minutes.
- Take it out of the microwave (wear a gloves as the ramekin is very hot) and let cool down for another 5 minutes.
- Run a knife through the sides of the ramekin and close the ramekin with a dessert plate and flip it over.
- The cake will fall nicely on the plate.
Making the strawberry syrup:
- You could either make the syrup from scratch or use store-bought syrup.
- In a saucepan, combine ripe strawberries, sugar, water, and lemon juice together.
- Cook over medium heat till the strawberries are mashed up and turn thick.
- If the water dries off you could add some more water and cook.
- Remove the pan from the heat and let cool down.
Making whipped cream:
- You could either use store-bought whipped cream or make it from scratch.
- Pour the heavy whipping cream into a large bowl and add sugar.
- Using an electric hand mixer, beat at high speed till the cream forms soft stiff peaks.
How to assemble the cake:
- Cut the mini cakes into halves using a sharp knife.
- Spread the strawberry syrup on one of the halves.
- Place it over the other half.
- Spread the whipped cream all over the cake and even it out using a spatula.
- Gently run the sides with a fork to make lined patterns.
- Garnish the top of the cake with cut strawberries.
- Grate the chocolate over it.
- Chill it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or so, when chilled the whipped cream will be set and the cake tastes better.
Tips:
- To make white cake: use 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour and ignore the cocoa powder.
- Use room temperature eggs.
- If making whole cake, pour the cake batter only till half of the pan as the batter would rise to double.
- All purpose flour- 4 tbsp
- Cocoa powder- 2 tbsp
- Powdered sugar- ½ cup
- Eggs, room temperature- 2 large
- Baking powder- 1 tsp
- Oil- ¼ cup (I used light olive oil or use vegetable oil)
- Milk- ¼ cup
- Vanilla extract- 1 tsp
- Strawberries, diced- 8
- Sugar- ¼ cup
- Water- ⅛ cup
- Lemon juice- 2 tsp
- Heavy whipping cream- 1 cup
- Powdered sugar- 3 tbsp
- Strawberries- to garnish
- Chocolate squares- grate it and garnish over the cakes
- In a large bowl, combine powdered sugar and eggs using a whisk till it turns smooth without any lumps.
- Add oil, whisk well
- Add vanilla extract and combine well.
- In another bowl, sift all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder together.
- Add ½ of the flour/cocoa powder/baking powder mix to the wet ingredients, combine well using a whisk.
- Add 2 tbsp milk, whisk well.
- Add the rest of the flour mix, mix well and then add the remaining milk, whisk well without any lumps.
- Grease 4 large microwave proof ramekins with butter.
- Pour the cake batter to fill only half of the ramekin as the batter would rise to double while microwaving.
- You can keep 2 ramekins in the microwave.
- Microwave at high power for 4 minutes.
- Warning:Do not open the microwave in between ( I did this and this actually spoils the texture of the cake).
- After 4 minutes of microwaving,let it rest in the microwave for another 3 minutes.
- Take it out of the microwave (wear a gloves as the ramekin is very hot) and let cool down completely.
- Run a knife through the sides of the ramekin and close the ramekin with a dessert plate and flip it over.
- The cake will fall nicely on the plate.
- You could either make the syrup from scratch or use store bought syrup.
- In a sauce pan, combine ripe strawberries, sugar, water, and lemon juice together.
- Cook over medium heat till the strawberries are mashed up and turn thick.
- If the water dries off you could add some more water and cook.
- Remove the pan from the heat and let cool down.
- You could either use store bought whipped cream or make it from scratch.
- Pour the heavy whipping cream into a large bowl and add sugar to it.
- Using an electric hand mixer, beat at high speed till the cream forms soft stiff peaks.
- Cut the mini cakes into halves using a sharp knife.
- Spread the strawberry syrup on one of the halves.
- Place it over the other half.
- Spread the whipped cream all over the cake and even it out using a spatula.
- Gently run the sides with a fork to make lined patterns.
- Garnish the top of the cake with cut strawberries.
- Grate the chocolate over it.
- Chill it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or so, when chilled the whipped cream will be set and the cake tastes better.
•Use room temperature eggs.
•If making whole cake, pour the cake batter only till half of the pan as the batter would rise to double.
