Mug cakes are pretty popular right now, and there’s good reason why. They’re simple, don’t require a lot of ingredients, and their single-sized portion is perfect for the solo eater, especially when you want a little cake-y goodness without the commitment of baking an entire cake.

Plus, they’re ready in a jiffy – most take just a few minutes to prep and cook from beginning to end. And the only fancy equipment you need is a microwave oven.

Finding the perfect mug cake recipe, however, is a whole other issue. Some are too dry, too sweet, or too hard. Some flavours are so fancy you might as well bake an entire cake from scratch.

All you really want is to grab a few ingredients you already have lying around, mix it up and turn it into a perfectly delicious sweet treat. Is that too much to ask?

This recipe doesn’t even use fancy teas because the best kind for a good teh tarik is of the cheap and strong variety.

Ingredients

• 1 tea bag

• 2 tbsp milk

• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour

• 1 ½ tbsp granulated sugar

• ¼ tsp baking powder

• 1/8 tsp salt

• ¾ tbsp vegetable cooking oil + extra for oiling the mug

• ¼ tsp vanilla extract

Method

• In a microwave-safe bowl or mug, microwave milk on high heat for 30 seconds.

• Add 1 whole tea bag to the milk, using a spoon to push in as much of the tea bag into the milk as possible. Set aside and let the tea steep in the milk.

• In a separate bowl, add flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Use a whisk to combine the ingredients evenly.

• Remove tea bag from the milk, but first, don’t forget to squeeze out as much of the liquid from the tea bag as possible. We find this is easiest to do by pressing the tea bag against the wall of the mug with the back of a spoon. Discard tea bag.

• Add the milk-tea liquid to the mixed dry ingredients. Stir with a whisk until thoroughly combined.

• Next, add cooking oil and vanilla into the batter and stir with a whisk to mix through.

• Add a few drops of oil into a small microwaveable mug. You can either use a brush or a kitchen paper towel to spread the oil, covering all the inner surfaces of the mug. Alternatively, you can also use cooking spray.

• Pour the batter into your oiled mug.

• Microwave on high heat for 1 minute and 30 seconds.

• Let cool for a minute before serving.

Extra tips

• Go for Teh Tarik tea bags for the strongest flavour. If none is available, regular Teh bags are fine too. Teh ‘O’ tea is a lot milder than regular Teh Tarik tea mixes, so we don’t recommend using those.

• Do not use those three-in-one Teh Tarik – the flavour just doesn’t shine.

• Can’t get your hands on Malaysian-style tea? Choose strong black tea flavours like Darjeeling, Ceylon or Earl Grey instead. It won’t taste exactly the same, but it’s as close as you can get to a local Teh Tarik. Avoid fruit teas or add-on flavours.

And remember, you want tea dust i.e. smashed up tea leaves in your tea bags and not dried tea leaves, so opt for cheaper brands and leave the fancy ones for when granny or Prince William comes around.

• Mild-flavoured cooking oils work best for this recipe, such as grapeseed, canola or sunflower oil. Leave your olive, sesame or coconut oils for other recipes.

• Microwave mug cakes will harden and become tough and chewy once it cools, so be sure to eat it while it’s still hot!

• For an extra Teh Tarik feel, drizzle some condensed milk prior to eating. The Teh Tarik mug cake also pairs well with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

This article first appeared in butterkicap.com

Butterkicap is a food and culture platform and community that enables anyone to experience Malaysia through stories of her people, food and places.