# 3 ingredients $3 cake **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 1, 2008, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-ingredients-3-cake/458458 "2008-08-01T04:01:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DellieM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cdc98d/32.png) [@DellieM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DellieM)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2008, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-ingredients-3-cake/458458/1 "2008-08-01T04:01:58Z")
Me and my card playing girlfriends made this last night - it’s fantastic. _We had to make it because I didn’t believe it work - I might’ve said ‘bollocks’._ I can of coke (we used diet coke and it worked) $1.50 I packet plain label cake mix - chocolate $1.50 2 tablespoons chocolate buds 50 cents Place buds on bottom of microwave bowl Mix cake mix and coke until combined, tip over buds. Microwave for 9 minutes on about 850watts Leave sit for 2 minutes then tip upside down onto plate. It comes out like a pudding. It’s moist, it’s rich and it’s yummy. The same works for a vanilla one, using lemonade instead. You can swap chocolate buds for crushed flake, or any other chocolate based treat. Tonight I’m going to make an orange one using fanta … or maybe beer ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2008, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-ingredients-3-cake/458458/2 "2008-08-01T04:07:36Z")
I once made a cake from Bisquick (with an egg and some milk – I used the pancake recipe) , cocoa powder, and sugar. It just seemed like it would work. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2008, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-ingredients-3-cake/458458/3 "2008-08-01T04:12:31Z")
That sounds yummy. Are chocolate buds what 'merkins call chocolate chips? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2008, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-ingredients-3-cake/458458/4 "2008-08-01T04:18:09Z")
I hope so. What about the can of Coke? 355ml (12 oz.)? I ask because a buck and a half sounds a little pricey for a single can of soda. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2008, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-ingredients-3-cake/458458/5 "2008-08-01T04:20:16Z")
Psst… Australia. 🙂 ETA: If it “comes out like a pudding,” then is it really set enough to be considered a cake and not, well, a pudding? And what’s “crushed flake”? I hope it’s not _corn_ flakes, because that’s what springs to mind… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DellieM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cdc98d/32.png) [@DellieM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DellieM)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2008, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-ingredients-3-cake/458458/6 "2008-08-01T04:27:33Z")
Errrgh - I’m very stupid today. Sorry guys and gals! Once it’s out of the microwave it can be eaten hot like a pudding, and once cold, it sets like cake. A flake is chocolate bar made up of loose layers of thin chocolate. The can is 375ml. Chocolate buds are indeed chocolate chips, and in Australia ‘merkin’ means something worn on your nether regions under a string bikini! ---
**Author:** ![DellieM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cdc98d/32.png) [@DellieM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DellieM)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2008, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-ingredients-3-cake/458458/7 "2008-08-01T04:30:01Z")
Derrrr… I have my brain set to stupid today! Of course, 'merkin - American! I need a sharp blow to the back of the head with an axe. Obviously, you’d never fit an American (even a little one) under a string bikini on your nether regions. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![DellieM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cdc98d/32.png) [@DellieM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DellieM)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2008, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-ingredients-3-cake/458458/8 "2008-08-01T04:32:33Z")
[QUOTE=Johnny L.A.] I once made a cake from Bisquick (with an egg and some milk – I used the pancake recipe) , cocoa powder, and sugar. It just seemed like it would work. [/QUOTE] My turn - what’s Bisquick? Sounds like a fertiliser. I mean, obviously it isn’t because you’d never make a cake with fertiliser unless you were going to feed it to someone you weren’t fussed about ever seeing again. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2008, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-ingredients-3-cake/458458/9 "2008-08-01T04:35:45Z")
[Bisquick.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisquick) (I’d rather give Wikipedia a nod than some corporate website.) ETA: I don’t think they sell chocolate flake in the U.S. At least, I’ve never seen anything like is described. Wonder if you can just shave chocolate on your own and still have it work out? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2008, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-ingredients-3-cake/458458/10 "2008-08-01T04:38:06Z")
[QUOTE=DellieM] My turn - what’s Bisquick? Sounds like a fertiliser. I mean, obviously it isn’t because you’d never make a cake with fertiliser unless you were going to feed it to someone you weren’t fussed about ever seeing again. [/QUOTE] [Bisquick website](http://www.bettycrocker.com/products/bisquick). Or from Wiki: > [@](#): > > Bisquick is a pre-mixed baking product made by General Mills consisting of flour, shortening, salt, and baking powder (a leavening agent). > > \ > > Substitution: 1 cup mix = 1 c flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tbsp oil or melted butter. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2008, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-ingredients-3-cake/458458/11 "2008-08-01T05:13:56Z")
