Quick and Easy Red Velvet Mug Cake

So I've been thinking of a serious post for about 3 week but have not taken the time to write it. Today is Valentine’s day and again I was thinking about writing about the true love of Christ. However, this morning I made personal microwave mug cakes for my sisters and created a personal Red Velvet cake recipe and had to share!  It is quick, very easy, and a very good moist and rich cake! 

So if you are single and feel like something sweet, in a relationship and want an inexpensive but thoughtful way to show you care, or are married and want to make a little something for the two of you, this is for you! More about how it turned out for me at the end of this post

I always hate pictures of ingredients because it makes baking look like a ton of work... but I just couldn't  resist!

Ingredients

1 teaspoon melted butter

4 heaping tablespoons of sugar

1 egg yolk

10-15 drops of red food coloring

2 tablespoons unsweetened coco powder

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/4 baking soda

1/4 vanilla extract

4 tablespoons all purpose flour

1 tablespoon milk

2 tablespoon yogurt

                                                                     
                                                                     Icing

2 tablespoons softened cream cheese

1 teaspoon softened butter

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Note: Coming from a  icing lover, when I made the icing I thought it wouldn't be enough, however, the cake is moist enough that when you eat it from the cup, this was enough.

                                                                  Instructions

1. In a medium bowl stir together melted butter, tablespoons of sugar and egg yolk and 10-15 drops of red food coloring.

Though this picture makes it look orange it is really quite red at this point

2. Stir in coco powder salt, baking soda, and vanilla extract.

3. Lastly add in flour, milk, and yogurt.
4. Pour into a large mug (or halfway fill a regular size mug), microwave for 1:30 on high. If it is still gooey cook an additional 15 seconds.

When you put it in the cup it will only fill it up about half way

However, once you bake it, it will rise

For the icing

Stir together cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract then add powdered sugar.

Put a layer of icing on top the cake and enjoy!

This cake could easily be for 2! The first picture is of only half the cake. When I made it for myself and my sister,s we each only ate half because, like I said earlier, it is a very rich but moist cake. My only complaint is that it didn't turn out as red as I would have liked, so you may want to use more than 10 drops if you want it to be truly red.

For those interested, here are the 3 recipes that I based this one off of.

For the Icing http://allrecipes.com/recipe/cream-cheese-frosting-ii/

Mug Cake http://blogs.babble.com/family-kitchen/2011/11/12/2-minute-chocolate-salted-caramel-mug-cake/

Red Velvet Cake http://www.countryliving.com/recipefinder/red-velvet-cake-3129

Life and Life to Come

Reunions, joy, memories, goodbyes, sadness, disappointment  Feelings are funny things. I got home from a Worldview Academy Staff retreat 5 days ago where I got to spend some wonderful time with friends that I worked with over the summer. Since coming home I'm realizing again that finding joy in all circumstances is one of the amazing graces from God to a Christian. I can feel the pain of goodbye but beneath that I know that goodbye is never forever for Christians. This brings great joy. The Gospel is truth! Sometimes, no all the time, we need to remember that truth. The more I go back to the truth the more my emotions come in line with the eternal reality rather then this temporal one. Though I feel sad that those I love are not near for me to spend time with and show love to all year long, I also know that I will have eternity in heaven to live with them and this puts my disappointment in perspective! Anyway this is just a short musing of the day but I thought it was worth sharing because every time I am amazed with my God I want others to know just how great He is!

The Gospel in Everyday Life

Bitterness, jealousy, self centeredness.

Grace, forgiveness, joy.

Two natures struggling.

This may seem an odd way to begin a blog, but today I thought would be a perfect day to begin because I can start with the Gospel and how I saw it demonstrated in my life recently. Just the other day I saw my sinfulness, yet at the same time Gods grace. Bitterness is not a usual feeling for me and it came when I should have felt joy. Jealousy came against those I love most. Self-centeredness came when I wanted to show I was right. I have learned and continue to learn that my life is not about me. It’s about God, about Jesus, the son of God, who lived the perfect life, died for my sin and rose again and through whom I stand justified before God and will have eternal life because I trust in Jesus. This changes everything about me! When I have grace, forgiveness, and am filled with joy it is by God’s unfathomable grace.

I often think that joy, happiness, and love “just comes naturally to me,” but I cannot take credit for these things. I must preach the truth to myself. I must remind myself of my sinful nature and that all good is the grace of God and not a product of seer will power. Just as I have to preach the truth of God’s grace I must preach the truth of who I am in God’s sight. Because of Christ’s work I am seen as perfect in God’s sight because instead of seeing my sin God sees Jesus’ righteousness upon me. I am perfect, yet being perfected. How I long for the day when instead of having to preach truth to myself I will live forever in the presence of Truth.

I have several goals for this blog-

1 Glory to God. As is the purpose of my whole life I desire to glorify God and enjoy him forever. (Westminster Shorter Catechism question 1)

2 Everyone has something to say. I would say I usually have more to say them most people and have a tendency to talk 100 mph. However, I’ve never been one for writing. I love the idea of writing, but have not made it a priority. But because I always love reading what God is teaching others and how he is using them to be a light, I decided to write as a way of, hopefully, bringing encouragement to others.

3 Laughs, happiness, joy, excitement. These words fill my heart with smiles (if that is possible). I love funny moments, random thoughts, stories, hugs, tears, theology, lessons, conversations, inside jokes. Each of these things can be communicated through words and once written bring me joy.

I do not pretend to be an eloquent or gifted writer, but I do know life is an adventure worth sharing, so I can only do my best to share it with you!