When thinking of foods that are intrinsically American, there are many items that routinely come to mind. We've got hot dogs, hamburgers, apple pie, and more, the last of which is the root of the age-old idiom "as American as apple pie." The funny thing is, though, that none of the items listed above actually have their roots in America. Hot dogs owe their existence to the far-older sausage. Ground meat, like what's used in hamburgers, has been consumed since folks were living in ancient Egypt, which is also where the first pies were found. 

That's not to say, though, that there aren't any truly American foods. There are plenty, and one of the perennial favorites is fudge.  Like potato chips, the slinky, and silly putty, fudge was invented after an American made a mistake — Cocopotamus writes that "On Valentine's Day, 1886, a confectioner and chocolate maker in Baltimore, Maryland 'fudged' a batch of French caramels.  The delicious result?  The very first batch of "fudge" ever."

If it weren't for this mistake made 130 years ago, it's quite possible we would have never ended up with this decadent chocolate fudge cake recipe from Taste.com. What makes this cake special is the effort it takes to prepare — instead of using an oven, your microwave is all you'll need. 

There's a chance that the after-snack guilt you'll feel after eating your creation will be greater than it would after baking a normal cake, given the minimal effort this one takes, but your guests will love every bite of it. 

It's not the only microwave-made chocolate cake on the web — allrecipes has their own version — but the ingredients used in this one from Taste make it the clear winner. 

Allrecipes' version uses vanilla extract, which is a nice touch, but the decadent fudge topping on the version from Taste puts it over the edge. It's exactly the type of overload you're looking for when whipping up a batch of baked goods. 

Did you dig this recipe? If so, let us know in the comments. When you're done, be sure to share it with your friends on Facebook. They might like it even more than you did!

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