[Here’s another easy cake](http://shewhoeats.blogspot.com/2004/07/recipe-thought-into-cheaters-cake.html), only 2 1/2 minutes of cooking. Any normally stocked kitchen should have all the ingredients (with the possible exception of the unsweetened cocoa.) ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2008, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-ingredients-3-cake/458458/12 "2008-08-01T09:21:43Z")
850 watts!! That’s alot of light bulbs. (no, seriously, what is that in Yank terms. I’m not caffeinated enough to wander the web for that without making me late for my suckall job.) ---
**Author:** ![3acresandatruck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/e79b87/32.png) [@3acresandatruck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3acresandatruck)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2008, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-ingredients-3-cake/458458/13 "2008-08-01T09:42:30Z")
This is just a guess; I don’t even have a microwave oven. My sister asked a similar question like 20 years ago and here’s what I came up with; she says it works. You’d set the power based on the wattage of your microwave. If you have an 800-watt oven, you’re going to have trouble getting 850 watts out of it. If you have a 1200-watt oven, a power level of 7 out of 10 would theoretically get you close\*. That’s why a lot of recipes note that the power levels of microwave ovens vary and give an approximate cooking time. Anyway, like I said, this is a theory that works according to the testimony of only one person. For true expert advice, you’ll need to await the arrival of a true expert. \*850 divided by the power level of your oven = power setting on a 10 point scale ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2008, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-ingredients-3-cake/458458/14 "2008-08-01T13:59:14Z")
I’ve had success with modifying the cooking time on a proportional scale. I’ve got an 800 watt microwave, so something that’s meant to be cooked at 4 minutes on 1200 watts is cooked for 6 minutes, and it comes out well. For 850 watts, I’d probably tick it up to 9 minutes and 20 seconds, but it shouldn’t need much more than that. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2008, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-ingredients-3-cake/458458/15 "2008-08-01T14:04:53Z")
[QUOTE=Leaper] ETA: I don’t think they sell chocolate flake in the U.S. At least, I’ve never seen anything like is described. Wonder if you can just shave chocolate on your own and still have it work out? [/QUOTE] Cadbury chocolate flake - found at import stores like World Market - or the wonder of the internet. Shaved chocolate would have a different texture, but you are microwaving it, so basically “chocolate in a form that melts easily.” ---
**Author:** ![MrBelding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7feea3/32.png) [@MrBelding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrBelding)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2008, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-ingredients-3-cake/458458/16 "2008-08-01T14:10:55Z")
Honestly, that $3 cake does not sound that appetizing. I’ll stick to more expensive cakes, I find the best ones out there are the ones that come totally from scratch. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2008, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-ingredients-3-cake/458458/17 "2008-08-01T14:14:29Z")
Oh and the can of Coke is about $1.50 if you just go to the local corner store and buy one. At the supermarket you can usually get 30 cans for about $13, so less than .50cents each. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2008, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-ingredients-3-cake/458458/18 "2008-08-01T14:17:48Z")
Am I the only person who saw that it’s a $3.50 cake, not a $3 cake? You might find chocolate flake in cake decorating supplies, but it’s probably a lot cheaper to shave a chocolate bar. Go easy on the shaving cream, though, because it’s bitter. ---
**Author:** ![Madd\_Maxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Madd\_Maxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Madd_Maxx)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2008, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-ingredients-3-cake/458458/19 "2008-08-01T14:23:54Z")
[QUOTE=DellieM] Obviously, you’d never fit an American (even a little one) under a string bikini on your nether regions. Sorry. [/QUOTE] I’d like to volunteer my services as an American if you ever decide to try this. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2008, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-ingredients-3-cake/458458/20 "2008-08-01T14:28:05Z")
OK, time to haul this out again… I made myself a birthday cake several years ago. Only I misread the frosting instructions and put it on five minutes after getting the cake out of the oven. (Actually, after I got the second layer out of the oven. I didn’t have a cake pan so I baked it in a straight-sided frying pan.) It got a little [melty](http://pw1.netcom.com/~heliboy/cake.jpg). Tasted good though. The following year’s cake looked much [better](http://pw1.netcom.com/~heliboy/cake2.jpg). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-ingredients-3-cake/458458.md?page=2)