Nutella Mug Cakes

It's that time of year when everyone is trying to keep their New Year's resolutions. It's also the time of year when I crave cake. Though, if I'm being honest, that happens all year round. Luckily, you can have your cake and and keep your resolutions too with this Nutella Mug Cake recipe!

Mug cakes are "baked" in mugs (duh) in your microwave, but really you could prepare them in any small microwave safe vessel. This recipe is easy to whip up quickly (literally in minutes) whenever the craving for cake strikes you. It only makes enough for a few servings (2-3, depending on the size mug you use), so you won't have to worry about having leftover cake around your house tempting you to overindulge.

Nutella Mug Cakes with Nutella Whipped Cream

Nutella Mug Cakes

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup Nutella
1 large egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
6 tablespoons self-rising flour (or make your own with the recipe below)
Pinch of kosher salt

In a large mug, combine the butter and Nutella. Microwave for 20 to 30 seconds until melted. Whisk in the egg with a fork. Stir in the milk, vanilla and sugar. Add the flour and salt. Beat the batter until smooth. Divide batter between two mugs. Microwave separately for 1 /12 to 2 1/2 minutes each (mine took 2 minutes) until risen and firm.

This recipe lists hazelnuts as an optional add-in, which I decided not to use since I didn't have any on hand. If you do, just toast 1/4 cup of them and fold them into the cake batter before microwaving.

Self Rising Flour

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch kosher salt

Whisk ingredients together with a fork and store in a dry, airtight container.

Nutella Whipped Cream

Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons Nutella

Melt the Nutella in the microwave for 30 seconds, then let cool to lukewarm. In a large bowl, combine the cream, sugar, and vanilla. Using a whisk or an electric mixer, whip the cream until you have soft peaks. Watch closely as the cream continues to stiffen, stopping when it reaches medium peaks. Whisk the cooled Nutella into the whipped cream until just combined. Do not overwhip.

Instead of whipped cream, you could also top these with confectioner's sugar, chocolate ganache, caramel sauce, fresh raspberries, or just more Nutella.

This recipe comes from Leslie Bilderback's cookbook "Mug Cakes," which has 100 quick recipes for cakes and other desserts. I was pretty pleased with how this recipe turned out. It tastes much better than what you might imagine a cake made in the microwave would. There will definitely be more mug cakes in my future. Hope you guys enjoy this recipe as much as I did!