Depression as in The Great Depression, not depression as in “this cake will cure your depression.” 😅Since a lot of us are experiencing ingredient shortages right now, I thought there was no better time to post this Chocolate Depression Cake (also known as Crazy Cake or Wacky Cake), which was also born out of a time when ingredients were in limited supply—The Great Depression. This unique cake is rich and chocolatey without using any eggs, milk, or butter. A cake without butter?? So “wacky,” I know.
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How Do You Make Cake Without Eggs or Butter?
Butter usually serves to keep cake soft and tender by coating the flour molecules in fat and preventing them from developing a tough gluten matrix. In this recipe, butter is replaced with the cooking oil of your choice, which can achieve the safe effect, but with slightly less richness.
Eggs usually help leaven cakes by creating steam that puffs up the batter, then giving structure to the risen cake as the proteins firm up. In this cake, the eggs are replaced with a combination of vinegar and baking soda, which foams up quickly, making the cake light and fluffy. It’s almost like a giant version of my Chocolate Mug Cake, if you’ve ever tried that. Anne Byrn’s 1917 Apple Sauce Cake also uses a similar no-egg, no-butter style batter.
Is This the Best Chocolate Cake?
Haha, let’s be real, this cake doesn’t have butter. So while it’s probably not the best chocolate cake I’ve ever had, it’s a damn fine treat when your cabinets are bare. Not to mention it’s incredibly easy. Anyone can make this cake, and with very little cooking equipment or ingredients. For those two reasons alone, this is a good recipe to keep tucked in your back pocket (or your browser’s bookmarks). Also, it just happens to be vegan!
How to Serve Depression Cake
I made a super simple dairy-free chocolate icing to top my cake, but be aware that this type of dairy-free icing is super sweet because there is no fat to kind of mellow out the sweetness. If you’re not into super sweet icings, I suggest skipping the icing and just dusting your cake with powdered sugar after it cools (if you do it while the cake is still hot the powdered sugar will dissolve). Or, if you do have butter on hand, you can go with a more traditional chocolate buttercream frosting. A scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of an icing free slice of this cake would also be divine.
Chocolate Depression Cake (No Eggs, Butter, or Milk)
Servings 9 1 slice eachIngredients
Chocolate Cake
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour ($0.23)
- 1 cup granulated sugar ($0.80)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1 tsp baking soda ($0.02)
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder ($0.21)
- 1/3 cup cooking oil* ($0.21)
- 1 Tbsp vinegar** ($0.06)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract ($0.30)
- 1 cup water ($0.00)
Chocolate Icing
- 1.5 cups powdered sugar ($0.10)
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder ($0.16)
- 3 Tbsp water ($0.00)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract ($0.30)
Instructions
Chocolate Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and cocoa powder until well combined.
- Add 1 cup water to a liquid measuring cup, then add the vanilla extract and vinegar to the water.
- Add the oil to the bowl of dry ingredients, followed by the water mixture. Stir until the chocolate cake batter is mostly smooth. Make sure no dry flour remains on the bottom of the bowl.
- Pour the cake batter into an 8×8" or 9×9" baking dish. Transfer the baking dish to the oven and bake the cake for 35 minutes.
Chocolate Icing
- If using the chocolate icing, let the cake cool for at least an hour after baking before adding the icing.
- Wait until the cake is cool, then prepare the icing. Add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla extract to a bowl. Begin adding water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it forms a thick but pourable icing (about 3 Tbsp total). If you let the icing sit, it may begin to dry, but you can add a splash more water to make it moist again.
- Pour the icing over the cooled cake and spread until the cake is evenly covered. Slice the cake into 9 pieces and serve.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
- Glass Mixing Bowls
- Measuring Cups Spoons
- Liquid Measuring Cup
- Whisk
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Video
Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Chocolate Cake with No Butter, No Eggs, and No Milk – Step by Step Photos
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. In a large bowl combine 1.5 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, ½ tsp salt, 1 tsp baking soda, and ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder. Stir these ingredients together until they’re well combined.
Measure 1 cup water in a liquid measuring cup, then add 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1 Tbsp vinegar (any light vinegar, like white vinegar, rice vinegar, or apple cider vinegar). Add ⅓ cup cooking oil and the water mixture to the dry ingredients.
