I hope all of your exams went well last week!

We've got Virtual HackTogether on Wednesday, and after this first week of teaching, why not unwind by heading to Virtual Games and Cake with a Syrup Pudding Mug Cake?

On Thursday we're running an introduction to the BCSWomen Lovelace Colloquium. Read below to find out more!

Virtual HackTogether - 15:00, Wed 20/01 - HackSoc Discord (The Pod)

Come along for a chat with your fellow HackSoc members in our Discord server (http://discord.gg/n6chXAZ)!

Intro to BCSWomen Lovelace Colloquium - 19:00, Thu 21/01 - HackSoc Discord (The Pod)

The BCSWomen Lovelace Colloquium is a conference for women and non-binary students. Submit a 250-word abstract on a computing topic that interests you, and if you're selected, enter a poster on that topic into their poster competition.

If that sounds interesting to you, then come along to this chat in our Discord server! Learn about how the event works, and discuss your topic ideas with others.

Virtual Games and Cake - 19:00, Fri 22/01 - HackSoc Discord (The Pod)

Join us in adapting our age-old Boardgames and Cake to a virtual setting in our Discord server, where we check in with each other and play games including Jackbox and Uno!

Unfortunately, we can’t bring and share cake, but we can make our own and post them on Slack.

Treat yourself to a Syrup Pudding Mug Cake!

This mug cake attempts to emulate the soft texture and syrupy rich taste of steamed syrup sponge puddings, without the 50 minute cooking time.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp plain flour
• 4 tbsp golden syrup + extra for top
• 2 tbsp brown sugar (preferably but caster will do)
• 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp milk (or milk substitute)
• 2 tbsp butter (neutral oil such as sunflower will do but the texture will be wrong)
• 1/4 tsp baking powder (not to be confused with baking soda)
• 1 lid (about 1/4-1/2 of a tsp) vanilla extract

Method

1. Start by combining the wet ingredients:

   1. Put the butter in the mug, then the mug in the microwave on medium for about 15-30 seconds (careful as it will melt very quickly). You can ignore this step if using oil instead of butter.
   2. Stir in all 4 tbsp of the golden syrup to the melted butter. Then stir in the milk and vanilla extract.

2. Now add the dry ingredients:

   1. Start by stirring in the sugar.
   2. Next add the flour and baking powder a bit at a time stirring as you go (careful not to spill). The mixture will be much more wet than a normal mug cake mixture due to the golden syrup.

3. Finally we need to cook it (a bit more complex than a normal mug cake):

   1. Drizzle a bit extra golden syrup over the top.
   2. Take some cling-film and cover the top of the mug, making sure to leave extra space for the steam and that the sides are sealed properly.
   3. Make two or three small cuts in the cling-film with scissors or a knife to allow excess steam to escape.
   4. Normally we would cook a mug cake for quite a short time but this as the mixture is particularly wet we need to cook it for longer. Cooking time will depend on microwave but it should be cooked for at least 2 minutes, I find 3-4 minutes works well with mine.
   5. Be careful of the steam when taking the cling-film off after cooking. Then serve with extra golden syrup drizzled generously over the top.

Make sure you're in HackSoc's Slack workspace! We have over 200 members, and it's free to join the conversation, so sign up now!

If you're joining us for any of our virtual events, make sure you're also in our Discord server.

Have a great week,

Aaron 🤖