About the Author

Mima Sinclair is a much in-demand London-based food stylist and writer who has cooked, tested, written and developed recipes for numerous magazines and cookbooks and worked with a number of top chefs. Since going freelance, she has also contributed to many food-related stills, video, publishing and packaging projects.

Reviews

You've seem 'em all over Pinterest and Instagram - those why-didn't-I-think-of-that mug cakes that almost look too good to eat (the key word here being almost). With no boxed mix in sight, these crazy-quick treats are easily our newest favorite food trend. Haven't tried one yet? Bake up something new at lightning speed (okay, in minutes ... still fast) with these four ridiculously easy microwaved desserts from the new book Mug Cakes. Chocolate Peanut Butter Mug Cake: Forget hot chocolate. This sweet peanut butter dessert will put your go-to, cold-weather drink to shame. Blueberry Muffin Mug Cake: Because dessert for breakfast is always a good idea - in fact, it's an incredible idea! Chocolate Fudge S'mores Mug Cake: No bonfire in sight? No problem. This indulgent dessert is filled with marshmallows, chocolate and most importantly - graham crackers. Carrot Cake Mug Cake: Not a huge fan of chocolate? This mug cake is a sweet treat without being too rich. Still, you're definitely in danger of wanting more and making more of this single-serving goodness - because carrot cake in a cup is just that amazing. -- Rachel Sylvester The Nest, 9/24/2014 ... if you haven't tried mug cakes for breakfast, you're in for a treat. Get your mug out, gather a few simple ingredients and prepare for a steamy morning with two scrumptious breakfast mug-cake recipes blueberry muffin, and almond and berry from Mima Sinclair's new book, Mug Cakes. Blueberry muffinThis is so delicious and so easy... just don't get into the habit of eating one for breakfast everyday! Almond and berry breakfast mugEarn yourself a few brownie points by treating your other half to breakfast in bed with this nut and fruit sensation. TODAY.com, 10/27/2014 Who says you need a crowd for a cake? It's a snap to make one of these incredibly satisfying, microwaveable mug cakes. Reader's Digest, 11/5/2014 Mug Cakes is the name of new book but it is also a concept - make cakes in mere minutes, in a mug, in the microwave. Author Mima Sinclair has compiled 40 such cakes including the Almond Berry Breakfast Mug we are also featuring. Kids love to make these as afterschool treats. Bakepedia, 10/30/14 This sweet, special breakfast [Almond & Berry Breakfast Mug] is from Mug Cakes, a whole book dedicated to these very easy and quick to make desserts. Also check out the Chocolate & Peanut Butter Mug Cake by author Mima Sinclair. Note her Tips about using frozen fruit to make this even easier - perfect for cold mornings...Earn yourself a few brownie points by treating your other half to breakfast in bed with this nut and fruit sensation. Bakepedia, 10/30/14 The personal dessert is a smashing hit. This is not a trend, but a permanent part of our culinary landscape. Now Mug Cakes give us, well, individual cakes cooked in mugs and cups. The book has 40 speedy recipes, speedy because they are baked in the microwave for fast transition from batter to piping warm cake. The book divides the cakes into four chapters: Classics include Chocolate and Peanut Butter, Carrot Cake, Gingerbread, and Coffee & Walnut Cake. Hot out of the microwave, you could wait for cooling and frosting these cakes - and there are ideas for that wait-and-frost idea here. But the concept in Mug Cakes is often bake and eat. So the toppings include whipped cream, caramel, chocolate chips and marshmallows. If you want something upscale, then the Occasions chapter offers Black Forest, Strawberries & Cream, and Almond & Berry with a streusel topping. This last one is called a breakfast mug and I can think of no better breakfast than streusel and berries. Happy Hour introduces some ideas with boozy ingredients: Pina Colada with rum. Baileys on the Rocks, and Guinness Cake. The Guinness specialty is baked in a glass mug so you can see the tall tower of moist, velvety cake. There is even a Mojito Cake, complete with rum, lime, and peppermint