Many of us have succumbed to the lure of the mid-afternoon microwave cake. There is something satisfyingly indulgent about piling spoonfuls of sugar and flour into a mug, then watching a steaming, sweet-smelling perfectly risen cup come out of the microwave five minutes later.

These recipes, from the author and "culinary designer" Lene Knudsen and chocoholic food writer Sandra Mahut, show the humble mug cake in much classier guises – with melting middles, multi-flavour combinations, quick chocolate sauces, and swirls of cream.

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"A mug cake is a real homemade cake using all the ingredients you would put in a regular cake", says Sandra Mahut. "However, it takes a fraction of the time and is cooked in a mug in the microwave. The only equipment you require is a mug, a fork or whisk and (sometimes) a bowl. There's no need to weigh anything - all the quantities are given in spoonfuls."

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MAGNIFICENT MUG CAKES

Classic chocolate microwave mug cake recipe