At this time of year, simple comfort fits the bill – and almost all recipes are improved with a dash of cinnamon in my book. Unlike the microwavable cousin you might have made in home economics at school, these banana and cinnamon mug cakes are baked in the oven and are beautifully moist thanks to the fruity filling, with not a hint of chewiness. And the making of them couldn’t be easier: using the all in one method, with no need for scales – just a tablespoon, teaspoon and two mugs! The recipe is via Nadiya’s Kitchen (of GBBO fame) and I urge you to try it, post-Autumnal walk as we did. It will warm your cockles! Just make sure your mugs are oven safe. To make two 250ml mug cakes you need:
1 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 medium egg, lightly beaten
1 tbsp whole milk
1 ripe banana, peeled and mashed
1 tsp cinnamon
3 tbsp plain flour
3 tbsp caster sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
Preheat the oven to 180C/ Fan 160C and insert a baking sheet to put the cups on. Lightly grease the cups and add a wee disc of baking parchment at the bottom of each. Mix all the ingredients thoroughly, in one of the mugs or a separate bowl. You could use a stand mixer but that’s a bit faffy for mug cakes!
Divide the mixture between the cups, so they are both half full.
Put the cups on the baking sheet and bake for 15 – 20 minutes, depending on the size of your cups. The cakes should be firm, spring back when touched and come away from the sides.
Remove the cups from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before serving each banana and cinnamon mug cake with a scoop of ice cream and a further sprinkling of cinnamon.
Tea towel c/o Laura Ashley – you can catch me taking over their Instagram account this weekend here, and you can see what I’m up to on my Instagram here.