frosting. Finally, there are some very contemporary and quite rich Treats: Salted Caramel & Chocolate, Chocolate Ginger & Pear Cake, Sticky Toffee, and of course Rocky Road and Chocolate Fudge S'Mores. Best of all, the recipes are scaled for one-mug desserts. You'll have enough batter just for you. You can always double down to avoid a scowling spouse. But if you are alone, and crave a treat, and have a microwave, you are just moments away from sighing satisfaction. Mug Cakes is a clever idea packaged as a clever book. -- Brian Cooking by the Book, 10/28/14 I am in love with this cookbook!Everything so cute and easy to make in a mug!It's the perfect gift for college foodies! Vanilla Sugar Blog, 11/7/2014 Mug Cakes: 40 Speedy Cakes to Make in a Microwave by Mima Sinclair isn't specifically written for college students, but it should be: the recipes are easy, fun, cheap, and perfect for anyone living in a small apartment or residence hall room. Even though there are only 40 recipes in the book, they vary enough so that you can find what you're craving -- whether it's fruit-flavored or chocolate -- while also feeling like the book has plenty of recipes to choose from. There are also some fun surprises, like a Rice Krispies Treat-type of cake as well as a blueberry muffin recipe you could easily use for a quick breakfast. -- Kelci Lynn Lucier About.Com ... The photos are mouthwatering, the recipes are simple to read and make. There is a recipe in this book for everyone too, gluten free, dairy and egg free, chocolate, fruit, dessert and even breakfast. Looking through this cute cookbook, I had a hard time deciding what I wanted to make but guess what...? no big deal, it's only one serving so you can try one a day if you want. I like the idea of making just one serving for when it's just me and my husband enjoying a movie at home and I can quickly make two of these and not have leftovers. If you are single or a college student what a perfect cookbook to have handy. Gift giving season is coming pretty quickly and I know a my daughter and her roommates would love to have Mug Cakes cookbook. Put this cookbook on your list of must haves this year and try out the 40 different cakes and don't feel guilty, it's only one serving! -- Suzanne Platt You Made That?, 11/11/2014 This book is divided up into 4 main sections - Classics, Occasions, Happy Hour and Treats. I also appreciate the fact that there is a very well written and well thought out introduction - giving you the do's and don'ts of mug cake baking... which yes - I needed at first. BUT - once you get started...it only gets easier!;)And yes - I may have memorized a chocolate mug cake recipe where I don't really even need to measure the ingredients out anymore... I've made it that much... Ha! Blaise the Baker, 11/19/2014 Mima Sinclair has ... developed 40 single-serving cake recipes and collected them in an adorable book perfect for the impulsive baker, "Mug Cakes." Dissatisfied with the uneven quality of the Internet recipes she tried, she perfected her own basic but delicious mug cake recipe. Then, she went on to create variations including carrot cake, gingerbread, banana bread and Black Forest. Sinclair wrote the book for a broad audience. For "people who are scared to bake," the recipes build confidence. The recipes are also simple enough (and safe enough no hot oven) for children to follow. Students with a microwave but no kitchen will enjoy mug cakes on study breaks. You don't need much in the way of equipment. Most recipes require just a mug, a fork and a few measuring spoons. If you loathe waste, you'll love the single serving approach. You'll also love it if you lack the self-control to stop at just one slice. -- Lauren Chattman Newsday, 12/31/2014 This cookbook is utterly and completely charming. And dangerous. (Very much so.) I mean, single-serving cakes that can be whipped up in minutes and devoured shortly thereafter? Yeah, that's #dangerousknowledge, for sure. Mima Sinclair definitely seems to have cracked the code on these mug cakes. She fully embraces gooey chocolate middles, whipped frostings, crunchy streusel toppings, and boozy infusions in this book. These cakes aren't shy. You've been warned. The Kitchn, 1/27/2015