Crazy Cake

This easy chocolate depression crazy cake comes together with simple ingredients from your pantry and creates a delicious chocolate dessert you will enjoy.

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This easy yet delicious crazy cake recipe transforms simple pantry ingredients into a decadent dessert. Vinegar, oil, vanilla, and cocoa combine to create a chocolate depression-era cake without eggs or milk, making it a popular and budget-friendly treat.

Crazy Cake Ingredients

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Crazy cake, also known as wacky cake, is a unique dessert that’s sure to leave a lasting impression on your taste buds.

The cake itself is made without eggs, butter, or milk, and instead, it relies on vinegar and baking soda to make it rise.

This unconventional approach may sound strange, but trust us; the end result is a moist, fluffy, and flavorful cake with a deliciously subtle tang. Add a rich chocolate frosting, and you have a decadent treat.

You’ll need: 

For The Cake:

• 1½ cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 cup of sugar
• 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• 5 tablespoons of vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon of white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 cup of cold water

For The Chocolate Frosting (optional):

• ½ cup of cocoa powder
• ½ cup of butter, melted
• ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 5 cups of powdered sugar
• ¼ cup of milk or more if needed for desired consistency

Substitutions And Additions

VANILLA: If you prefer the flavor of vanilla over chocolate, simply leave out the cocoa or add an additional ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract. Check out our full recipe for the vanilla version here.

FROSTING: This delicious chocolate cake can be topped with your favorite frosting, sprinkled with powdered sugar, or even left plain.  

How To Make This Crazy Cake Recipe

Follow our instructions below exactly to make the batter for this unusual cake. Bake and top with the chocolate frosting if you’d like.

For The Cake

STEP ONE: Preheat oven to 350°F.

STEP TWO: In an UNGREASED 8×8-inch baking pan, add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Using a whisk, stir together the dry ingredients right in the pan to sift it all together.

STEP THREE: Next, using your fingers or a spoon, make a good-sized well in the middle and two smaller wells, one on each side of the center well.

STEP FOUR: Place the vegetable oil in the center well.

STEP FIVE: Place the vinegar in a small well and the vanilla in the other small well.

STEP SIX: Pour water over all of the ingredients.

STEP SEVEN: Using the whisk, stir until combined. You can also use a spoon to get into the corners and further mix until smooth.

STEP EIGHT: Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove from the oven to cool completely before serving.

STEP NINE: Ice the top of the cake with frosting, powdered sugar, or leave it plain.

For The Frosting

STEP ONE: Place the cocoa in a medium mixing bowl. Add the melted butter.

STEP TWO: Using a mixer, mix together until smooth. Then add vanilla, powdered sugar, and milk and mix until smooth, beating for 2 to 3 minutes.

How To Serve

This crazy chocolate cake would be delicious with a cold glass of milk. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side for an even more decadent dessert. You could also drizzle hot fudge sauce and add a spoonful of whipped cream on top as well.

For those who prefer a tangy twist, a dollop of lemon curd or raspberry jam provides a zesty contrast. And if you’re feeling extra fancy, a sprinkle of sea salt or a drizzle of caramel sauce will elevate the decadence even further.

Our chocolate peanut butter crazy cake and mayo cake are two more rich and decadent cakes that use everyday staples.

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Storing This Wacky Chocolate Cake

IN THE FRIDGE: The unfrosted version of this great cake can be stored in the refrigerator by simply wrapping it in plastic wrap. If frosted, allow the frosting to harden slightly by chilling it in the fridge for 15 minutes first and then loosely covering the cake in plastic.

IN THE FREEZER: You can freeze depression cake, either in slices or as a whole. If you plan to freeze the frosted cake, it is helpful to freeze the cake unwrapped first, and then wrap the frozen slice or pan once the frosting will no longer transfer to the wax paper or other wrapper. Instead, you can leave off the frosting prior to freezing and add it on when ready to serve.

This easy and decadent chocolate crazy cake comes together with common items from your pantry and brings a delicious taste of history to the modern dessert table.

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Crazy Cake

5 from 12 votes

This easy chocolate depression crazy cake comes together with simple ingredients from your pantry and creates a delicious chocolate dessert you will enjoy.

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 9

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Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Cake

• 1½ cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup cold water

Frosting (optional)

• ½ cup butter, melted
• ½ cup cocoa
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 5 cups powdered sugar
• ¼ cup milk, or more if needed for desired consistency

Instructions

 

Cake

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In an UNGREASED 8×8-inch pan, add the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Using a whisk stir together the ingredients right in the pan to sift it all together.
• Using your fingers or a spoon, make a good-sized well in the middle and two smaller wells, one on each side of the center well.
• Place the vegetable oil in the center well.
• Place the vinegar in a small well and the vanilla in the other small well.
• Pour the cold water over all of the ingredients.
• Using the whisk, stir until combined. You can also use a spoon to get into the corners and further mix until smooth. If there are bubbles in your batter, gently tap the pan on the countertop to release the bubbles.
• Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Remove from oven to cool completely before serving.
• Ice with frosting or powdered sugar or plain.

Frosting (optional)

• Place the cocoa in a medium mixing bowl. Add the melted butter. Using a mixer, mix together until smooth.
• Then add vanilla, powdered sugar, and milk and mix until smooth beating for 2 to 3 minutes.

Video

Notes

• This recipe can easily be doubled for a 9×13-inch pan.
• The vinegar is a must in this recipe. It reacts with the baking soda to give the cake the desired texture, doing the work eggs would do in other recipes. The cake does not come out tasting like vinegar!
• Keep a close eye on the cake at the 30-minute mark as you don’t want to overbake it.

Nutrition

Calories: 235kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 271mg | Potassium: 50mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 22g | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 1mg

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