I didn’t intend to create a microwave cake recipe. But I was looking for a way to “bake a cake” in a plastic container (more on that at another time) and naturally, I started experimenting with some of the microwave cake recipes I found online.
I quickly discovered that many microwave cakes have a rubbery texture and/or more than a hint of “poached egg” flavor. Another big difficulty with microwaved cake is how quickly they dry out — which is quickly. Very, very quickly.
So I started experimenting. Approximately sixty microwave cake recipe experiments later, I had this cake.
Gathering microwaved cake supplies.
Microwave Cake Ingredients
1 box cake mix
I strongly recommend using one of the Betty Crocker “SuperMoist” mixes. I tried several different brands/flavors and the Betty Crocker “SuperMoist” was the standout every time.
IMPORTANT: Avoid dense cakes like “fudge cake” or “pound cake”. Those are just hockey pucks waiting to be nuked.
1 box (3.4 size) instant pudding in a similar or complementary flavor
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon meringue powder
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1-1/3 cup milk
Additional Supplies
Non-stick cooking spray
2 – 9″ glass (or other microwave-safe material) pans
Your favorite easy-to-spread frosting
The Not-So-Secret ingredients: meringue powder
The Secret Ingredient
Eggs are a vital ingredient in most cake recipes… but when you microwave a cake with eggs in the recipe, you can easily end up with cake that has a hint of “poached egg” taste and the texture of a rubber chicken. I tried a variety of alternate recipes including: eliminating egg (good for making cake crumbles), substituting egg with applesauce (not bad if you like applesauce cake), substituting egg with prepared pudding (good for a burnt candy flavor), and a host of experiments not worthy of mention.
I know that Meringue Powder isn’t a standard ingredient in a lot of kitchens, but it’s the secret to making a moist “non-eggy” microwaved cake. Meringue Powder can be found in most cake supply stores or craft stores with a cake decorating section. I buy it at the local Michael’s Arts & Crafts store.
Batter will be lumpy -- it's okay.
Microwave Cake Instructions
Combine box of cake mix (dry), pudding mix (dry), and meringue powder in a large mixing bowl. Thoroughly mix ingredients. Break up any large clumps.
Add oil and milk. Mix by hand for approximately one minute.
Don’t worry about small lumps in the batter.
Batter spread in pan
Spray two 9″ x 9″ microwave-safe containers with cooking spray.
Spread 1/2 of the batter in each pan. Spread evenly. Or as evenly as humanly possible. Don’t worry about those few little bits of dry mix — it’s part of the microwave’s magic to make those disappear.
Watching cake in microwave.
Place one batter-filled pan in microwave. Now here’s the dicey part: Cooking Time. As you likely know, microwave ovens vary greatly in “power and efficiency” and that means there are no absolutes when it comes to “just how long” you should microwave your cake.
My microwave is ten years old and lists “wattage output” at 1100W. The perfect microwaving time/power setting with my microwave is 3 minutes and 45 seconds at Full Power. If your microwave has a lower wattage, you might need a longer bake time. If your microwave has a higher wattage, you might need a shorter time (or less than full power).
When the first layer is finished “baking”, cover tightly and then microwave second layer. When finished, cover second layer. Allow both layers to cool before frosting (but keep tightly covered). Covering the cakes helps keep them moist — as mentioned earlier, one of the biggest difficulties with microwaved cakes is how quickly they dry out.
Finished microwaved cake.
Finished Microwaved Cake
And here’s the unfrosted cake — in just over seven minutes of “bake” time, you have moist, delicious cake!
“Lumpy?” Yes, it does look a bit lumpy, but it doesn’t taste lumpy at all. And I’ve not found a solution to the visual problem that doesn’t sacrifice taste… so always remember: frosting is our Cakey Cosmetic friend.
Frosted microwaved cake -- good enough to eat.
Frosting the Microwaved Cake
Microwaved cake is more fragile than an oven-baked cake and requires a “soft” frosting. Homemade buttercream frosting works well. If you’re selecting a “canned frosting”, select one of the whipped varieties as the standard canned frostings will be nearly impossible to spread on microwaved cake without shredding the cake.
Suitable for Company?
The taste of this cake is certainly suitable for company, but because you can’t make this cake too far in advance and then the cake has to cool before frosting, it’s a difficult dessert to prepare without abandoning your guests.
But it’s the perfect quick and easy treat for casual gatherings and lazy family weekends.
German chocolate cake covered in coconut pecan frosting.
When my sister wants a cake, it’s not about novelty or cool decorations, it’s all about one thing: German Chocolate Cake with German Chocolate Frosting.
For the cake, I use the Duncan Hines German Chocolate Cake box mix. From the listed ingredients, I replace the water with milk and I also throw in a box of chocolate pudding (dry), but those are the only changes I make. The box mix makes a nice cake with little work. I like that.
But canned German Chocolate frosting is… cloying. German Chocolate frosting is pretty easy to make from scratch and well worth the effort. If you’re nervous about making a “cooked” frosting, don’t be — just be ready to do some serious stirring.
