By Jessica-May Cox
Autumn is a bittersweet time of year for me. The weather is perfect: the cold winter winds don’t bite just yet, but the Summer Sun is finally calling it a day. And, of course, with this time of year comes the return to university.
I started to miss the friends I made during first year, as well as the regularity that my timetable provided me, so it wasn’t that big of a deal to come back. Or so I thought.
The workload for second year has already piled up in my first month, and it’s a little overwhelming at times. I don’t often have time to bake anymore – a hobby I picked back up again over the summer. Some of my go-to recipes were pineapple upside-down cake and blueberry and lemon loaf.
In times of overwhelming academic stress, I’ve resorted to quick and easy comfort. For those who can’t find the time to bake a whole cake, I will introduce you to one of my classics: simple mug cake recipe. A dish that I have become obsessed with this Autumn, especially since it only takes 1-2 minutes in the microwave. You can easily swap out the flavours depending on the time of year and what ingredients you have in stock. In honour of Autumn, I decided on a maple and cinnamon mug cake, with optional pecans. So, grab a microwave safe mug and get ready to cosy up for this quick, seasonal and comforting treat.
Ingredients:
- 3 tbsp self-raising flour
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- crushed/chopped pecans (optional)
Toppings (optional):
- Vanilla ice-cream
- A drizzle of maple syrup
- More pecans and cinnamon, for sprinkling
Method:
- Combine all of the dry ingredients: the flour, sugar, and cinnamon, in a microwave-safe mug.
- After that, add the milk, vegetable oil, maple syrup, and egg yolk. A simple way to split an egg yolk is by keeping it in the egg shell after cracking it in half, and then passing the yolk between the two halves until the whites have all fallen out.
- Once all in the mug, quickly mix everything together. You don’t need to worry about little bubbles or bits in the batter, just make sure that everything is combined. At this point, you can quickly stir in some pecans as well for an earthy texture.
- Microwave the batter for 1 minute, using a toothpick or fork to poke a hole and check if all the batter has solidified
- Now it’s time to go crazy with the toppings. I like to make the cake look like it took more effort to make than it actually did, so I’ll add a scoop of vanilla ice-cream and drizzle some more maple syrup on top, along with a sprinkle of cinnamon and pecans.
- Enjoy warm!
Illustration by Chiara Guigou
