5-Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

This recipe comes courtesy of my friend Suzie. She received it as a forwarded e-mail. I've tried it twice, and though it still needs a little tweaking, it does satisfy a Saturday-afternoon chocolate craving.

5-Minute Chocolate Mug Cake
4 tbsp flour
4 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp cocoa
1 egg
3 tbsp milk
3 tbsp oil
3 tbsp chocolate chips (optional)
Small splash vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug

1. Add dry ingredients to mug and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
2. Pour in the milk and oil. Mix well.
2. Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract. Mix again.
3. Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!
4. Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired. (This can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous).

Lessons learned: Lots of comments on this one. I used Egg Beaters in my recipe so I could do a half-recipe in a smaller mug (otherwise, how do you gracefully split half of one egg?). I added chocolate chips to both mugs, but in the future, I think I'll omit them. They don't add anything special and they disrupt the integrity of the cake, in my opinion. Also, I tried one with a splash of almond extract and the other with a splash of mint extract. The mint gets my vote. If you use a smaller mug (I used a Corelle mug), halve the recipe and nuke for two minutes, not three. My microwave is a 1500-watt nuker. I couldn't figure out how to cook it on a lower watt. If I had, perhaps the cake would have been a little springier and less dense. Maybe next time. If I were serving this to guests, I'd leave it in the mug and top with either whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream. It looks funny and slightly unappetizing when you dump it out onto a plate.