Frosting Recipe Ingredients
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup sugar (see note below about “Types of Sugar”)
3 egg yolks, beaten
4 oz butter (one “stick”) cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup flaked coconut
German Chocolate Frosting Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan (I use a 3.5 quart saucepan)
Cook over medium heat. If this recipe doesn’t start bubbling/thickening at about the 10-14 minute mark, try upping the temperature. If the recipe starts bubbling/thickening much earlier than the 10 minute mark, lower the temperature.
Stir constantly (yep, for the entire cooking time). When the mixture starts bubbling, stir faster — because you really don’t want this concoction sticking to your pan.
Once the mixture starts bubbling (at about the 10-14 minute mark), stir for an additional 3 minutes (it doesn’t have to be exact).
Allow the frosting to “rest” for 30 minutes prior to using. You can speed up this process by moving the frosting to a room temperature bowl and placing it in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes.
This recipe makes enough frosting for the traditional German Chocolate Cake with frosting in the middle and on the top, but not on the sides. If, like my sister, you prefer a completely covered cake, make two batches of this recipe. The recipe can be doubled, but because of the cooking method it is much easier to cook two separate batches and then combine them.
German Chocolate frosting can be made with a variety of sugars.
Types of Sugar
For German Chocolate Frosting, you can use granulated white sugar or brown sugar (light or dark). The choice of sugar is dependent on your own taste and appearance preferences. In the pictured cake (above), I used dark brown sugar. For a lighter color frosting, use white sugar. Whether you use white or brown sugar, this coconut pecan frosting will be delicious and the cooking instructions are exactly the same.
Troubleshooting German Chocolate Frosting
Be forewarned: German Chocolate Cake frosting is traditionally thinner than most contemporary frostings (and way thinner than canned frostings). Because it was originally designed to be spread on the cake top and middle only, it wasn’t important for the icing to be stiff enough to stick to the cake sides.
However, if you can’t get this recipe to thicken up enough to use as frosting, there are three possible problems:
The cooking temperature is too low. Stovetops vary. Some people recommend cooking German Chocolate frosting on low heat. On my stovetop, “low heat” is about the equivalent of “off” — try upping the temperature.
The saucepan is too small. If you use a small saucpan (even if all the ingredients fit), the mixture might be too “deep” to heat up in the given time.
Not enough cooking time. For this recipe, you really do have to stir the mixture over heat for a minimum of 13 minutes and more likely 15-18 minutes.
“Royal Icing” is a white icing prized for the fact that it dries to a hard shell. Royal Icing is the most common icing for sugar cookies and gluing gingerbread houses together. Royal Icing can also be used for piping cake decorations to be used on buttercream or fondant covered cake.
Traditionally Royal Icing is made with egg whites, but a perfectly lovely Royal Icing can be made with Meringue Powder (dried egg whites) — eliminating concerns about serving an icing made with raw eggs.
Ingredients for Royal Icing
4 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons meringue powder (found in cake supply stores, some craft stores such as Michael’s and some grocery stores)
1 – 3 teaspoons vanilla extract (or experiment with other flavorings, but add them one teaspoon at a time — it’s easy to overpower Royal Icing with too much added flavoring)
8 – 12 tablespoons warm water
Directions for Easy Royal Icing
Place all of the powdered sugar and meringue in your mixing bowl.
Add vanilla and 1 tablespoon of warm water. Mix thoroughly at low speed.
Add another tablespoon of water. Mix thoroughly.
Repeat step three until all water is added or until desired consistency is reached.
Beat on low to medium speed for another 5 – 7 minutes.
Now, wasn’t that easy? If you’re unsure of what consistency of Royal Icing you need, just experiment. Working with Royal Icing takes practice. For thinner icing, use more water, added one tablespoon at a time. To thicken icing, add powdered sugar, two tablespoons at a time.
Royal icing is perfect for decorating sugar cookies, provides a hard shell for cakes (but is more difficult to smooth than fondant) and is useful for special effects on either cakes or cookies.
The picture shown is of decorations piped onto wax paper (you can also pipe onto parchment). When the decorations dry (drying time can be up to 24 hours), they can be peeled away from the wax paper and placed on the cake. If your decorations are thin, be sure to pipe extras because the thinner the piece, the more likely there will be breakage when removing the piece from the wax paper.
Coloring Royal Icing
Royal icing is simple to color with either liquid food colorings (commonly found in US grocery stores) or gel food colorings (found in cake supply stores, craft stores such as Michael’s, and some grocery stores). However, use caution with liquid food coloring as they can cause the colored Royal Icing to “bleed” into other colors on the cake, particularly if you’re piping onto fondant.
Royal Icing Caution
When exposed to air, royal icing dries/stiffens quickly. When not in use, store in an airtight container and be sure to keep bowl with excess icing covered during the icing process. If the icing gets too stiff, add a teaspoon warm water and mix thorougly.
Feel the Royal Icing Burn
In spite of the preferred directions above, if you don’t have an electric mixer, you can still whip up a batch of Easy Royal Icing by hand. Yes, it provides a good upper arm workout, but it’s also completely doable.
