Microwaves get a bit of a bad rap. Some people complain they ruin the texture of food. Others lament microwaves’ inability to cook evenly. And some say they’re boxes secretly designed by the government to control our minds. But in her new book, Best Mug Cakes Ever, Monica Sweeney reveals 50 excellent ways to make use of the science oven and they all involve cake.

If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, know that mug cakes are one of the best baking cheats around. With a handful of ingredients, a microwave and five minutes of your time you end up with a dessert that’s tasty enough to serve at a dinner party (ideally in elegant mugs), and even more appropriate for an evening of “I put on my pajamas at 6:30 and have a lot of Netflix to get through.”

The most famous mug cake is a fudgy Nutella version, but Sweeney adapts the concept for almost every kind of cake imaginable. Here, she shares four favorites and some mug cake tips for your microwaving and eating pleasure.

1. Red Velvet Mug Cake

Tip: “I upped the cocoa powder significantly to give this a stronger chocolate flavor, which I think tastes better. But if you want the classic rose-red color you see in bakery red velvet cake, reduce the cocoa powder to one tablespoon”

4 tablespoons self-rising flour
4 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 tablespoons beaten egg or liquid egg substitute
1 tablespoon red food coloring
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons buttermilk

Mix the flour, sugar, and cocoa powder in a mug. Add the egg, food coloring, oil, and buttermilk and stir until well combined. Microwave on high for 1 1/2 minutes or until the top is just dry. Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

2 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Beat the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar and beat until smooth.

2. Chocolate Salted Caramel Mug Cake

Tip: “You can either use store-bought caramel sauce, or throw a few unwrapped caramel candies into a ramekin and microwave them at 50 percent power for a minute or two to melt them.”

4 tablespoons self-rising flour
4 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 tablespoons beaten egg or liquid egg substitute
3 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons caramel sauce or 1 ounce solid caramel, melted
Sea salt

Mix the flour, sugar, and cocoa powder in a mug. Add the egg, milk, oil, and vanilla and stir until well combined. Swirl in the caramel sauce or melted caramel and sprinkle the top with sea salt. Microwave on high for 1 minute or until the top is just dry.

3. Carrot Mug Cake

Tip: “You will not believe that this carrot cake takes two minutes to make. It’s important to make sure the carrot is grated as finely as possible, so it can soften properly in the microwave. I use the medium holes on a box grater.”

4 tablespoons self-rising flour
4 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons beaten egg or liquid egg substitute
3 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons grated carrot
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts or almonds
cream cheese frosting (above)

Mix the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a mug. Add the egg, milk, oil, and grated carrot and stir until well combined. Fold in the nuts. Microwave on high for 1 minute or until the top is just dry.

4. Buttered Rum

Tip: “Be sure to use unsalted butter, since the self-rising flour has salt in it already. For extra rum flavor, use rum extract in place of vanilla.”

4 tablespoons self-rising flour
4 tablespoons dark brown sugar
Pinch of ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons beaten egg or liquid egg substitute
1 tablespoon dark rum
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla or rum extract

Mix the flour, sugar, and nutmeg in a mug. Add the egg, rum, milk, butter, and vanilla and stir until well combined. Microwave on high for 1 minute or until the top is just dry.

This article was written by FWx Editors from Food & Wine and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.