Mug Cakes: 100 Speedy Microwave Treats to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth

The pros:The recipes work and they make 2 individual sized cakes - great for those of us who are on perpetual diets and need built in portion control;They're fast. You can have your cake and eat it, too, in less than 20 minutes. Exactly what you need for those late night "I will kill someone if I don't have chocolate now!" cravings.Great for young kids since the oven isn't needed. Even better for college dorm denizens.The cons:These don't sit well. Like all microwave "baked" products, they get rubbery and tough the longer they sit. They need to be eaten immediately for best results.Any toppings, like icings, are going to melt, since, if you wait until your cakelet cools, you will have a rubbery tough cake.You don't save much time. You still need to gather, then put away ingredients, and you still need to do dishes, although you don't need to wash anything large like a stand mixer or beaters. It just seems to me like a lot of work to get everything together, then put everything away and clean up, all for 2 tiny cakes.I plan to try the recipes again, but this time bake them using ramekins in a regular oven and a toaster oven to see how they come out.*Addendum: I tried them in the oven in ramekins, baked for 20 minutes at 350F. Perfect! Also, the recipes double very easily. I'm raising my review from 3 to 4 stars.

I bought this on a whim. I have a daughter who can't eat gluten, and I'm always looking for ways to make her little special single servings of gluten free items. Plus, this just sounded too fun to pass up. My kids and I have had a blast with this cookbook. I've been really impressed with the recipes. There are photos for every recipe. Lots of variety. Are they gourmet by any means? No. Don't expect that. You're cooking in a microwave - they aren't going to be exactly like a regular cake. But, they rise, come out moist and fluffy...and really tasty. There is something about holding the warm mug and knowing that its a tiny cake just for you, that is thrilling. I haven't let the cakes cool a long time to know if they would get really hard. We've eaten them right away. I tried the recipes as they are and I have substituted gluten free all purpose flour in the recipes I've tried for my daughter with Celiac. They've all turned out great - with and without gluten. We even have been throwing in Halloween candy into the batter. that's fun! My kids are able to make them for themselves. Great way to introduce them to following a recipe. They they screw up and substitute salt for sugar - at least they haven't wasted a ton of ingredients. Perfect fun afternoon treat/activity. I'm already thinking this book, with a couple of fun mugs, would be a great gift! Give it a try!

It was hard to believe all the different types of cakes that were in this book. I figured I had thought of them all. Not even close. There are several "special diet" variations and substitutions too,, like dairy free, sugar free, gluten free, vegan etc. I did not see a substitution for oil or butter, but I have always used banana, avocado, pumpkin puree, mayo, or my favorite, yogurt. I choose, depending on the cake flavor. (Gotta keep those calories down). The first cake I made was (yogurt) chocolate cherry, with fresh cherries. Outstanding!Just a note: If some of the cakes turn out a bit too rubbery in the microwave for your liking, and you don't mind waiting, use a toaster oven and ramekins. 350 deg. for about 10-15 min. It's worth the wait. (I use the small ramekins, not mugs, in the microwave too. They cook faster)I think that the whole point of this book is to inspire you to think up your own combinations and be creative. Satisfying your sweet tooth with a small gourmet treat is sure better than making a whole cake and ending up eating too much of it. If you use the substitutions, you can really create a nice dessert with very few calories. and.....if you're so inclined, a TB of liquor (say, Grand Marnier?) in that chocolate cake wouldn't hurt either..

As a college student, I found this to be very handy. I have been using these recipes almost two years and I love how easy they are and that I don't have to make excess cake that I might or might not eat. One of my favorite features is the adaptations and tips it gives for gluten free, vegan, nut free, or dairy free recipes. It is great for entertaining! However, before you buy, you must know that these recipes are essentially mini-recipes with all of the same ingredients as a full sized cake, but in smaller quantities. Also, each recipe makes two cakes, since you can't really easily split an egg in half. I found that it was easier for me to keep applesauce around than to keep eggs (dorm life is not conducive to using a lot of eggs), so I substituted 1/4 cup of applesauce for each egg that was needed. I actually liked the mug cakes better with applesauce, as it was more moist. With that being said, I would thoroughly recommend this product! This particular purchase was for friends as graduation gifts along with some measuring spoons/cups and a pretty large mug. Any recent grad would be lucky to get this as a gift.

As with many cookbooks, this one is a starting point for the baker to take it and run his/her own learning course. In reading other reviews, ranging from "cakes were awful," to "cakes were delicious," I was curious what I would find. I've tried several recipes with mixed results, but blaming my interaction with my microwave more than the recipes. I've learned that working with a variable such as a microwave, cake results are going to be inconsistent. The baker has to be willing to experiment with baking times according to the microwave used. I started my mug cake recipe experiments with the lowest baking times suggested and found even those were too long for my microwave, a big, high-powered built-in model. Reducing the time and or the power, gave better results. I like the idea of making individual desserts and will be playing with more of these recipes in the microwave, and also giving them a try in a regular oven. Buy this book only if you're willing to consider it a starting point for your own mug cake experiments!

We've really been enjoying the cakes we've tried from this book. It's so easy to do, and the results are always great. A very handy book of recipes when you have a craving for freshly made cakes, but haven't thought ahead far enough to have one ready!

Some very good recipes

Some success some failure, but at least the quantities are small, so it doesn't matter too much if it doesn't work

lovely recipes & they worked well! Cakes much bigger than you expect!

Fantastic book. Some really good ideas for nice winter evenings in front of the fire.