Green Tea Mug Cake

I have a bit of a confession to make. Sometimes, when I'm desperate for a dessert of some sort, and there isn't enough time for me to bake, I make what we call a "mug cake". It is, quite simply, a cake mixed in a mug and microwaved.

Yes, yes, it sounds positively horrifying and scandalous to all you proper cake bakers out there, but it really is good for a quick fix when you lack time, space and/or an oven. (This is for all you college students who live in dorms!)

I'd first heard of it when my sister sent me a PDF file containing the recipe for a "chocolate mug cake". We first tried it at home last summer. Our first attempt wasn't very good, because we added too much chocolate chips, and chose a mug that was too small for it. My second attempt was much better, and the cake it yielded was actually soft and moist, and very delicious when hot. (It became rather hard and chewy when cold)

Ever since then, I've been using that recipe in London, albeit slightly altered to take into account that my microwave is only 750W rather than 1000W.

Today, I was craving for green tea cake rather than chocolate, so I decided to alter the recipe for it.

Recipe:
1) Mix 4 tbsp sugar, 5 tbsp flour, and 1 tbsp green tea powder in a mug.
2) Crack an egg into the mug and mix thoroughly. Take care to ensure there are no air pockets of flour.
3) Add 3 tbsp oil, 3 tbsp milk and a splash of vanilla and mix thoroughly.
4) Microwave on full power in a 1000W microwave for 3 minutes. (I put it at 3 1/2 minutes in a 750W microwave)
5) Wait till the cake stops rising, then take it out of the mug and put it onto a plate.
6) Cut into slices, and enjoy!

Note: I didn't use a measuring spoon. Instead, I used a normal tablespoon that you would use for eating. This would yield much better results, as you would end up using too much flour with a measuring spoon, making the cake all heavy and chewy, with an odd taste. I would know - I made that mistake the first time I made the cake in London :P

Admittedly, while the chocolate cake tastes better and has a much nicer texture when hot, the green tea version tastes nice when it's cold. Also, this recipe has a little less taste than I wanted it to have, so maybe next time I'll use another tablespoonful of green tea powder.

Okay, back to studying...