Subtle House's Cookbook

Ingredients

4 large or 5 midsize crisp, sweet-tart apples such as Empires or Fujis (plus a couple extra in case one is off or mysteriously gets eaten during baking)
1 cup nuts or currants (optional)

Wet ingredients:
3 eggs, well beaten (or your preferred vegan egg substitute)
2½ sticks butter or margarine (or 1¼ cup refined coconut oil), melted
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Dry ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour or cup-for-cup gluten-free flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon or ground ginger

1 quart apple cider (to make cider syrup) or ⅔ cup honey

Directions

Line a 9x13" pan with parchment paper, or grease and sugar it. If you don't have a 9x13" pan, you can use an 8x8" or 9x9" square pan plus an 8x4" or 9x4" loaf pan. Or halve the recipe and use an 8x8" pan or 9" round springform pan. The baking time will be the same.

Peel and core the apples. Cut into 1 cm or half-inch dice—err on the side of smaller pieces, which will distribute better through the cake and make it moister. You should end up with about 3 cups of diced apple.

Measure flour into a 4-cup pitcher or bowl. Stir other dry ingredients into flour.

Gently melt the butter/margarine/oil until just liquified.

In a large bowl or a mixer with the paddle attachment, whisk the wet ingredients together. Add apples and optional nuts/currants, and mix well to coat. Stir in dry ingredients, and mix just until combined—don't overmix. Pour into prepared pan.

Let batter rest 15 minutes. While the batter is resting, preheat oven to 350F (or 325F if using a Pyrex or glass pan).

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes, until cake inner temperature measures 205F or a toothpick comes out clean.

If making cider syrup: In a sturdy pot, bring cider to a boil, reduce heat to maintain a medium boil, and cook down to about 2/3 cup; it should have the consistency of maple syrup and coat the back of a spoon. Don't touch or taste! Boiling sugar can burn very badly.

Once the cake is done, poke a couple dozen holes in it with a wooden skewer. Pour syrup or honey evenly over the top of the cake until it's well glazed. Store any remaining cider syrup in the fridge.

Let cake cool completely to room temperature. Cover pan tightly with foil or plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.

Cut the cake. Just before serving, gently warm individual squares/wedges in the toaster oven or microwave. Top with vanilla ice cream or vanilla whipped cream and drizzle with reserved syrup/honey.

This is a little elaborate for a mug cake, but you do end up with a cake in a mug, so whatever.

Genius Kitchen (untested)

Put ice cream on counter to soften.

1 tsp butter (dairy or non-dairy)
1/2 beaten egg (doesn't have to be exact, just whisk it up and then discard about half)
1/8 tsp vanilla

Melt butter in mug. Let cool a bit, then whisk in egg and vanilla.

In four-cup microwave-safe measuring pitcher, combine:

1 Tbsp unsulphured blackstrap molasses
1/2 C milk (dairy or non-dairy)
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp cornmeal
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground ginger

Microwave on high for two minutes. Stir gently. Microwave on high for one minute at a time until mixture thickens.

Pour a tiny bit of the molasses mixture into the egg mixture, whisking rapidly, to warm it up without cooking the egg. Continue slowly adding molasses mixture to egg mixture and whisking until it's all combined in the mug.

Microwave at 50% power for one minute at a time until just cooked through, with a soft cake-like texture.

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Alternative method (also untested): Omit egg, combine all other ingredients in mug, and microwave at 50% power for one-minute intervals, stirring in between, until pudding-like and delicious.

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Durgin-Park recipe (untested):

Put ice cream on counter to soften.

2 Tbsp granulated yellow cornmeal
1 Tbsp black molasses
1.5 tsp granulated sugar
1.5 tsp unsalted butter
pinch kosher salt
pinch baking soda
1/4 whisked egg
3/4 cup warmed whole milk, divided

Combine the first seven ingredients and half the milk. Microwave on high for two minutes. Stir gently. Microwave on high for one minute at a time until mixture thickens.

Whisk in the rest of the milk and microwave at 50% power for one-minute intervals, stirring in between, until pudding-like and delicious.

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Joy of Cooking recipe (tested):

Put ice cream on counter to soften.

5/8 cup milk
2 tsp cornmeal (not Tbsp!)
1.5 tsp butter
1 Tbsp molasses
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ginger
1 tsp sugar
optional: 1 pinch cinnamon
optional: 1 Tbsp raisins or 0.25 cup thinly sliced apples.

Put milk and butter in mug and microwave on high one minute or until boiling. Stir in cornmeal. Microwave on 50% power for 30 seconds at a time (or as long as you can go without it boiling over), stirring gently in between, until mixture thickens enough that it stops threatening to overflow.

Whisk in the rest of the ingredients and microwave on 50% for one-minute intervals, stirring in between, until cornmeal is soft and pudding is pudding-like and delicious. This will take a while, but don't increase the power or rush it; just keep stirring.

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Let cool slightly. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Sources:
http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/indian-pudding-microwave-51013
https://newengland.com/today/food/old-fashioned-durgin-park-indian-pudding/
The Joy of Cooking