THE BEST CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE (with video!)

Thank you all so much for the encouragement and support with regards to my YouTube Channel that we started a week ago. Like I said, we both are learning on how to do this whole thing! It might seem easy to some of you but trust me, it isn't. Especially when you have small kids who have no idea what it is to keep quiet for more than one second! :-) The Lazy Daisy Cake video was shot around 11 pm after the kids were put to bed and after the house was set back to normal. I even managed to sneak in a nap before that because we knew the shoot could go long if it got interrupted. Nevermind. It was worth the trouble in the end! :-)

I have lost count of the number of times I've made this cake for us in the last couple of months. We enjoy it the same way we did,the very first time I made it. There's a WOW factor attached to it because 1) It gets done in 90 seconds 2) It's perfect as a single serving 3)You can never predict when that 'I need a chocolate cake right now' feeling kicks in 4) It is absolutely tasty!

Jobin was seriously in awe when I asked him if he wanted some chocolate cake and gave him a warm cup filled with deliciousness like in no time at all! I mean, 90 seconds literally is no time! I get frequent requests for it now that baking a real deal chocolate cake has kind of taken a back seat. Mug cakes were a rage a few years ago and when I tried out a recipe back then, I was utterly disappointed. I promised to myself that I will never ever make another one because I was literally disgusted by how dry it was.

Everything changed when I saw Ree's recipe for it. I love all the recipes that I've tried so far from her blog and this one is no different. So don't wait a minute longer, go and make it! I am sure you will enjoy this perfectly moist,tender chocolate cake!

THE BEST CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE
Makes 1 mug (12 oz) cake

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional but I highly recommend it!)
Splash of vanilla

Method: In a 12 oz mug,add the dry ingredients and mix well with fork. Add in the wet ingredients and chocolate chips and mix well to combine.Cook it in a microwave oven for 90 seconds and enjoy!
It will be extremely hot inside the cake as soon as you take it out,so just be careful about that.

If you happen to try this cake at home, don't forget to tell me about it! I want to know if you enjoyed it as much we did. When I made it for my cousins in Boston,they went ga-ga over it! It is really good!
I hope you all had a fun Halloween. We sure did. Ian was a Pirate and Zara was a Bumble Bee!

CAFE AU LAIT POTS DE CREME

Things are cool and calm here.We are doing fine and I am super duper lazy to get back into my old full swing blogging mode.Infact,I've been cooking a lot of new stuffs but never reaches out for my camera sitting in my closet to photograph that delicious thing I just made.Why you may ask? I am in that winter hibernation mode I think,all I feel like doing is...put our baby on his floor mat,just stretch my feet out over our black ottoman,grab the brand new phone of mine and What'sapp away to glory with my wonderful,wonderful hostel friends. There's no other better way to catch up with them,at the moment.

This soft set pudding was made over the weekend when Jobin's friend from college and wife came over to  for dinner. I made it a day in advance so that one thing is ticked off my To-Cook list before our friends came in.This is such an amazing make - ahead dessert and such a crowd pleaser,especially if they are big time coffee lovers like me. I have to tell you, I love my big cup of coffee everyday. A big cuppa in the morning and a small one in the evening.

I started watching food network shows while I was pregnant and found it really lousy except for certain shows.But this time around, I find another set of shows which are interesting.I found this recipe from one such show,Melissa's Ten Dollar Dinners. I watched her make this on her show and immediately made a note in my mind to try it out as soon as I could. We,as a couple,love entertaining so I didn't have to wait long for a chance for me to try it out.

CAFE AU LAIT POTS DE CREME
Ingredients:
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon instant coffee powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
a pinch of salt
1 egg plus 2 egg yolks

Method:Preheat the oven to 325 F and prepare a water bath.
In a medium saucepan,mix together milk,cream,sugars,coffee powder,vanilla and salt. Bring to a slow boil on low heat stirring ever so often.In a medium bowl,beat together the egg and egg yolks. Drizzle in some hot milk-cream mixture to temper the yolks and then add the remaining stirring all the way. Divide the batter into four 100ml /4 oz ramekins and bake for 22 mins or until the egdes are set and the centre is still wobbly. Remove them from the water bath immediately and cool completely.

When I took a bite of this wonderfully soft set pudding,it really melted in my mouth. While I was doing so, there were a pair of tiny eyes eyeing my action. Vaava's eyes are always eyeing our mouths . I am sure he will steal and eat if we don't give him food ;-) So after seeing the way he was looking at me, I gave him some to taste. Oh boy! I should have known what I was getting into! :-) His mouth was wide open for more ...gave him another bite and his mouth was open even wider,drooling big time this time!!

A big thanks to all who have been visiting this little corner of mine on the internet! It's been a pleasure having you here :-)