Recipes from Lene Knudsen's Mug Cakes

• Mug cakes put to the taste test

Lene Knudsen's latest cookbook promises you can make tasty cakes in just five minutes. Here are four recipes for you to try at home (or in the office!)

Melt-in-the-middle mug cake

1 slice of butter 1 cm thick (30g)

1 egg

4 tablespoons caster (superfine) sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla sugar

2 teaspoons single (light) cream

2 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

6 tablespoons plain (all-purpose) flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder (soda)

2 or 3 squares of milk chocolate

Method

Melt the butter in a bowl for 20 seconds (800 watts).

In a mug: beat in one by one the egg, sugar, vanilla sugar, single cream, cocoa, flour, baking powder and melted butter.

Push the squares of milk chocolate into the middle of the mixture.

Cook in the microwave for 1 minute 20 seconds (800 watts).

3 chocolate mug brownie

1 slice of butter 1 cm thick (30g)

1 egg

4 tablespoons caster (superfine) sugar

6 tablespoons plain (all-purpose) flour

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking powder (soda)

1 tablespoon single (light) cream

2 tablespoons chocolate chips

2 tablespoons crunchy hazelnut spread

Method

Melt the butter in a bowl for 20 seconds (800 watts).

In a mug: beat in one by one the egg, sugar, melted butter, flour, cocoa, baking powder, single cream and chocolate chips.

Spread the crunchy hazelnut spread around the inside edge of the mug.

Cook in the microwave for 1 minute 20 seconds (800 watts).

Blueberry-ricotta mug cake

1 slice of butter 1 cm thick (30g)

1 egg

2 tablespoons caster (superfine) sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla sugar

1 1/2 tablespoon ricotta

2 or 3 pinches of lemon zest

5 tablespoons plain (all-purpose) flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder (soda)

2 tablespoons fresh blueberries (or 1 tablespoon frozen blueberries)

Method

Melt the butter in a bowl in the microwave for 20 seconds (800 watts).

In a mug: beat in one by one the egg, sugar, vanilla sugar, ricotta, lemon zest, flour, baking powder and melted butter.

Stir in the blueberries.

Cook in the microwave for 1 minute 40 seconds (800 watts).

Marshmallow mug cake

1 slice of butter 3/4 cm thick (15g)

1 egg

1 1/2 tablespoons caster (superfine) sugar

1 tablespoon single (light) cream

3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter

5 tablespoons plain (all-purpose) flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder (soda)

1 marshmallow

For decoration

icing sugar

Method

Melt the butter in a bowl for 20 seconds (800 watts).

In a mug: beat in one by one the egg, sugar, single cream, smooth peanut butter, flour, baking powder and melted butter.

Add the marshmallow cut into quarters to the top of the mixture.

Cook for in the microwave 1 minute 40 seconds (800 watts).

Decorate with icing sugar.

This is an edited extract from Mug Cakes by Lene Knudsen (Hardie Grant) RRP $19.95. Photos by Richard Boutin.