I make breakfast almost every single day. During the week, when it’s nothing special, I usually make biscuits or pancakes. Biscuits take about 15 minutes, start to finish, pancakes take a little less. That’s not a lot of time, to be honest. Way less than most people might think.
But even 15 minutes is too much, sometimes, especially on a busy morning. So I developed this little breakfast cake off my Microwave Chocolate Lava Cake recipe (which is one of my most popular recipes, at least with the search engines.) It takes about 3 minutes to make, start-to-finish, and it’s baked in the microwave. The little cake that results is like an extra-moist oatmeal muffin…hearty and fragrant, and will keep you going all morning until lunch. It’s not going to win any awards for sophistication, but it’s infinitely healthier for you than something processed from the freezer, and it’s embarrassingly easy to make. I always think of my buddy Rachael Ray when I develop a recipe like this. Being on her show was such fun, and while she doesn’t claim to be a chef, I think her convenient recipes have made a HUGE difference in the lives of many people who wouldn’t otherwise cook for themselves. I also think about Alton Brown, because he’s such an amazing food geek who loves using technology to make cooking more interesting and efficient. So this recipe is dedicated to them.
In a large measuring cup, combine:
4 Tbsp all purpose flour
4 Tbsp oats (old-fashioned will give a heartier texture than quick oats, but either are acceptable)
3 Tbsp brown sugar (light or dark, or sub regular sugar if you don’t have it)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch salt
pinch baking powder
(You could also add some nuts or raisins if you wanted to!)Â
Stir this around with your fingers until it’s well mixed. Then add:
1 egg
1 Tbsp canola oil
3 Tbsp buttermilk (sub regular milk if you don’t have it)
1 tsp vanilla
Stir with a fork until all the ingredients are well mixed. Then take 2 glass tumblers and spray them lightly with cooking spray. Divide the batter between the 2 tumblers:
Place the tumblers in the microwave and nuke them on full power for about 2 minutes. This is the only tricky part, because everyone’s microwave is powered differently. So the first time or two you make this, you may underbake or overbake your cakes, but you’ll figure out your microwave’s “sweet spot” after a time or two. When the batter is rising and reaches close to the top rim of the glass, let it go another few seconds and stop it. (My microwave does this in exactly 115 seconds.)  Let the cakes sit in the microwave for at least 30 seconds.
CAREFULLY remove the screaming-hot glasses from the microwave with a glove or hot pad and invert them onto the serving plate. The cakes will drop down onto the plate. If you’re not serving them immediately, wait to remove the glass until serving time, which will keep them warm.
Drizzle with maple syrup, and you’ve got the easiest homemade breakfast you’ve ever made!
UPDATE: Â Take this cake up to a whole new level by adding a decadent meltdown! Â Just before putting the batter in the microwave, add a big spoonful of dulce de leche or caramel sauce, or any fruit jam, right on top. Â As the cake begins to bake, the meltdown will slowly sink to the bottom and heat up. Â As the cake sits in thee microwave, it will absorb some of the meltdown. Â When you invert the cake onto the serving plate, the rest will become a decadent sauce that will ooze down over the cake, making this easy-as-can-be breakfast extra decadent!
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.