Stir until a thick cake batter forms. A few lumps are okay, but make sure no dry flour remains on the bottom of the bowl.
Pour the cake batter into an 8×8 or 9×9 inch baking dish.
Bake the cake in the fully preheated 350ºF oven for 35 minutes. If you plan to make the chocolate icing, cool the cake for at least an hour before making and adding the icing.
To make the icing, simply add 1.5 cups powdered sugar, ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa, and 1 tsp vanilla extract to a bowl. Starting with one tablespoon water, stir in water until it forms a thick icing (about 3 Tbsp total). The powdered sugar only needs a very small amount of liquid to melt into a thick icing. If you let the icing sit for a bit, it can dry out, but can be moistened again by stirring in another splash of water.
Pour the prepared icing over the baked and cooled cake, then spread into an even layer. Cut the cake into nine equal pieces, then serve!
It’s also really good with a glass of milk or scoop of ice cream. ;)
Moist, delicious. This may be the best chocolate cake I’ve ever made. I can’t stop eating it! 😋
delicious thanks for helping
I haven’t made this because I’m allergic to chocolate, but I’m vegan and I love cake. So, I wondered if a lemon, cherry, pineapple, or other flavor would work.
Yummy!
Tried this cake and it was amazing. So I have a question. Can this recipe be used to make a normal sponge without chocolate?
We haven’t tried it, Tracy! I do think that the chocolate does a lot for this very simple cake, so I’m not sure that the flavor would be there without it.
No matter what anybody else can say. You have to admire the fact that all pioneers were still trying to create good food out of the most simple things.
The ultimate budget byte!! So cheap and so impressive for a party. No one suspected it was vegan or using pantry ingredients, everyone raved about it. Can bake it on a tray and cut it into pieces to make it a lovely layer cake too. Recommend serving with berries.
Looks good will be making this today quick question can I double ingredients and bake in a tube or bunt pan
If you double the recipe, I’d recommend doing it with two 8×8 or 9×9 pans to be safe. The cooking time would likely need a lot of adjusting to cook in a tube or bundt pan and I think the outer edges would be overcooked before the middle was done.
This cake was delicious! And very easy to make. Inspired me to look at other depression era recipes. Thank you ❤️
Some of my kids and grandkids are vegan – this cake is called Grandma’s yummy chocolate cake and they ring and say ‘coming for coffee – is there cake??’ Of course they mean this cake – it is so easy, always turns out perfectly! 5 *****
this might be the worst cake i’ve ever baked, had to spit it out. not the authors fault, im sure their other recipes are lovely. i just don’t know why i expected a cake from the great depression to taste nice.
Why didn’t u like it?
I followed the directions just as I was told -I didn’t enjoy the cake
A verry nice cake.
Love this recipe. I added instant coffee to the liquid. Turned out delicious. I will add this cake into my vegan desserts. Thanks!
After making it: I did a half-recipe–just halved all the ingredients very precisely, and it worked. I don’t have baking pans so I baked it in little one-cup pyrex storage bowls, and I did it in the air fryer. It works! (I didn’t want the whole recipe because I live alone and might have eaten the whole thing!)
One question: Why the vinegar? I can taste it. I’m NOT a baker at all, but I do know that there’s a lot more chemistry involved than in (say) a pasta sauce or a steak. Is there something that can be sub’d for the vinegar?
And I was surprised that it didn’t taste sweeter, given the sugar in it. Any way to sweeten it up? Of course the icing helps, a LOT!
Good recipe.
The vinegar and baking soda foam up quickly when introduced to each other, making the cake light and fluffy and replacing the eggs! The point of the cake is to use all pantry ingredients, but of course, if it’s okay with you, you’re welcome to try using eggs instead! And yes, I find the icing is essential in getting enough sweetness in the cake!
Thanks for having the “jump to recipe” for those of who want a recipe without having to read the blog, even if it’s a great blog.
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I made it for my son’s birthday. He absolutely fell in love with it.
