1 Minute Peanut Butter Cake

It could be the many hours I've spent holding a hand mixer while I mix up batters for baking. It could be the solid 45 minutes I spent holding a hair dryer at a 90-degree angle creating this melted crayon masterpiece over the week:

It could also be my total and complete refusal to do any kind of weight lifting or muscle-building push-ups. Whatever the cause, the result is undeniable: my right shoulder, neck, and back hurt. I’m talking chronic nagging pain that won’t go away with a simple stretch or rub. I figured I should take it easy for a few days until my body healed itself, which unfortunately means no heavy lifting and no baking. 

Taking a short hiatus (a week, tops) from baking would have been no problem if it weren’t for the annoying hankering to nosh on something sweet that hit me halfway through this week’s episode of Glee. Too bad, so sad, all the sweets at my disposal were two frozen mini Milky Way bars that I stashed in the freezer before Halloween.

Ask anyone I’ve ever lived with – I’m a pack rat! When others gobble down entire bags of candy or polish off pints of ice-cream, I eat a little bit and hide the rest for later. Exempting a few incidents when my hiding places were discovered by sneaky roommates, stashing treats to satisfy future cravings is usually a fool-proof plan. This time, two frozen bites of chocolate later, my sweet tooth still wasn’t satisfied… the greedy bastard. 

I scoured the web for a quick microwavable chocolate cake recipe — something I’d seen, scoffed at, and dismissed. I always thought: why microwave a cake when baking a cake takes just a little bit more effort? 

Why indeed…. Less effort, faster results. Duh! Aching and cranky, I wanted an INSTANT cake. Hello microwave, my good friend.

I found many microwave chocolate cake recipes online, but a chocolate chip filled peanut butter cake recipe stood out above all the chocolate cakes. I hopped up during a commercial break and sat down, cake in hand, just a few minutes later.

For all you non-believers out there, let me assure you — this cake was moist with a nice crumb, subtly sweet, and completely satisfying. 

Without further ado, I give you:

1 Minute Peanut Butter Cake (Recipe slightly adapted from Back to Her Roots):

Makes 1

• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 1 heaping tablespoon flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter
• 1 small handful M&Ms or chocolate chips

Glaze Topping:

• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon milk

Directions:

• Crack egg into a coffee mug and beat well with a fork
• Add sugar, flour, baking powder, and peanut butter and mix together
• Stir in M&Ms (or chocolate chips)
• Microwave uncovered for 30 seconds – 1 minute
• While the cake is baking microwaving, mix together powdered sugar and milk into a glaze
• Pour glaze over cake before you eat it warm

NOTE: I didn’t fiddle with the microwave settings at all – just assumed it was set to the highest setting

ALSO NOTE: Cake will look a little undercooked after 30 seconds. Because of this, I zapped mine for another 30 seconds. I don’t think it dried out or hurt the cake in anyway, but feel free to experiment with time and let me know your thoughts!

The melted M&Ms leave a nice color in your cup!

Happy Microwaving Fellow Bakers! 

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