December
28
The Spice & Tea Exchange brings you this post from guest blogger Jen Lane, staff writer for Food Lush:
Around 2pm each day, it hits me…the afternoon crash. I’ve heard the advice to eat almonds or bananas to up your energy, but you know what I really want? Chocolate. More specifically? Warm chocolate. Now I love hot cocoa as much as the next person, but the best way to kill my chocolate craving is with warm, gooey cake. I recently stumbled across a recipe for chocolate mug cake which called for Nutella and cocoa powder. I decided to get a little creative and use some of my TSTE Spiced Cocoa instead of plain cocoa powder.

Let’s just say it was the right thing to do.
This cake is beyond easy to prepare and contains ingredients most of us already have on hand, especially during the holiday season. Microwave cooking times vary, so give your cake a poke after 2 minutes. If it springs back when you touch the top and has separated from the sides of the mug, it’s ready. If it’s still gooey, zap it for 30-60 seconds longer. 3 minutes was the perfect amount of time in my microwave.
A nice break from the measuring, mixing, pouring, stirring, cooling and, most of all, waiting that goes along with traditional cakes, this quick treat provides a great pick-me-up almost instantly and makes you feel like you’re treating yourself to something special on any old ordinary day. The TSTE Spiced Cocoa adds the perfect kick!

SPICED CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE
4 tablespoons self-rising flour
4 tablespoons white granulated sugar
1 egg, beaten
3 tablespoons TSTE Spiced Cocoa
3 tablespoons Nutella
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Combine all ingredients in a large coffee mug. Whisk well with a fork until smooth. Microwave on high for 1 1/2 – 3 minutes, depending on your microwave wattage. Top with whipped cream and chocolate syrup, if desired. Enjoy!
Makes 1 very large serving.
About Jen
Jen Lane is happy to share some deliciousness with her fellow TSTE fans. She is a staff writer for Food Lush and randomly blogs about life and such at Hey, Y’all. Find her on Twitter. Offline, she’s the mom of the world’s coolest preschooler, wife of an amazing cook, and works as a stage manager for the Alabama Shakespeare Festival.