Eggless, Butterless 5-minute Microwave Chocolate Cake

Did you know that ‘stressed’ spelt backwards gives you ‘desserts’?? So when you get stressed, go dig in to some dessert to reverse some of that stress! What a lovely idea, don’t you think?!! Yeah I know that its bad to do, but dont we all eventually reach out to the proverbial treat to help us feel better when we’re upset/stressed about something? Yeah, that’s what I thought too! Im no saint when it comes to food…I need to have my share of sinning so I try and bake healthy to feel less guilty when I do sin once in a while. This was an experiment inspired by the ‘2-Minute Chocolate Wonder Cake‘ since I had to bake quite a big cake for a party at home. Turned out just perfect!

CCN completes 6 wonderful months today! Love you all for being so supportive and encouraging as I take each baby-step 🙂

Ingredients:

• All purpose flour/Maida – 1 1/2 cups
• Cocoa – 1/2 cup
• Granulated Sugar – 1 1/2 cups
• Baking powder – 1 tsp
• Baking Soda – 1/2 tsp
• Salt – a pinch
• Flax seed powder – 4 tbsps mixed in 1 cup warm water
• Milk – 1/3 cup
• Water – 1/3 cup
• Oil – 1/3 cup (I used Rice Bran)
• Vanilla essence – 2 tsps

Note: If you wish to make a Vegan version, omit the milk and increase both water and oil to 1/2 cup each.

Procedure:

• Grease and dust a 8-inch square or 9-inch round microwave-safe glass/silicone pan.
• Stir the flax seed powder in 1 cup warm water and allow to rest for 5 minutes, till the mixture turns gelatinous.
• Sift all the dry ingredients together (flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt) and transfer to a wide bowl.
• Add the sugar, stir well to incorporate.
• In another bowl, mix the milk, water, oil and vanilla essence. Stir well.
• Add this to the gelatinous flax-seed mixture and stir.
• Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix just until there are no traces of the flour.
• Pour the batter into readied pan and bake on high for 5-7 minutes (My microwave sets to 900W at high power. Please check yours and increase/decrease the time by a minute or two, as required).
• Give it a standing time of 5 minutes and put it through the toothpick test to check if its done well. Stick it back in the oven for a couple more minutes only if required.
• Once done, let it cool in the pan for a while. Turn onto a wire-rack and let cool completely before you serve it.
• Serve with a dollop or two of icecream, topped with nuts and chocolate sauce…aaaah, divine!

Note: If you wish to bake this cake the conventional way, you will need to bake at 180c/350F for about 45-50 minutes, till done.

Apart from giving in to your cravings/urges, this cake is also perfect for when you’re having a party ‘cos it just takes about 10 minutes to put together. Give another 10 minutes for the cake to bake and dessert is fixed already! Bake it the previous evening so it gets it share of time to cool and when it’s time for dessert on the day of the party, bring it out, cut into equal portions and serve with a dollop or two of ice-cream, top it with some chocolate sauce and some nuts (if you like) and watch everyone’s eyes go wide from the first signs of food coma!

Update: This cake was showcased by me at a Cookery Competition here in B’lore in June ’10, and it was the First prize winner!! It is also the most sought-after recipe on CCN. Have received nearly 10-15 testimonials already, and looking forward to many more!! Thanks to all those who tried this cake and let me know that you loved it…warm hugs!