This review is only for the frosting, as I used a different, higher rated recipe for the cake itself. And WOW the frosting in this recipe is one of the most disgusting things I have ever tasted. Maybe the cake tastes good, but how does the frosting alone not lead to a bunch of 1 star reviews? Yuck. Very disappointed.
Jillian,
The icing only has two ingredients (three if you count vanilla), so if the end result is yucky, you must have started with some YUCK ingredients. Rating such a simple recipe one-star because you used old or low-quality ingredients isn’t fair to the recipe creator. If you made a recipe called Cereal with Milk that resulted in something gross-tasting, is it more likely your ingredients were bad or that you, somehow, were the only person here who managed to combine a box of breakfast and some milk into something inedible? 😂
I make this for my egg free friends. Although it does taste different to a typical cake, it’s also delicious and so simple to make. For me, it’s foolproof as well.
I loved this as a kid. 79 now. Never heard of it called a Depression Cake but that’s a great name. Now we used to spread a large Hershey’s chocolate bar on top for the frosting. Damn good. And especially cold. Well, I like my chocolate cold so that’s what I do. Thanks for the memories. I put the ingredients on my shopping list and the chocolate bar too. Give it a try.
My husband and I love this cake. The cake is not very sweet unless you want it to be, which is a good middle ground for us. The ingredients are simple enough that I was always have them on hand. I serve this at family events it’s a good cake to have with coffee.
This is a great recipe for when it’s snowing outside and you don’t have any eggs. Was way better than I thought possible considering the simple ingredients. I added some chocolate chunks and put raspberry jam on top instead of the icing. Was a hit on a snowy night!
I didn’t have enough powdered sugar for frosting so I instead just mixed some with cocoa powder and used a fine mesh strainer to sprinkle it all over the cake. The cake itself isn’t super sweet or flavorful but the added sugar and cocoa on top made it DELECTABLE. It’s perfect for someone who isn’t a sweet tooth or is looking to avoid so much sugar in their diet!
Had this cake without the frosting. It is very bland but it is a moist cake. Definitely needs the sweetened frosting. Will not be making this again.
Hi Beth, just wanted to pile-on to all the other 5 star reviews: This cake is SO GOOD! This is the first chocolate cake recipe I’ve ever tried and honestly I don’t see a reason to try another. I make it about once a month and we love alternating bites of cake with chugs of ice-cold milk. The only changes I make are using coffee instead of water and I make the chocolate buttercream in the link you provide.
Made this for a dinner with some of my dairy free friends. Everyone loved it! Even my friends that are not dairy free thought the cake was delicious. They even asked for the recipe! I served it with vanilla ice cream, and vanilla cashew based ice cream.
I made this last night following directions just as is & I wasn’t expecting what came out of the oven! OMG!! When I say this cake was moist & a chocolate lovers dream I’m not exaggerating!! It is the easiest cake to make & taste like it took all day to make it. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I also made the icing & put it on while the cake was still warm & it kinda melted into the cake just enough to make it kind of fudged on top but the icing still held up on top as an icing. If anybody is on the fence about making it please do bc you won’t be disappointed!
How long would you suggest hearing the cupcakes for? If we used this recipe for cupcakes…
Thanks so much!
I’d really need to test it to be sure, unfortunately. But if you just keep an eye on them in the oven and then test with a tooth pick when the center of the muffin is fully puffed up, that should work well. Make sure the tooth pick doesn’t come out with wet batter on it when inserted into the center of the cupcake.
I made the cake today and substituted 1 cup water for 1 cup of freshly brewed coffee. This made a difference in the cake for sure! The cake was delicious without any frosting too.
Great idea with the coffee!
Just made this cake today it came out great! I did use pre made vanilla frosting for the top though just to break up the chocolate flavors.
best vegan cake recipe to date! made it last night and it was soooo good
I used to make this all the time when I was just having a sweet tooth attack. BUT… Now I’m diabetic, :::sigh:::: and wonder can I replace the sugar with my Splenda. It works in all my other recipes but I’ve never tried the Splenda and since its not cheap, I hate to waste it. I would appreciate your opinion, tremendously!!! Thank you!!!
