We live in a “big world.” We have the web, Big Data, and budgets in the billions or trillions. It used to be that a few million was lot of money. In Manhattan, a few million is a real estate down payment.
It is natural that a countertrend appear: small, contained, personal. We’ve already seen it in the culinary world. Those Cutie Pie recipes? The individual pie-style dessert presented in a Mason jar. And now, we have the next round, Mug Cakes by Mima Sinclair.
At Suzen’s cooking school, Cooking by the Book, she serves several thousand desserts each year. And in the past year, the “individual” trend has exploded. When people get a “private” dessert — not a slice or a piece but a whole mini dessert baked in their own personal container — the years melt away. Professional adults beam like six-year olds when they are served. They tend to first cradle that dessert container in both hands before tasting. And they do seem to relish each bite.
The personal dessert is a smashing hit. This is not a trend, but a permanent part of our culinary landscape.
Now Mug Cakes give us, well, individual cakes cooked in mugs and cups. The book has 40 speedy recipes, speedy because they are baked in the microwave for fast transition from batter to piping warm cake. The book divides the cakes into four chapters:
Classics include Chocolate and Peanut Butter, Carrot Cake, Gingerbread, and Coffee & Walnut Cake. Hot out of the microwave, you could wait for cooling and frosting these cakes — and there are ideas for that wait-and-frost idea here. But the concept in Mug Cakes is often bake and eat. So the toppings include whipped cream, caramel, chocolate chips and marshmallows.
If you want something upscale, then the Occasions chapter offers Black Forest, Strawberries & Cream, and Almond & Berry with a streusel topping. This last one is called a breakfast mug and I can think of no better breakfast than streusel and berries.
Happy Hour introduces some ideas with boozy ingredients: Pina Colada with rum. Baileys on the Rocks, and Guinness Cake. The Guinness specialty is baked in a glass mug so you can see the tall tower of moist, velvety cake. There is even a Mojito Cake, complete with rum, lime, and peppermint frosting.
Finally, there are some very contemporary and quite rich Treats: Salted Caramel & Chocolate, Chocolate Ginger & Pear Cake, Sticky Toffee, and of course Rocky Road and Chocolate Fudge S’Mores.
Best of all, the recipes are scaled for one-mug desserts. You’ll have enough batter just for you. You can always double down to avoid a scowling spouse. But if you are alone, and crave a treat, and have a microwave, you are just moments away from sighing satisfaction.
Mug Cakes is a clever idea packaged as a clever book.