Christmas morning indulgence in a cup + a giveaway from Lewis & Pearl Scent Shop

It’s been a while since I’ve had the pleasure of lazing around on Christmas morning. Usually the Christmas season is the only time I get to go on an out-of-town vacation, and with my let’s-explore-this-place attitude when I’m traveling you will rarely see me sitting down for a super long amount of time.

But when I’m spending my precious off-moments at home, nothing gives me greater pleasure than settling down at a quiet space in the house with a relaxing book and a hot mug of coffee in hand. But since we’re talking Christmas mornings here, let’s transform that mug of coffee into a cake that has the distinct scent and flavours of coffee in it.



I got inspired to make a mug cake to kick off my “Christmas series” this year when Lewis & Pearl sent me a surprise package. Along with sampler sets of their colognes, they packaged a special kit for me as well to make some simple treats in the kitchen; one of them was for a Cookies and Cream Mug Cake.



People these days are coming up with such amazing ideas, and one of them has to be the mug cake. Whoever invented this stuff should get an award or something. Cakes that can be baked in minutes in single-servings by just using a microwave?! It just goes to show that anything is possible in this world– all you need is the right amount of inspiration and optimism that anything is possible!



This is the very core that the Lewis & Pearl #InspiringPossibilities & #Dreamspiration campaign is trying to advocate. They want to empower all of us to go for our dreams and reach out for new experiences in our life, because anything is possible in this world if only we feel inspired enough and brave enough. Quite a positive concept to carry with you as you gear up for a new year ahead!

To accompany you in your journey are the Lewis & Pearl colognes. Each scent is a different experience you can take with you on your way to realizing your dreams.



And of course, each scent in the collection is as sweet-smelling as this Mocha Mug Cake recipe I’m sharing today. To make it even sweeter, I’m giving away some Lewis & Pearl colognes to two lucky readers!

My two favourite scents from the Lewis & Pearl Scent Shop line are the Sweet Paris and Summer colognes. They have 13 scents in the line in total so there’s plenty to choose from.



I personally don’t use cologne at all when I’m spending my time in the kitchen, but smelling good is still very important to me as a food blogger for when I attend restaurant openings or foodie events. For Christmas, there’s bound to be a lot of parties to attend, so presenting yourself in the best possible way is crucial. And that definitely includes smelling great!



To be able to share these wonderful scents with you all, Lewis & Pearl have sponsored a giveaway! You can scroll down to the bottom of this post to read how to join the giveaway, but first why not try this sweet-smelling Mocha Mug Cake too?

This cake takes around 5 minutes from start finish, and there are no tricks. Just mix each ingredient in a mug thoroughly and you’re good to go. If you like a super neat mug cake you might want to mix the ingredients together in another bowl before pouring it into your pretty mug. A regular-sized drinking mug works best as this cake rises rather well.

Maybe the biggest issue would be the microwave, since not all microwaves heat up the same way. It might take a longer time to cook this mug cake in my ancient microwave compared to yours, so I encourage you to keep an eye on your mug cake and check it at the 1 minute mark before proceeding to cook longer as necessary. Then all you need to do is top it with whipped cream or a simple dusting of confectioner’s sugar.

Unbeknownst to many, most mug cake recipes out there actually can yield a rather dense spongey texture that’s not at all cake-like nor attractive. This one however makes a moist and deliciously rich cake that has deep chocolate, bittersweet coffee notes. Overcooking the cake lessens its moistness but not its taste so don’t worry too much. This mug cake can make you fall into a blissful Christmas morning sugar-high… Err, I mean, reverie!

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Mocha Mug Cake

Rich coffee-chocolate cake baked in a mug that's perfect for when you're in the mood for a quick indulgence!

Servings 1

Ingredients

• Oil, for greasing mug
• 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
• 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• 5 Tablespoons hot brewed coffee
• 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon instant coffee granules
• 4 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 Tablespoons mini chocolate chips
• Whipped cream or confectioner's sugar, for topping

Instructions

• 1. Grease a microwave-safe mug with a little vegetable oil or butter.
• 2. Add the ingredients starting from the melted butter to your mug in the order listed above, whisking thoroughly after each addition to make sure nothing is left at the bottom of the mug. (You can also mix the ingredients in another small bowl before transferring to keep the mug neat.)
• 3. Microwave for 60 to 75 seconds, prederably on high if your microwave will allow.* Each microwave is different so check on the one minute mark before proceeding to cook in 15-second intervals. To check for doneness, the cake should spring back when touched. (You can also use a cake tester to check.)
• 4. Top with whipped cream or confectioner's sugar and whatever else you like.

Notes

* Our super old microwave at home doesn't have temperature settings so I ended up baking these for about 2 minutes before they cooked through.

Adapted from Sugar and Soul blog

Okay, so for this contest, I’m giving away TWO (2) LEWIS & PEARL SCENT SHOP SAMPLER KITS, each with a set of 10 colognes that is 25mL in size.



There will be TWO (2) WINNERS, but this contest is open only to residents of METRO MANILA (or anyone with a Metro Manila address) and will run from today up to December 1st, 11:59 PM. To join the giveaway, just follow the basic instructions below. Good luck!

• Upload a photo on your Instagram about something or someone that inspires you to go for your dreams, or a dream you’re inspired to achieve. Please include an explanation in the caption.
• Tag your Instagram photos with #InspiringPossibilities and #TheTummyTrainGiveaway.
• Leave a comment below with your Instagram username so I will know that the photo is indeed an entry for the giveaway.

And that’s it! The TWO WINNERS will be decided based on quality and meaningfulness of their entry and will be announced in the space below on December 3rd. Good luck!

For more prizes, you can also join Lewis & Pearl’s #Dreamspiration promo. Log on to Lewis and Pearl’s Dreamspiration Facebook app and create your Dreamspiration board to get chances of winning special prizes such as ScentShop gift packs and prizes worth Php 30,000! Hop on to their Facebook page for more details!

Lewis & Pearl is available in grocery stores and convenience stores nationwide. Their ScentShop line is divided into four collections, namely the Signatures Collection, His & Hers Collection, Travels Collection, and the Fragrance Mists. Like Lewis & Pearl ScentShop on Facebook, and follow them on Instagram to learn more!

Full disclosure: This giveaway is sponsored by Lewis & Pearl but all opinions stated above are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that help keep The Tummy Train chugging along!