Hi Kandi! Splenda is a cup for cup sugar replacement. So you should be ok using the same amount of Splenda as the amount of sugar that’s called for in the recipe. However, we haven’t tested the recipe with Splenda and can’t give you a concrete answer.
Made these for a work morning tea and they were a big hit! So easy to prepare too.
My mother, born in the very late 20’s, handwrote this exact recipe on a card for me when I was a teenager. She served it a lot when I was a kid, and called it Chocolate No Egg Cake. We never used icing, just whipped cream or Cool Whip nowadays. I use spray cooking oil to grease the glass pan I use, and I add chopped walnuts or pecans, and sometimes leave out the chocolate and substitute 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 3/4 tsp nutmeg and 1/2 tsp cloves and it makes the best spice cake ever! Even better with nuts. Again, whipped cream topping. I never knew about the Depression Era beginnings but it makes sense and is the best cake ever.
Oh my God. I doubled the recipe, and then for the frosting I added mint extract along with the vanilla and oh my God it was so freaking good. It’s officially my go to cake recipe.
This is my go to choc cake recipe. Just made it as 12 cupcakes using parchment liners. No sticking!
Did you double the recipe for 12 cupcakes or was one batch enough?
Thanks!
I made this cake yesterday and loved it! I doubled the recipe since my cake pan was too big and it came out so awesome! Super moist. I didn’t do the frosting, but I am incredibly grateful to have found this recipe. BudgeBytes never disappoints!!
I think you should mention that the cake pan should be greased.
All the recipes for this cake say ungreased 8×8 pan.
I just took mine out of the oven. I’ll let you know if it sticks to the pan.
Do you think I can use cake flour instead of AP flour. And would the ratio be the same>
Unfortunately, I haven’t tried this with cake flour so I’m not sure if the ratios would need to be adjusted.
I have made this with whole wheat flour [cause that’s what I had] and it works fine! I only add enough to make a soft batter, like for pancakes. I don’t measure!
This is BY FAR the best tasting chocolate cake I’ve found. All other cakes are too complicated for the return. I probably make this cake on average 1-2 times per month and play around with different icings. I used this cake recipe for a tiered chocolate cake with peanut butter icing and everyone was shocked when I told them it had no eggs in it! Love love love love.
Hi. I want to double the recipe too, but not sure what to double and what not to. I’m pretty sure it’s not all ingredients (*2). Please advise on how you did yours
Hi! Yes, if you want to double the recipe you can double all of the ingredients so they stay in the same ratio. :)
Yes, double ALL of the ingredients. But some things are not essential, such as vanilla. I’ve forgotten to add it and it still works…. it’s only for a bit of flavour, but who cares! I also add less sugar, ’cause I don’t like it so sweet, and I do add raisins, which are sweet [or other fruit].. You can do whatever YOU like! That’s the beauty of this recipe! But you MUST add in the vinegar and baking soda — won’t work without it!! So versatile!!!
Have made this recipe 10+ times, always turns out perfectly. (Have used apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, avocado oil, coconut oil, canola oil). I’ve doubled the recipe and baked in a Bundt pan (350 degrees for 40-50 min)…perfect! That’s my new fancy go-to!
This is an amazing chocolate cake. So easy, so moist and so yummy. It’s my quick go to dessert. It’s a great recipe to make with my granddaughters.
I’ve used a cup of coffee in place of the cup of water. I’ve used applesauce in place of sugar. I’ve tossed in chocolate chips. I’ve even used gluten free flour and it’s still perfect. (I enjoy experimenting. That makes it fun.) This cake is always delicious. You got to try this recipe..you probably have the ingredients on your shelf right now. You will not be sorry..happy baking!
The best part of this is that children on any age can do this…. more fun with Grandma!! It is never-fail, and kids love saying how they made a cake! [They will always remember this experience!]
And the kids can add in all their favourite things…. moms won’t let you do that!
And it always works!!
I made this before and loved it! I am curious, could I pour the batter in cupcake tins and adjust the cooking time?
