The South Arm Hungry Men Community Kitchen served the Chocolate Mug Cake with some Macerated Berries.

Macerated berries are berries that are marinated in sugar and/or juice to soften them and bring out their flavours. These berries would be delicious over yogurt and granola, folded into whipped cream or served with a slice of simple cake.

From everydayhealth.com:

Berries May Keep You Mentally Sharp

Women who eat about two servings of strawberries or one serving of blueberries a week experienced less mental decline over time than peers who went without these nutrition powerhouses, research published in the Annals of Neurology. In the study, researchers reviewed data from 16,010 women over age 70.  Those with the highest berry intake postponed cognitive decline by about two and a half years.

“We think that the effect might be related to a class of compounds called anthocyanidins, which is a type of flavonoids,” explain study author Elizabeth Devore, ScD, an associate epidemiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and a professor at Harvard Medical School in Boston. “These compounds, found almost exclusively in berries, are known to cross the blood-brain barrier and locate in learning and memory centers in the brain.”

Ingredients

• 2 cups sliced strawberries
• 2 cups fresh blueberries or blackberries
• 1 cup fresh raspberries
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons marnier (or orange juice)

Source: cookinglight.com

Instructions

Gently rinsed the berries and let dry on clean kitchen towels.

Combine all ingredients, stirring gently.Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.