Microwave Chocolate Cake for Two

Well, today is looking up. Mr. H. is on his way to fix the roof, the $#&*! cat is out of the attic, cable is back on, and Mike's work is running pretty smoothly. Today will be a big day with the roof, going to my client's office (yay for migraines retreating!), and dinner with great friends who have some awesome news.

Having said that, hello. My name is Fran. And apparently I'm a big fat kitchen snob. Maybe not so much a snob as I can't work a microwave to save my life. I don't have a microwave: I have a clock that occasionally warms stuff up.

Through the years good friends of mine whom I consider to be good cooks have emailed me recipes that involve cooking something in the microwave. COOKING it! Fully! Like, taking something from being completely raw to cooked in 3 minutes and expecting it to be edible. Omelettes, casseroles, nachos, fudge (FUDGE!), cakes, muffins, brownies, pralines, lollipops, in just minutes. I've tried, and I just can't do it right: it's always rubbery, chewy, burned, or unrecognizeable. Maybe I'm a throwback or missing a hurry up gene.

Now if I hear somebody say, "It's so easy! Just put it in the microwave!" my nose flies completely out of joint and I dismiss the recipe.

But in the spirit of a test kitchen blog, I'm going to start posting my experiments and how they really turned out. If you have any suggestions, please do leave them in a comment!
This is the recipe copied exactly from the email:

5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
A small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug (Micro Safe)

• Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well.
• Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
• Pour in the milk and oil and mix well..
• Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.
• 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!
• Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.EAT!
• (this can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous).
  
  And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world? Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!!!!!

The cake in the email looked all goey and moist and delicious. Well, I'm not sure how dangerous this one would be. This is how it turned out:

I split it in two and served with ice cream. Mike was my guinea pig. I didn't tell him about my microwave experiment or my misgivings - just served it like it was any other old dessert and asked how it was. His reaction? "Well.... it's...... ok. Kinda chewy." And if you know Mike, that translates to "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO THIS CAKE?!?"

It's not completely awful. I can see where this cake would be ok after a long day of work with PMS when you fall into the front door and the only thing that keeps you from bursting into tears is the prospect of some warm semi-chocolatey-like substance and you don't have anything else in the house.

Maybe instead of oil, the lipid should be butter?