3-2-1 Cake

So when I came across this recipe it was called "1-2-3 Cake". Which is kinda an accurate name for it, but kinda backwards to me. (You'll see why later.) So I'm renaming it "3-2-1 Cake". A subtile difference yes, but it makes sense. At least in my mind. A mind that craves rules and order, and there must be order. Opps, didn't mean to let some of my crazy slip out. Just ignore. Anywho. . .

My co-worker recently had a child leave home for college. Although "T" will be a dorm dweller, she'd still like to occasionally cook. Unfortunately her kitchen resources are limited. As my co-worker doesn't "Pinterest", smart lady, "Pinterest" is web heroin, I hipped her to all the "mug/microwave" dessert recipes on Pinterest, for her dorm residing child. As we looked over them the one stumbling block was always the list of ingredients. Sure, all the dry ingredients could be assembled in packets and shipped with "care packages" but the egg and oil seemed to be the problem. Then I came across this recipe which just uses a couple of cake mixes and water. Huzzah! Problem solved.

This is it, all you need, two cake mixes. One of your favorite flavor (Devil's Food is always good.) and the other MUST BE an Angel Food Cake mix. I said, the other one MUST BE AN ANGEL FOOD CAKE MIX. Got it? Good!

In a large bowl, preferably one that has a tight fitting lid or a large zipper bag, mix the two dry cake mixes together throughly. I used a whisk to really break up the lumps in the Devil's Food mix. You can also snap the lid on (or zip the bag up) and give it a good shake.

There you go, one homogenous mix. Now to make a cake.

In a small microwave safe bowl, stir together 3 tablespoons mix and 2 tablespoons water. Use a fork and mix it up well, doing your best to break up any lumps of cake mix. The mixture will seem kind of foamy. Now microwave it for one minute. That's your formula: 3 T. Mix + 2 T. water + 1 min. in the microwave. 3-2-1. Don't forget it!

Out of the micro you get a soft spongy cake. Its a bit more moist than an angel food cake but definitely lighter than a regular cake mix cake. And certainly not as "spongy" as the "5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake." Which I like and appreciate for what it is, which is a bit weird, but I digress. . . You could eat this quick cake "as is" for a light dessert or top it with powdered sugar, sliced strawberries or some whipped cream. Or whatever floats your boat. And when I say light, my rough math using the two mixes above yielded about 180 calories a serving. Not too shabby if you ask me. The one down side here is that it makes A LOT of mix. Enough for at least 10 individual cakes or more, seriously, I lost count. It's been fun to have on hand this week and my kids have had fun mixing up their own cakes for an after dinner treat. It's simple and easy. Next time, I think I'll try a lemon cake mix. How about you?

Why it works: The Angel Food Cake mix has a heavy dose of powdered egg whites in the mix which solves the "egg" problem and the regular cake mix has shortening in it which solves the fat or "oil" problem. When you add water to the mix it reconstitutes the egg white and that's why it foams up. With out the egg the cake would not rise. Egg is essential for a microwave cooked cake. The shortening keeps the whole thing from being dry. Pretty nifty if you ask me.