Saturday, May 23, 2009

Another Fruit Shake & 5 Minute Chocolate Cake - Oh Really?!

We'll just see about that.

Forwarded e-mails get a bad rap, and sometimes they make me want to banish my computer to the swamp in the back yard, but generally my peeps send me good stuff, and there are occasional gems hidden in there.

That was a run on sentence.

So, I got this one from my mom.
I had gotten it from a couple other people but pretty much ignored it.
But she issued a challenge - "who is brave enough to try it?"
Sometimes I just can't resist a dare,
especially when it involves chocolate, so Mama, here we go . . . . .

The players in this production are:


¼ cup flour (4 Tbsp) - I used my King Arthur White Whole Wheat
¼ cup sugar (4 Tbsp) - I used the evil, nasty kind
2 Tbsp cocoa
1 egg
3 Tbsp milk
3 Tbsp oil
3 Tbsp chocolate chips (Okay, so there are a few extra. So shoot me)
Splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug

(Look, whole wheat flour, dark chocolate, safflower oil, skim milk & a free range egg. Apart from the evil nasty sugar, it's practically health food, right?)


Mix the dry ingredients in the mug



I whisked the egg, oil, & milk and mixed them into the dry ingredients



Add chocolate chips & vanilla & mix again.


The e-mail SAID:
"Microwave 3 min at 1000 watts. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! Allow to cool a little and tip out onto a plate if desired.
EAT ! (this can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous).
And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world ?
Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!"

So, what REALLY happened?

It did rise, about an inch & a half above the top, but it didn't spill over.
Smelled pretty good as it was cooking.

When the timer rang, it settled back down very nicely.


Damn thing wouldn't come out of the mug in one piece.


The verdict? **Drum Roll**

First, the texture:
The top portion was just a little rubbery & chewy,
more so than the bottom portion, which wasn't half bad.

There was still a little bit of unmixed dry ingredients in the very bottom,
and I thought I mixed it real good.
Normally, I am a very good mixer, known as the best throughout my entire house.

Obviously, the visual presentation leaves a lot to be desired.


How did it taste?

I am going to say something that I thought I would never say, and if you tell anyone I said it, I'll deny it to the end of time.

I thought there was too much chocolate.

There was a slight bitterness to the flavor. I did not enjoy it as much as the e-mail made me think I would. Because I am gullible & believe everything I read in my e-mail.

I seriously doubt I will make it again,
although if you needed a quick chocolate fix & tweaked it a little,
it might do in a pinch.

I would give the mug a spritz of non-stick spray,
decrease the cocoa just a little,
and mix everything in a separate bowl before pouring it into the mug
(to ensure complete mixage).
Do NOT leave out the chocolate chips.
They are its only redeeming factor.

How do I atone for such folly?
Why, with another fruit shake, of course.

This one had:
banana
frozen strawberries
frozen blueberries
vanilla yogurt
half scoop vanilla protein powder
100% purple grape juice
100% pomegranate juice
small squeeze of honey (pomegranate juice is not very sweet)



Oh my. This one was delicious. The combination of juices was very nice - not too tart, not too sweet. Just right.

Sista G - you need to make this one.

But not the cake.


3 comments:

Sista G said...

Well, I have everything here but the grape and pomegranate juices, so that leaves everything that I already use all the time!! But tomorrow when I go to the store for the stuff for the cookout, I'll get some and throw it all together!

Fluffy loves your shakes now whenever he comes over. I even throw in some lowfat, sugar-free vanilla ice cream in his!

Donna-FFW said...

I have seen the 5 minute cake and it has intrigued me. The fruit shake sounds fantastic.

Kathy said...

And Fluffy would be . . . . .?