Frugal Fridays--Fast and Frugal Dessert

Ever have a craving for a yummy slice of cake but you don't want to wait 40 minutes and heat your house up (in the summer) to make one? Here's my solution: Make a Microwave cake! I developed this recipe one night when I couldn't find any good ones on the web. It is tasty and most people never know it was made in the microwave unless you tell them.

Mrs. Jo's Microwave Cake

What you need:
1/2 of a cake mix (Duncan's Hines Moist Deluxe works very well, but anything will do)
1 egg
3/4 C. milk
1/4 C. oil

Mix very well. Spray a glass 8x8 pan or a glass pie plate with cooking spray. Pour the cake mix into the pan and put in micro. Microwave on high for 3-4 minutes. My microwave is only 4 years old and very nice so it usually takes around 3 minutes and 30 seconds for us. If I've used a little more than half of the cake mix by accident, I shoot for 4 minutes.
When you take the cake out it will still look kind of un-cooked on the sides. This is okay. It will continue to cook and dry out for a few minutes. It's important you don't overcook. You will know you have overcooked it if it's very dry and tastes like sawdust!
After a few minutes of letting it cool, drizzle frosting, canned pie filling, caramel or chocolate ice-cream topping, or whipped cream on top. Sometimes if I'm having major PMS cravings I'll throw in some chocolate chips and marshmallows in the batter before microwaving! Yummy! This makes 4 LARGE servings for around 10 cents a serving if you get your cake mixes on sale. The taste and the price sure beat those Warm Delights bowls everyone is buying these days!

A great recipe to pull out when:

*Company stops by and you need a quick dessert
*You need dessert for a friend's birthday luncheon on a busy day
*It's hot and you don't want to turn on your oven to bake
*You want to make a special treat for Date Movie Night-In with your hubby

Note: All cake mixes and flavors work--not just chocolate!