For the first time ever, our apartment smells like chocolate cake. Not the waftings of some store-bought, icing-covered slab of chewy Styrofoam, but fresh, warm, yummy chocolate cake. There are, of course, two rather significant factors that have contributed to the lack of chocolaty-smelly goodness in our place up until now. First, it’s really difficult to create the smell of chocolate cake without an oven in which to bake the cake. Second – and certainly no less important – is the fact that my cake baking skills extend as far as a box of cake mix and a whisk.

So, you may be wondering, is this just some wishfully aromatic hallucination? As I lick sticky remnants of chocolate from my fingers, I can assure you that it is not! Thanks to an email from a friend in Canada, and the wonders of technology, I have discovered how to make a small sized cake in the microwave. I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical at first, but the allure of making my very own warm cake sent me to the store for a few ingredients. The recipe is fantastically simple, so even I was able to mix up the delectable batter in a cereal bowl, pop it in the nuke box, and wait – impatiently – for the microwave to beep. Who would have thought that a bowl of brown sloppiness could be turned into steamy moist chocolate cake in only five minutes! It is (or rather, was) absolutely scrumptious, and I already have dreams of cake with chocolate sauce and ice cream. Mmmmm…

Thanks, A., for making my day perfectly, chocolately giddy!