Not a fan of mug cakes

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Okay, so I thought the mug cakes would be the coolest thing ever. I saw some posted here, and I was delighted. I figured I could make a small amount when I wanted a treat, instead of having a whole huge cake lying around tempting me.

I tried a couple variations, and I'm just not feeling it. It's something about the texture... has anyone else noticed a weird, kind of rubbery texture, or did I do something wrong?

Any tips are appreciated, otherwise, I'll have to put these on my "don't try this at home" list. ;)
 
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Most of the ones I have tried have been "okay" - I'd say they kicked my craving for sweets, but I wouldn't go as far as to say the texture was all that great. I know what you mean about that rubbery consistency with some, and I'm not sure exactly why that is...sometimes I just thought it was by virtue of the fact that it's all being cooked in a mug!
 
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I never have any luck with them either. They are either over done, under done or just not that good. It sounds good in theory but the consistency seems weird or off or something! I prefer the real thing! Lol :)
 
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There are two things you have to realize when baking or cooking in small objects like mugs.

1. They cook FAST.

The container is deeper than it is wide. A baking pan, as a cake pan, is shallow, but wider...giving the cake plenty of open space on top to let air and moisture escape while being baked.

A container like a mug, is deeper and has less of an open top surface for the cake/cookie to bake correctly.
If the item baked is baked too hot, too fast, then it can turn out gooey on bottom and hard on top and not baked well.
If the item baked is baked too low, too slowly, then it can turn to "rubber" or dry out and turn hard.

The trick to baking in something like a mug, is to be sure it is something you CAN bake in. And if you do bake in a mug, bake it in a flat cake pan filled half way with water. The idea of the water is to keep the oven air moisturized so the top of what is being baked in the mug doesn't dry out or crack too badly before the bottom of whats in the mug can get baked.

Bake it on less heat than a regular cake, and bake it for a bit longer.

This takes some experimenting with, as different kinds/types/shapes of mugs and whats being baked in them will all turn out differently.


2. The container (mug) holds the heat in for a longer period of time.

Mugs are usually made of some type of clay or porcelain materials. These hold heat in a lot longer than the metal cake pan you are used to.

In order to keep whatever is being baked from over baking, you need to take it out of the oven 5-10 minutes before it is done, as the heat from the mug itself will keep baking whats inside of it for several minutes.



I would suggest making mini cakes in the microwave instead. Using small baking dishes instead of mugs.

These dishes work better than mugs, for me anyway. But again, because of the kind of container they are, you have to adjust baking times and heat accordingly.

Most of these dishes are about 4-6 inches across and about 1-2 inches deep--

http://data:image/jpeg;base64,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The ones I've tried (following a ton of advises and tips) were good, but of course they will never come close to the real thing, mug cakes are just intended for people who are not too picky and just want to get over a really bad craving. And even then, sometimes it requires from you to get used to the different texture and flavor, plus... you do need to be careful with the flour you use and and how many minutes you leave it in the microwave.
 
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There are two things you have to realize when baking or cooking in small objects like mugs.

1. They cook FAST.

The container is deeper than it is wide. A baking pan, as a cake pan, is shallow, but wider...giving the cake plenty of open space on top to let air and moisture escape while being baked.

A container like a mug, is deeper and has less of an open top surface for the cake/cookie to bake correctly.
If the item baked is baked too hot, too fast, then it can turn out gooey on bottom and hard on top and not baked well.
If the item baked is baked too low, too slowly, then it can turn to "rubber" or dry out and turn hard.

The trick to baking in something like a mug, is to be sure it is something you CAN bake in. And if you do bake in a mug, bake it in a flat cake pan filled half way with water. The idea of the water is to keep the oven air moisturized so the top of what is being baked in the mug doesn't dry out or crack too badly before the bottom of whats in the mug can get baked.

Bake it on less heat than a regular cake, and bake it for a bit longer.

This takes some experimenting with, as different kinds/types/shapes of mugs and whats being baked in them will all turn out differently.


2. The container (mug) holds the heat in for a longer period of time.

Mugs are usually made of some type of clay or porcelain materials. These hold heat in a lot longer than the metal cake pan you are used to.

In order to keep whatever is being baked from over baking, you need to take it out of the oven 5-10 minutes before it is done, as the heat from the mug itself will keep baking whats inside of it for several minutes.



I would suggest making mini cakes in the microwave instead. Using small baking dishes instead of mugs.

These dishes work better than mugs, for me anyway. But again, because of the kind of container they are, you have to adjust baking times and heat accordingly.

Most of these dishes are about 4-6 inches across and about 1-2 inches deep--

http://data:image/jpeg;base64,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Awesome post, Chester! Answered our concerns and queries really well. I have a couple of small ramekin dishes like the ones you pictured, so I'll have to give that a whirl next time I'm going for an individual serving portion of a cake!
 
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There are two things you have to realize when baking or cooking in small objects like mugs.

1. They cook FAST.

The container is deeper than it is wide. A baking pan, as a cake pan, is shallow, but wider...giving the cake plenty of open space on top to let air and moisture escape while being baked.

A container like a mug, is deeper and has less of an open top surface for the cake/cookie to bake correctly.
If the item baked is baked too hot, too fast, then it can turn out gooey on bottom and hard on top and not baked well.
If the item baked is baked too low, too slowly, then it can turn to "rubber" or dry out and turn hard.

The trick to baking in something like a mug, is to be sure it is something you CAN bake in. And if you do bake in a mug, bake it in a flat cake pan filled half way with water. The idea of the water is to keep the oven air moisturized so the top of what is being baked in the mug doesn't dry out or crack too badly before the bottom of whats in the mug can get baked.

Bake it on less heat than a regular cake, and bake it for a bit longer.

This takes some experimenting with, as different kinds/types/shapes of mugs and whats being baked in them will all turn out differently.


2. The container (mug) holds the heat in for a longer period of time.

Mugs are usually made of some type of clay or porcelain materials. These hold heat in a lot longer than the metal cake pan you are used to.

In order to keep whatever is being baked from over baking, you need to take it out of the oven 5-10 minutes before it is done, as the heat from the mug itself will keep baking whats inside of it for several minutes.



I would suggest making mini cakes in the microwave instead. Using small baking dishes instead of mugs.

These dishes work better than mugs, for me anyway. But again, because of the kind of container they are, you have to adjust baking times and heat accordingly.

Most of these dishes are about 4-6 inches across and about 1-2 inches deep--

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2967693243560m

3c6dd33b1bc1cbf618959206e9c2b3ea.jpg

31JKDS8Z4CL._SY355_.jpg

Awesome post, Chester! Answered our concerns and queries really well. I have a couple of small ramekin dishes like the ones you pictured, so I'll have to give that a whirl next time I'm going for an individual serving portion of a cake!
 

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