Oops I Did it Again... Lemon Poppy Cake in a Mug...

I really really really wasn't going to make another cake in a mug so soon. I certainly didn't think I would be posting two blogs in a row about cake in a mug (for blog aesthetic purposes). As a matter of fact, I wish I had never even heard of it. This cake has been haunting me every waking hour and creeping into my dreams. Every time I have a spare 5 minutes or so, I find myself thinking "I could be making/eating a cake right now".

But since my Three Minute Miracle Rocky Road blog has been cruising around Tumblr at the speed of lightening, I thought it best to make sure microwaving a cake is as easy as I purported it to be... And created this Lemon Poppy recipe to test my claims.

Three Minute Lemon-Poppy Cake-in-a-Mug

• 4 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds
• pinch kosher salt
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 1/8 teaspoon vanilla
• zest of 1 lemon

Stir well and microwave for 3 minutes, let cool for 1 minute, then tell everyone within earshot how totally awesome you are! I also added 1 tablespoon chia seeds to mine for optimum om nom nomness. I used skim milk for this one, and prefer to use canola oil, but use what you have handy! This is about "doing it on the fly". If you are going to obsess about proper ingredients (and proper measuring), you might as well bake a "real" cake.

Oh... The icing... It's a simple cream cheese icing...

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon cream cheese
• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
• pinch kosher salt (optional)
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)

Microwave the pat of butter in a small microwaveable bowl (I used a soy sauce bowl) for 10 seconds until it softens but doesn't melt. Add the cream cheese and microwave for 5 seconds (it might pop and explode and gets really hot so be careful). Stir until these 2 ingredients together until completely incorporated. Add the powdered sugar, salt and lemon zest and stir until you have a lovely creamy glaze.  You can leave out the lemon zest and add some vanilla seeds or a pinch of  cinnamon... This glaze is highly customizable, as long as you have the butter, cream cheese and powdered sugar. I like to add my glaze to the cake while it's still warm so it oozes down between the cake and the mug and soaks into the whole cake. Mmmmm.... Cake.

 Must. Have.

Cake.

The Three Minute Miracle! Now in Rocky Road Flavor!

Staind Glass Jiggle!

My sweet tooth has been in overdrive lately, so when I heard about stained glass Jello, I RAN to the store to pick up supplies! This isn't an "eat with a spoon" kind of desert. They're very sturdy, like the "Jigglers" recipe on the Jello box, so you can pick it up, which makes it so much more fun to eat!

 I'm not the biggest fan of the "regular" Jello flavors, so I bought one box each of raspberry, peach, pineapple, melon fusion, and blue mixed berry. You can chose as many or as few flavors as you want though, but 3 boxes (of any flavor) is ideal for a nice, colorful treat.

Ingredients:

3 to 5 small 3 ounce boxes of Jello (or whatever brand you prefer)

2 packets of unflavored gelatin (I used Knox-they come 4 packets to a box)

1 can of sweetened condensed milk -14 ounces (do NOT use evaporated milk)

unflavored cooking spray (optional)

Prepare small plastic containers (one for each flavor) by very lightly spraying the inside of each with cooking spray. You can skip this step if you want to, but it will be easier to remove the Jello after it sets this way. 

In a separate container add one cup of boiled water to one flavored Jello packet and stir until dissolved. Gently pour into prepared plastic container and refrigerate overnight. Repeat with with each flavor.  Do not follow the "regular" directions on the box. That would make the Jello to weak and the treats will fall apart under their own weight.

After the Jello has set up overnight, take a hot, sharp non-serrated knife and cut a grid into your Jello while it's still in the container, making 1 inch squares. Also run the knife around the outside edge where the Jello meets the container for easy removal. Gently turn the container over onto a large bowl to allow the squares to fall out. Repeat with all flavors. 

Prepare a large baking dish (around 12" x 12") by very lightly spraying the inside with cooking spray. Gently sprinkle your mixed colored Jello squares into this pan, but be careful that the squares don't get coated with cooking spray too much. Make sure the Jello squares are spread out evenly. Set the baking dish into the fridge to keep it cold until it's needed again.

In another bowl, add 1/2 cup of cold water. Sprinkle 2 packets of unflavored gelatin evenly over the cold water. Do not mix! Allow the gelatin to sit for about 5 minutes (refer to the unflavored gelatin box in case the time varies).  Afterwards, gently pour 1 1/2 cups of boiling water and stir until dissolved.  Add one can of unsweetened condensed milk, and stir until completely combined. Allow to cool to room temperature.

When the milk/gelatin mixture has cooled, slowly pour into the baking dish, being careful not to disturb the Jello squares too much.  Gently give the baking pan a shake to loosen up any air pockets and be sure to pop any bubbles that might be sitting on top. Gently push Jello squares that are poking up back down so the surface of the Jello is as smooth as possible. Place the baking dish back into the fridge and let the gelatin set up for at least 8 hours. 

When the gelatin has set up completely, cut large squares (3 to 4 inches wide) with a sharp, hot, non-serrated knife. Do the cuts slowly and be patient! Be sure to cut around the edge of the pan to separate the gelatin from the pan. place a large platter on top of the pan, and GENTLY turn the pan over onto the platter. The squares should come out easily. And there you have it! Sweet, creamy, jiggly goodness! Enjoy, and be sure to share!