The Jaffa Cake pudding that's made us forget about banana bread

It takes less than five minutes to make...

Sometimes you're in desperate need of a cake (yes, it's a need) but you simply don't have time to whisk, sieve and ice a beautiful bake. That's where Jack Monroe's Jaffa Cake mug pudding comes into play. Taken from her recipe book Good Food For Bad Days, this treat whips up in less than five minutes.

"This is a very dangerous piece of knowledge to have; the ability to rustle up a hot sticky pudding in a matter of minutes that tastes like a pile of melted Jaffa cakes," says Jack. "Once you know it, you can never un-know it, and I’m very glad to finally share it with you."

Ingredients

2 tbsp marmalade, plus extra to finish

2 tbsp Nutella or other chocolate spread, plus extra to finish

3 tbsp vegetable oil

3 tbsp milk

1 egg

2 tbsp honey or sugar

4 tbsp self-raising flour

Squeezy chocolate sauce, or more chocolate spread, to serve

Method

1. First measure the marmalade and chocolate spread into your mug, and pop it into the microwave for 45 seconds to soften.

2. Remove carefully as the mug may be warm and stir in the oil, then the milk. Leave to cool for a minute or two before cracking in the egg and beating it well. Mix in the honey, or sugar if using and then the flour, to make your batter.

3. Place the mug back in the microwave for 90 seconds on high. It will rise quite a bit, but it deflates again a little afterwards.

4. Top with an extra smudge of marmalade and chocolate spread, then return to the microwave for 30 seconds more to melt them and finish cooking the pudding.

5. Remove, and allow to stand for a minute or two before tucking in as it will be hot! I like to top mine with squeezy chocolate sauce as well, because I don’t know when enough is enough, really. It doesn’t keep particularly brilliantly, so it’s best to eat it soon after making it.

Jack Monroe is an award-winning cookery writer and a campaigner against hunger and poverty in the UK.

Buy Good Food for Bad Days, £7.99