You can definitely do that! I’d suggest lightly spraying the tin or liners with oil. I’d also suggest shortening the baking time, but since we haven’t tested this recipe as cupcakes, I’m hesitant to make any specific suggestions that might not be as successful. However, since this recipe does not include eggs, the only thing you really are cooking is raw flour! ~ marion :)
Oh, yes, you can! You can make it into ANY shape or size of pan you want! I have recently started adding chopped apples into the batter, and then pouring into a cookie sheet [with sides]. This makes a thin layer, which I cut into squares. Most of it disappears before it cools off! I think it is so dry here!
Hi, have you tried to make cupcakes with the recipe? How long did you bake them for?
wow – baking time/temp is WAAAAY to high & long!! for an 8×8″ even at 325, 15 minutes is about right, unless you want burned chocolate croutons.
Hi! I didn’t see a note about greasing or preparing the pan. Any parchment or prep needed? Thanks!
Hi, there! Preparing the pan isn’t necessary with this recipe because the batter has a fairly high oil content. (I see from the photos that it comes out of the pan in clean slices, but does leave a little behind in the dish!) I’m not sure if parchment paper was around in the depression era, but you could totally line the pan with parchment if you want to save yourself some clean-up time — modern-day problems require modern-day solutions! (LOL!) I’d suggest lining it with an overhang, so you can lift the whole cake out of the dish once it’s cooled a bit and don’t end up with little shreds of parchment stuck to the bottom of the cake from slicing it. ~ Marion :)
A very happy find. I never seemed to be able to recreate the birthday cake my Mom baked for me as a child and now I know why! On a hunch I replaced the water for the icing with strong coffee (I had seen her do this) and omitted the vanilla, perfection!
My Mom has passed without handing out her secrets so I’m sharing the recipe with my siblings. Who knew!
Nothing short of sorcery!
Thinking it’s impossible to make decent cake without eggs and butter I decided to try this recipe mainly to quench my curiosity. Expecting it to be bland, strange and tasteless.
I was oh so wrong, this is delightful!
I did use cold coffee where it called for water though and next time I’m absolutely replacing the icing with a less sweet one as my teeth curled up and cried after this.
The cake itself however is the best chocolate cake I’ve ever had and will be made over and over.
Just made this cake and the icing and it is a moist, simple, and tasty chocolate cake! I like that the recipe seems like you could easily alter it if you wanted to experiment with adding other things. I ended up adding about a tablespoon of peanut butter and a teaspoon of instant coffee to the icing and it was perfect! I will definitely make this one again!
Followed the recipe to a tee: 35 minutes was not long enough, and the parts that were done were dry and crumbly. Let it bake a bit longer and had a slice after it cooled. Way too dry and pretty flavorless. A waste of ingredients.
What a great recipe! Nothing fancy (in a good way), super quick to throw together, and tastes great. We are trying to use eggs & dairy less often, so this is a great recipe to have on hand. Thank you for sharing!
I’d love to try this cake. I believe it’s the same cake my Mom made when I was a little girl. Can I use Almond flour in this recipe?
Hi, Heidi! While this recipe may work with almond flour with some tweaking, we haven’t tested it and I don’t want to give you a definitive answer that would lead to unsuccessful results. Most cakes that use almond flour also use a ton of whipped egg whites to help them rise. If you are looking for a gluten-free alternative — a gluten-free all-purpose flour would probably be a safer 1:1 substitute in this particular recipe. ~Marion :)
I grew up with this cake and continue to make it, in my 60s. It is my favourite chocolate cake! I love the rich denseness of it, and thank you for sharing the recipe. And it IS vegan, from an era way before vegan was a thing!
If I made this the night before, do you think it would it dry out in the refrigerator? I’ve made it before and really enjoyed it, but only when it was eaten the same day. Thank you!
Hi Laura, you can actually store this one at room temperature and it will be fine for about 3-4 days. :)
I used coconut sugar (staying away from cane) 1:1 gluten free flour (can’t do wheat) and made 10 cupcakes at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Puffed up nice and moist as well. Turned out great. I can finally get my chocolate fix without eggs and dairy.
This cake is my go to for chocolate, my sister loves it too!
Step 2 for the cake does not size the 1 cup of water up or down with the servings adjustment.
