A fudgy, intensely chocolatey brownie cooked in the microwave in eight minutes, gooey and dark and served warm with ice cream, the fastest chocolate fix that feeds four people with minimal effort.
About This Recipe
The microwave brownie sits at the intersection of the brownie and the mug cake, larger than a mug cake and designed to serve four rather than one, but sharing the mug cake’s commitment to speed and the brownie’s commitment to maximum chocolate intensity. Made in a microwave-safe dish and done in under twelve minutes including preparation, it produces a result that is genuinely rich and satisfying rather than a compromise.
The key to a microwave brownie that stays fudgy rather than rubbery is removing it from the microwave before it looks done. The centre should still wobble and appear underdone when the cooking stops. Residual heat from the dish and the surrounding batter will continue cooking the centre for two to three minutes after the microwave stops. If the centre looks done in the microwave it will be dry and over-textured by the time it is cool enough to eat.
Using both melted dark chocolate and cocoa powder produces the deepest, most complex chocolate flavour achievable from a microwave. The melted chocolate provides fat and a smooth, rounded quality. The cocoa provides bitterness and intensity. Together they produce something that does not taste like a compromise version of a baked brownie but like its own distinct and excellent thing.
History and Origins
Microwave brownies have been made since microwave ovens became household appliances in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Brownie mixes with microwave instructions were among the first products adapted for microwave cooking, and the from-scratch microwave brownie recipe has been continuously refined as microwave power and timing understanding has improved.
Why It Is Fast To Make
Microwave cooking. No oven preheating. 12 minutes total including preparation. Serves 4 from one dish.
Microwave Brownie
Course: Baking, Cake4
servings4
minutes8
minutes1960
kcalIngredients
•t115g dark chocolate chopped
•t115g unsalted butter
•t200g white sugar
•t2 large eggs
•t1 tsp vanilla extract
•t80g plain flour
•t30g cocoa powder
•t0.5 tsp salt
•tVanilla ice cream to serve
Directions
- Combine butter and chocolate in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second bursts until melted, stirring between each.
- Whisk sugar into the melted chocolate. Add eggs one at a time then vanilla.
- Fold in flour, cocoa and salt until just combined.
- Pour into a greased microwave-safe 20cm square dish.
- Microwave on 70 percent power for 6 to 8 minutes until edges are set but the centre wobbles.
- Stand for 3 minutes then serve with ice cream.
Notes
- Microwave at 70 percent power rather than full power. Full power overcooks the edges before the centre is done.
The centre must still wobble when you remove it. It will firm to a fudgy texture as it rests.
Allow the full 3 minute standing time. It is essential for the centre to finish setting.
The dish will be very hot. Use oven gloves.
Make Ahead Tips
The batter can be mixed up to 2 hours ahead and held in the dish. Cook and serve immediately.
Storage and Serving
Leftovers keep covered at room temperature for 2 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds. Avoid the fridge as cold firms the brownie unpleasantly. Best eaten warm on the day it is made.
Variations and Substitutions
Add a handful of dark chocolate chips to the batter. Swirl a tablespoon of peanut butter through the batter before cooking. Add a teaspoon of espresso powder. Swirl raspberry jam through the top for a chocolate raspberry version.
