{5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake}

This is by far one of the easiest but surprisingly delicious treats that I have ever made. This is a five minute cake because it takes five minutes to prepare it and then cook it. At first, I was a bit skeptical, because I expected to turn out horribly - tough, rubbery, and with a stomach-churning taste too. I remember looking at the ingredients and thinking, " I would never want to make this cake." I did not realize how popular this recipe would be, because a lot of new posts from other food blogs claimed that this recipe really worked. I saw picture after picture of the cake, and I suddenly became eager to know if they really were what a lot of people claimed they were. When I looked at those images, I imagined the scent and taste of the wonderful creation.

Is it possible to cook a cake in 1 minute? Well, I was utterly shocked when I first tasted the cake. While it was in the microwave, I was thinking about how it would probably be inedible. When I took it out of the microwave, I became elated and astonished. The cake smelled just like one fresh from the oven, but I really wanted to know how it tasted. I could really taste chocolate - it was not too dry, and the melted dark chocolate chips gave it an immense boost in flavor. It is best shared between two people, and although it does not look and taste as tasty as a real cake, it certainly will do for a quick snack.

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons cocoa powder (I used Hershey's)

2 tablespoons milk

A dash of salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons flour

3/4 teaspoon oil

1 tablespoon sugar + 1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1. Stir all the ingredients together.

2. Add the milk, oil, and vanilla extract and mix until thoroughly combined.

3. Pour the batter into a microwave safe mug.

4. Cook in a microwave for one minute.

5. Eat it warm with ice cream or a chocolate syrup (if you can handle even more chocolate!).

Note: It might turn out too dry or rubbery if you cook it for too long. I have been looking for different recipes for this cake, and a lot of them contained eggs. I was worried about the possibility of salmonella, so I am glad that this recipe does not have any eggs in it (but it still tastes good!).

I shared this cake with my brother and sister, and they really enjoyed it too!

{Rice Krispies Treats and A Decision}

If you really know me, I'm sure that you are aware of the fact that I am very, very indecisive. I was pondering about whether I should continue this blog or not. I mentioned before that this blog was supposed to be used only for the summer, so that I could improve my baking and photography skills. Sometimes unexpected things happen - who knew that I would eventually end up loving making recipes from scratch, blogging, and taking pictures of all the food too? I thought that now that school has started I wouldn't have any time to bake anything, which then filled me with melancholy. When I thought about ending this blog, I felt devastated.

What I realized was that I just couldn't stop baking and blogging. I think that I have gotten so used to baking and blogging that I could not imagine not doing it anymore. This is basically the reason why I woke up this morning and rushed straight to my laptop, eager to write this post. Baking is something that I would never want to stop doing. It helps me to unwind and feel cheerful, and I always feel elated whenever I accomplish a new recipe.

The only problem is, I do not want to spend all my time baking. I know that I need to make time for different things. Ever since I started high school, I have been cautious with my schoolwork and what I do after school, because now everything counts. This is why I have decided to post a new recipe once or twice every week from now on, so that I will still have time to focus on other things I have to do. I am aware that in summer, I had plenty of time to bake, blog, and take pictures, but I kind of like this challenge because it is teaching me how to balance time. Thanks for understanding!

Quite possibly one of the stickiest treats I have ever made...

Yes, I'm back, and I brought a Rice Krispies Treats recipe with me!

Yeah! Back to Baking!

I can make this easy treat whenever I want after school for a quick snack (if I have the ingredients on hand).

Only three ingredients are required for this recipe: 6 cups of Rice Krispies cereal, 3 tablespoons of butter, and one package of regular marshmallows.

Adapted from allrecipes.com

1. Put the butter on a large pan over low heat. Once butter is melted, add in marshmallows and mix until they are fully melted. Remove the pan from the heat.

2. Pour in the cereal and mix until fully covered in marshmallow.

3. Put mixture into a 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan. Once cool, cut into desired sizes.

{Banana Ice Cream With Just One Ingredient}

Usually when I get a cookbook I flip over to the desserts section first. Banana Caramel Chocolate Walnut Brownie Pie... Strawberry Shortcake... Cinnamon Raisin Bread... they all seem so delicious, but today I wanted to make something perfect for one of the last few days of summer. Finally, I found a recipe for Banana "Ice Cream", but I did not remember seeing this recipe in the cookbook before. I could not believe how easy it was to make, and it even claimed that this "ice cream" really looks and tastes like the real thing! I had to find out if it was true.

All you need are 3 to 4 medium sized frozen bananas (they must be very ripe), a rubber spatula, and a food processor!

1. Dice the bananas and place them in the freezer.

2. Put the bananas in the food processor once they are frozen and blend them up. Stir occasionally with a rubber spatula.

At first, the bananas might become very chunky or look like crumbs, but if you mix them up a bit more they will become very creamy. I was very surprised once I tasted the "ice cream", because it really tasted and felt like real ice cream. Now, I can have a very healthy treat that I can eat whenever I want!

This "ice cream" tastes really good, but you can make it even better by adding more ingredients. Try eating it with honey, peanut butter, chocolate syrup/chips, maple syrup, cinnamon, or more fruits!