Chocolate Chip Mug Cake

This evening I was craving something sweet, but I didn't really feel like venturing out in the heavy rain, so I peaked around the web for mug cake recipes.

Below is a recipe for chocolate chip mug cake that can be made gluten-free. Simply replace the AP flour with some form of gluten-free flour.

This mug cake is ready in less than five minutes and definitely hits the spot. I highly recommend toping the warm cake with a scoop (or two or three...) of ice cream.

Here's what you'll need:
3 Tbsp of AP (or gluten-free) flour
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp milk (regular, almond, soy —whatever you prefer)
1 Tbsp of butter, softened
1 Tbsp peanut butter or other nut butter
1-2 Tbsp of milk chocolate chips

In a mug, simply combine flour, brown sugar, and baking powder. Stir in the milk, butter, and peanut butter, then stir in the milk chocolate chips. Pop in the microwave for 45-60 seconds. And that's it!!

Enjoy :)

Breakfast Biscuits

Happy New Year!!

This morning I woke-up and made Dan a nice New Year's Day brunch: Homemade biscuit breakfast sandwiches.

I've included the recipe for the biscuits below. Although I used them to make breakfast sandwiches, I'm sure they taste equally good warmed up with some butter and jam —or a number of other things!

Here's what you'll need:
2 cups of cake flour (or AP flour; cake flour will simply result in higher biscuits)
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 cup salted butter, cold
1 cup buttermilk*

*If you don't have buttermilk on hand, no worries. To make buttermilk, you simply combine 1 Tbsp of lemon juice or white vinegar with just under 1 cup of milk. Let rest for five minutes before using in recipe.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, mix the flour and baking powder, then cut in the cold butter. Using your fingers, work in the butter until the mixture is crumbly (there should be no pieces of butter that are larger than the size of a pea). Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the buttermilk. Mix the dough  together using a wooden spoon and/or your fingers until just combined. At this point, you can let your dough rest for ~20 minutes if you want (I did not). Letting your dough rest functions to create higher biscuits.

Now, place dough on a well floured surface. Sprinkle the dough and your hands with a little flour, then using a rolling pin, gentle roll out the ball of dough into a rectangle about 1" thick (the narrow end should be facing you). Fold the rectangle of dough into thirds by folding the farthest end towards you then folding it again, like a letter. Turn the dough clockwise and roll it back out into a rectangle about 1 1/2" thick. Fold the rectangle in half. Turn the dough clockwise once again, roll out to about 1 1/2" thick, and fold in half.

Form the dough into a nice round circle and roll out the circle to about 1" thick. Cut biscuits using a floured biscuit cutter and place on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

At this point, you once again have the option of letting the biscuits rise for 20 minutes. As I mentioned above, it's entirely up to you and how high you want your biscuits to be. I was in a rush so I skipped the rising, but reflecting back, I think I would do it next time.

Brush the tops of the biscuits with butter or cream if you want and bake for 15 minutes.

Enjoy! :)

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Everyone in my family is a huge fan of this Sticky Toffee Pudding dessert at Charlotte's Lane Cafe, so I thought I would attempt it as a dessert for Christmas dinner. It turned out and boy was it good. Super rich.

Here's what you'll need for the cake:

One 250gram package of pitted dates, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup boiling water
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
6 Tbsp salted butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 cup AP flour
1 tsp baking powder

Here's what you'll need for the caramel sauce:
1 1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 heavy cream
1/4 cup salted butter
1/2 tsp vanilla


In a large bowl, combine the chopped dates, baking soda, and boiling water. Let sit for approximately 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, then grease and lightly flour an 8-inch baking pan.

Add the brown sugar, eggs, butter, and vanilla to the date mixture and beat for 2 minutes until combined. Add the flour and baking powder, and beat on low for another minute. Scrap down the sides of the bowl and beat for another minute until all the ingredients are well combined.

Spread the batter evenly in the prepared baking pan and bake for 40 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs on it.

While the cake is baking, you can make the caramel sauce. In a small saucepan, bring sugar, cream, and butter to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue to boil, stirring constantly for 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Let cool to room temperature.

Set the pan on a wire rack and poke holes all over the top of the cake with a small knife and/or toothpick (I used both). Pour 1/2 cup of the caramel sauce over the cake. Let cool for 10 minutes.

To serve, cut the cake and serve with the remained caramel sauce and ice cream or whipped cream.

The remaining cake can be stored in an air tight container or covered with saran-wrap in the fridge or at room temperature for a few days.

Enjoy! :)