I’ve been meaning to try the recipe for cake in a mug. I’ve seen it often enough on TV shows, with the cook or chef proudly declaring it as the easiest cake to bake ever: Just put all the ingredients in a mug, stir, microwave for one to two minutes and presto! You have a cake for one person.

Due to my busy schedule (and the habit of procrastination), I’ve yet to try those recipes I see on TV. But now I no longer have to rely on TV chefs to make my own cake in a mug.

Maya, makers of Maya cake mixes, has just come up with its own cake in a mug. Aptly called Happy Mug (available in supermarkets), it promises a hot and yummy cake in two minutes—and who wouldn’t be glad about that?

Available in two flavors—caramel and chocolate—Maya’s Happy Mug comes, as its name implies, in its own mug.

Ingredients

The mug contains all the ingredients needed to make a speedy cake: flour, sugar, milk powder, and even its own topping of either caramel or chocolate. The only thing you need to add is water (2 ½ tbsp).

Mix it, pop it in the microwave oven and in 1½ minutes, you have a moist, scrumptious cake. The mix even comes with its own wooden spoon, so it’s really as portable and as convenient as a dessert can be. No fuss, no mess and all delicious goodness in one quick move.

Best of all, this mug cake can be so easily embellished with all your favorite toppings: marshmallows, chocolate chips, fruit slices, rainbow sprinkles, whipped cream—the possibilities are endless. You can get as creative—and as outrageous
—as your imagination and resources will let you.

While we all love a bake-from-scratch cake elaborately frosted by hand with scrumptious icing, cakes like the Happy Mug have their own place in the kitchen. There’s something to be said about a cake that’s simple, convenient and unpretentious.

Try this embellished recipe from Maya for a cherry chocolate mug cake.

Cherry chocolate mug cake

1 pack Maya Happy Mug Chocolate Mug Cake Mix
3 (or more) pieces maraschino cherries (well-drained and chopped, reserve one for topping)

Mix the Happy Mug cake according to package directions. Fold in the chopped cherries.

Microwave on medium high for 1 minute and 30 seconds. Remove from the microwave. Be careful—the container will be hot.

Cover the cake for a few seconds. Drizzle with the topping (included in the mix). Add more cherries and top with whipped cream, if desired. Eat immediately.

Makes a generous serving for one, or just enough to be shared by two.