Indulge your inner child (or your actual children) with these 28 recipes for mug cakes and cheat’s bakes. The mug cakes, organised into a section for kids, a section for grown-ups, and mug cakes for everyone can all be prepared in the microwave in just a few minutes. With recipes for Nutella and Peanut Butter, Crushed-up Cookie, and Hidden Oreo mug cakes there’s plenty to delight little ones; while the Boozy Strawberry Centre, After Dinner Mint and Café Latte mug cakes keep the adults happy, too. The second half of the book is then divided into three sections: Cookies, Cakes and Desserts, and No-bake Bakes, where each of the recipes has a cheat to speed things up.
Miracle Mug Cakes and Other Cheat’s Bakes by Suzy Pelta Review
It Does Exactly What it Says on the Tin!
I must confess, I’m a little bit of a cooking snob. I turn my nose up at those who have microwave dinners (who doesn’t have time to boil spaghetti and mix through a spoonful of pesto?!), and Pinterest food ‘hacks’ that probably require more effort than they’re actually worth don’t appeal to me in the slightest. So when The Duchess requested that I review the latest recipe book for The Glass House, I was less than optimistic.
However, Suzy Pelta’s Mug Cakes and Other Cheat’s Bakes has me eating humble pie! It seems it is possible to prepare treats with minimal time and effort and have them turn out delicious!
So, I was sat with my morning coffee after this book landed on my doorstep facing a dilemma but not the dilemma I was anticipating (trying to make a tasteless dried up concoction that had all the ingredients of a delicious cake but would wind up tasting tasted like a piece of cardboard, and then the added difficulty of trying to make it look appealing in a photo.)
Instead, I found myself staring at an entire book of intriguing recipes that I simply couldn’t decide between. I knew I could only pick a couple because although we all love cake, I doubt any of you would make it through a War and Peace length article proclaiming the beauty that is flour, eggs, butter and sugar.
How to choose between Candy Bar stuffed Croissants and Cookie-Stuffed Cookies? Double Chocolate Brownie Mug Cake or Caramel Banana Mug Cake? Now I realise that these are not first world problems, but on this frankly-too-early o’clock on a Monday morning, it took me a few tough moments to narrow it down to three to showcase for you.
Firstly, the Caffé Latte Mug Cake. I thought it best to start with a mug cake, mostly because they make up a big chunk of the book, but also because these were the recipes I was most apprehensive about.
Cake never lasts long in this house. Batches of brownies are gone in seconds before I get to try one (or two, or three… hey I’m the chef! It’s the rules!) and let’s be honest, if I’m baking something it’s because I fancy it, not the kids, not the men in the house, me! So mug cakes are practically made for me.
From my previous but some what limited foray into the world of mug cakes, I have gathered that some recipes call for the batter to be mixed in a separate bowl and then transferred to the mug it is then cooked in.
Doesn’t that defeat the point of a mug cake?
To me, they are an indulgence, not only in taste but because they can be enjoyed with minimal evidence left behind (which means no little ones coming home from school, spying a spatula and sieve in the washing up and your cover being blown).
The Caffé Latte Mug Cake was ready to go in the microwave in minutes, and took even less time to cook. I peered through the window with bated breath, preparing for some sort of explosion or loud noise but instead saw the cake rise perfectly without spillage.
The hardest part of this recipe was waiting for it to cool! The cake was perfectly light and fluffy, and I’m happy to report not in the least bit dry! The perfect portion size for a naughty treat without (much) guilt, and popped away in the dishwasher with no-one the wiser. Now that is a cheat’s bake.
But, alas, the guilt crept up on me. No, not guilt for finally getting some cake as and when I liked it, but the sneaking feeling that the little ‘uns were probably in need of a midweek pick-me-up just as much as I was. But, searching the cupboards I found no inspiration for what to whip up. Step into the spotlight, Breakfast Cereal Bars!
Another one pot wonder that didn’t disappoint! And made with ingredients I already had! Plus, they’re even better when using up the last dregs of that possibly past its sell-by date but I’m not going to check cereal at the back of your cupboards.
And the verdict? Just look at the pictures! The kiddies came back from school and immediately scrambled through to the kitchen to grab a small (giving children sugar post 3pm is entering dangerous territory) slice of yumminess.
Finally, and possibly (definitely) best. Molten. Salted. Caramel. Chocolate. Chip. Cookie. Pots.
Yes.
The recipe makes 6 pots, but I decided that 2 per person might be a little too rich, so instead of halving the recipe, I made the same amount of cookie dough and put the rest in the freezer for another day (I might have friends that pop round for tea last minute! Or I might get a 2am craving for cookie dough and eat the lot. I wonder which will come first).
Again, this recipe would be simple to follow for even the most inexperienced cook, so I predict cookie pots for everyone are just mere weeks away.
Miracle Mug Cakes and Other Cheat’s Bakes is a great recipe book for cooks of all skill levels. Whether it’s for a bit of solo indulgence, pleasing kids of all ages, or a Saturday night treat for you and a loved one, this book has you covered. It won’t be long until I’m whipping up something else delicious from it!
This review was written by: Pippa Perriam.
For a sneak peak into the other images taken during Pippa’s baking day, pop over to our Instagram Page – @theglasshousegirls.
