Hi guys! Had you ever heard of wacky cake? It’s also known as crazy or depression cake, and the wacky thing about it is that it’s made without eggs, milk or butter. The recipe is said to have been created during depression times, when resources where scarce; hence the lack of dairy. Of course, by today’s standards, this cake also happens to be vegan.
I’m not vegan (you may have noticed), but I’ve often found myself wanting to bake something and not having eggs around (or butter or milk, but cakes with oil and water are more common than eggless cakes).
With that said, I did have eggs and butter and stuff the day I made this cake. But I had seen this post and I was so curious about this little wacky cake, which was said to be so tasty as well as easy and cheap!
The verdict? This cake is so good indeed! It’s moist and chocolaty, especially considering it only calls for 3 tbsp of cocoa (you know I don’t like to waste my cocoa). I have a friend who has recently gone vegan, and I have to admit I didn’t believe in vegan cakes, but this one has changed my mind! I was going to add frosting just in case (I had been wanting to give this geniality a try), but the cake was perfect on its own.
And have I mentioned the batter is mixed in the pan?? That’s about 100% better than one-bowl cakes.
You just dump your dry ingredients in the pan, mix them up, then add the wet ingredients. I’ll post the original directions, which are to make 3 wells for the vinegar, vanilla extract and oil, and pour in the water afterwards. I’m sure it’ll work just as fine if you pour everything at once, but this way was more fun :) Also, Mary used a square 8 inch pan, but I like my cakes round (squares are for brownies!) so I went with a 9 inch round pan, which is pretty much the exact equivalent (you know I like to do some math on my baking).
On another note, this cake can be made in other flavors too (check out the top of this post). But I have a feeling the chocolate version is the best one, not just because it’s chocolate (duh), but I would think the cocoa gives it a little extra something. Oh, and this cake is pretty light too, with just 5 tbsp of oil.
So… I think we all agree you should go make it right now.
But first! I don’t think I’ve introduced you to my new kitty, Chiara! Not that new, really; we’ve had her since March I think, and she must be at least 6 months old by now. She’s very playful and still misbehaves a little, and she tries to eat everything (even lettuce and napkins). But she is sooo sweet. And especially fond of climbing up people, furniture, etc. She even gets along with Loli, my former kitty (at times).
I’ll leave you with the recipe now :)
Chocolate Wacky Cake
Yield: one 9 inch round cake
1 1/2 cups flour
3 tbsp cocoa
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup water
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF/180ºC.
2. Mix first 5 dry ingredients in a greased 9″ round baking pan. Make 3 depressions in dry ingredients – two small, one larger.
3. Pour vinegar in one depression, vanilla in the other and the vegetable oil in third larger depression. Pour water over all. Mix well until smooth.
4. Bake for 35 minutes. Check with toothpick to make sure it comes out clean.
I remember making this in home Ec. class in 7th grade & it was delicious! So glad to have found this recipe! I’d love for you to come share it at my link party going on right now! http://werefarfromnormal.com/2014/06/wake-up-wednesday-link-party-3.html
Krista recently posted…Wake Up Wednesday Link Party
I’m glad you like it :) And I’ll be sure to check out your party!
Little Chiara is adorable, I love kittens, she is gorgeous. Your right about the depression cakes, when you think about it they are really vegan cakes. Great post!
cheri recently posted…Herb Spring Water and a Broccoli Souffle
Thanks Cheri :) Have a great weekend!
This is so fun. I have never tried it, but will have to! Have a great day and thanks for sharing!
Elizabeth recently posted…BBQ Baked Beans
Thank you! It’s very fun indeed.
I have never heard of a Wacky cake…but you had me a CHOCOLATE! One bowl….extra points! Mix it in the pan you bake it in…that makes it totally calorie free, right? Thanks for sharing this recipe…I would love for you join us at Party in Your PJS.
Kim @ The Cookie Puzzle recently posted…Party in Your PJ # 6
Hehe, chocolate tends to do that :) Thank you! And I’ll be sure to check out your party.
I’ve never made a chocolate eggless cake
This one sure looks great! Very moist texture – and I like it
Winnie recently posted…עוגת גבינה עם ריקוטה
Thanks Winnie!
This looks so moist and delicious. Definitely one to try with with nephews because one of them is lactose intolerant.
Laura recently posted…Childhood Smarties Cookies
Thank you! That’s the great thing about this recipe, it works for mostly everyone (apparently it’s even good with gluten free flour!)
Thanks for coming and linking up at #TheWeekendSocial. Please be sure to come back next week starting Thursdays at 9PM EST on http://mccallumsshamrockpatch.wordpress.com/ ! I hope to see you there! We really enjoyed reading your blog and can not wait to see what you stun us with next!
XoXo
Heidy
Thanks Heidy! I’ll be sure to check it out.
Sounds good to me! My MIL makes an eggless cake that’s wonderful, not chocolate though, so I’m sure this must be yummy.
Dawn @ We Call It Junkin recently posted…Daylily Garden Tour: Part 3
Thank you! I loved this version, but I’m also curious about the non-chocolate ones.
As if chocolate isn’t enough to grab my attention you added wacky to the recipe title! I love it. I am pinning. I found you over at the Tasty Tuesday linkup
Lol, I’m glad you liked it :) Thank you!
I am so sorry that I did not get over to pin this weeks ago. My co-hosts are doing most of my pinning for me–which is a good thing. Your cake looks delicious, and your kitten is simply adorable! I have pinned your recipe to the Tasty Tuesdays Pinterest Board. Thanks for linking up to Creative K Kids Tasty Tuesdays.
Tammy @ creativekkids recently posted…Bloggers Brags Pinterest Party, Week 34 #pinterest #party
Thank you Tammy :) And thanks for hosting!
Wow! I have never heard of anyone ELSE knowing what wacky cake was outside of my family! I have a recipe for this that I’ve been making and eating since before I can remember that has been passed down through my family! It really is so delicious and easy! I was super excited to see your post! It’s inspiring me to make a post for my (very similar) recipe! Thanks for sharing!
I’m glad you liked it! I hadn’t heard of it before, but once I tried it, I knew it was worth sharing :)
I wish I had this recipe back in college. I tried making a cake in the kitchen of my dorms with what I had (which did not include eggs, milk, or butter). It didn’t turn out so well. Then again, I didn’t have cocoa on hand either :)
Melanie James recently posted…Creamy Italian Chicken
Thank you! It is a handy recipe indeed :) I recently tried it without cocoa; I added some ginger and mixed spices, and topped it with peach slices. It was so good!
is it the recipe taht you make yourself?
Dwi Bayu Ramadhan recently posted…Comment on Post Different Thumbnail by admin
I made the cake but the recipe it’s not mine, it’s a standard recipe.
Hola te cuento que esta receta me la enseñó una amiga misionera y lo más fantástico es que la hago en el microondas con 15 min a potencia media, está lista y queda deliciosa, casi como browni y sirve para rellenarla y hacer una torta de verdad.
Muy buen dato!