Crazy Cake

Name: Crazy Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 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; ½ cup butter, (melted); ½ cup cocoa; ½ teaspoon vanilla; 5 cups powdered sugar; ¼ cup milk, (or more if needed for desired consistency)

A close up of a piece of chocolate cake on a plate

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

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Table of Contents

Crazy Cake Ingredients
Substitutions And Additions
How To Make This Crazy Cake Recipe
How To Serve
Storing This Wacky Chocolate Cake
Why We Love This Recipe
More Recipes You’ll Love
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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.

close up shot of a slice of frosted chocolate cake on a plate

Crazy Cake Ingredients

Crazy Cake raw ingredients that are labeled

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.

CHOCOLATE: If you’re a chocolate lover, consider folding in chocolate chips, chunks, or even white chocolate for added decadence.

This simple addition can create delightful chocolatey pockets within the cake, taking it to the next level.

NUTS: Chopped nuts, such as walnuts or pecans, can introduce a delightful crunch and nutty flavor to the cake.

Sprinkle them on top of the batter before baking for a satisfying contrast to the soft crumb.

SPICES: Experiment with spices to tailor the cake to your taste. Add a pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg, or even a touch of cardamom for a warm and aromatic twist.

Spices can enhance the complexity of flavors without requiring extra effort.

How To Make This Crazy Cake Recipe

Follow our instructions below to make the batter for this unusual cake.

Bake and top with the chocolate frosting if you’d like.

For The Cake

OUR RECIPE DEVELOPER SAYS

This recipe can easily be doubled for a 9×13-inch pan.

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 the dry ingredients in the pan to sift it all together.

flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt whisked 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.

PRO TIP:

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!

vinegar and vanilla placed in the wells in the cake mix

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.

PRO TIP:

If there are bubbles in your wet cake batter, gently tap your cake pan on the counter to release the bubbles.

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.

PRO TIP:

Keep a close eye on the cake at the 30-minute mark as you don’t want to overbake it.

cake batter before and after being baked in a cake pan

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 two to three 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

Let’s ensure you can savor its deliciousness beyond the first serving with some handy storage tips:

MAKE AHEAD: If you’re planning ahead or want to streamline your dessert preparations, crazy cake is a great candidate for making ahead of time.

Bake it as per the recipe, let it cool completely to room temperature, and then cover it securely with plastic wrap or aluminum foil.

Store it in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight for up to two to three days. This allows you to have your cake ready to serve when the craving strikes.

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 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.

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.

Why We Love This Recipe

NO-FUSS INGREDIENTS: With basic pantry staples like flour, sugar, and cocoa powder, it’s a go-to recipe when you’re in the mood for something sweet but don’t want to make a grocery run.

QUICK AND EASY: Crazy cake lives up to its name by being a cinch to prepare. It’s a one-bowl wonder that doesn’t require any special equipment or extensive mixing.

MOIST AND DELICIOUS: Despite its humble ingredients and straightforward preparation, crazy cake delivers a moist and tender crumb with a rich chocolate flavor.

overhead shot of slices of chocolate cake cut in a cake pan

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.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is Depression Cake?

Depression Cake originated out of a need to find replacements for hard-to-find or expensive ingredients during the Great Depression, such as eggs and butter.

They were substituted for pantry standards, making this recipe easy to make even when you run out of typical baking essentials.

Can you freeze this depression-era cake?

This chocolate depression cake freezes well. It can be stored wrapped in plastic wrap in the freezer.

Is this wacky cake recipe vegan?

Since this easy recipe does not have any eggs or milk, if you leave off the frosting because it has butter in it, this chocolate cake recipe is a great vegan cake option.

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Crazy Cake

5 from 13 votes

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

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Total Time 45

Servings

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Ingredients

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

Have You Tried This Recipe?Follow me on Pinterest @spaceshipslb

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Proudly Prepared by the Spaceships Kitchen

This recipe was developed, tested, cooked and photographed by the Spaceships Kitchen. From our dinner table to yours, we hope you think it's out of this world!

Stephanie Keeping Publisher
Layne Kangas Marketing
Lexus Monroe Editorial Assistant

Crazy Cake

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How To Make This Crazy Cake Recipe

How To Serve

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Storing This Wacky Chocolate Cake

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