Hi, Priscilla! Thanks for catching that — you may see this from time to time on some of our older content! I have added the necessary codes to the recipe card in order to make those ingredients scale up properly. Glad to hear you love this recipe! ~Marion :)
Love your recipes 💕
Let me say I love this cake, my whole family loves this cake. My husband requests this cake more than any other I make. So I was wondering if anyone has adapted minus the coco powder to make a vanilla cake to make for example a Pineapple upside down cake instead? Pineapple juice for water and just no coco powder. I’m want to test it just wanted advice before I do. :)
I made this twice already because its so easy and fool proof to make.
I replaced the water with coffee for a more chocolate-y taste.
Hi Amber. I’ve used this recipe my whole life. You can make a white cake by replacing the cocoa with an equal amount of white flour. Enjoy!
Cupboards are a bit bare this weekend (I get paid Tuesday, so it’s not too bad) and I was looking around for something sweet I could bake that didn’t require eggs, butter, or milk (3 things we’re out of). I wanted to make Chocolate Concrete aka Chocolate Shortcake, but I didn’t have the butter, so I kept looking. I stumbled upon your recipe, and it was perfect! The only substitutions I had to make were subbing the baking soda with baking powder and the vinegar with lemon juice. I couldn’t make the icing because I didn’t have any confectioners sugar, but the cake alone came out delicious! The family’s sweet tooth has been satisfied. Thank you!!!
I had been looking for ages for this recipe as my mum used to bake it for us. I add about a tsp of cinnamon to it for a nice little kick.
Have you or anyone else tried to use gluten-free flour with this recipe?
We have not used gluten-free flour and therefore have no guidance. XOXO -Monti
We are in Florida waiting on Hurricane Ian. Came across this recipe thought I would try it before the power goes out. I used coffee instead of water. I did not frost it but had it with whipped cream. It was delicious. Don’t let the fact it contains no dairy put you off. Give it a try you will not be disappointed.
Thank you for sharing this. My daughter has an egg allergy, so this recipe is much appreciated! If using butter instead of oil, how much butter? (Dumb question, but the only baking I do is brownie mix!)
I love this recipe. One quibble – don’t have any idea where you got your cost estimates, but even using the most expensive C&H cane sugar from my local store I can’t make a cup of sugar come to more then $0.38.
Can I use the recipe to make a small batch of cupcakes?
HI Marissa, we have not tested this recipe in a cupcake pan, so we can’t answer that question. However, if you do decide to try it, remember to reduce the cooking time, as the smaller volume of batter in a muffin tin will cook way faster. XOXO -Monti
Where has this recipe been all my life?? So easy, moist and delicious. Thank you for sharing!
Haven’t made this cake (yet) but I just wanted to say that every single photo in this recipe is gorgeous!
Thank you!
This exact recipe was posted by The Spruce as early as 2017
Hi C, I just replied to your email. :) This recipe has been around for at least 100 years, predating Serious Eats or the internet itself. I made sure to talk about the origins of this recipe in the blog post so it would be clear to readers that I did not invent the recipe. You’ll find this exact recipe on thousands of websites because it’s been a staple in households for generations.
I found a recipe from 1917! It’s pretty cool how well it holds up
This is now my go-to recipe for chocolate cake! Comes out perfect every time.
Great recipe, really easy came out perfect!
My new favorite cake!! I substituted a few ingredients to amp the flavor and nutrition–turned out great!
Substitutions: 3/4 cup each whole wheat pastry flour and all purpose, brewed coffee for the water, 1/4 cup beet puree plus 1 T avocado oil for the 1/3 cup oil, 1/3 cup sugar plus 1/3 cup stevia for the cup of sugar, 2t vanilla instead of one, used dark cocoa and added 1/2 t allspice (nice with the beet), also added 1 t of baking powder. Moist and flavorful–doesn’t need frosting if you ask me. Thanks for the recipe.
[My email address is a valid address but I no longer send or receive with it. The US government’s Intelligence Community is collecting all such data & they will manipulate it when they choose– they are operating under secret law and/or secret interpretation of law & will continue to abuse their power until the American people discover & challenge their unconstitutional actions.]
I love this cake, quick to make, stays moist and has good flavor.
I was never able to make a cake (from a box or from scratch) that didn’t taste as if it came out of King Tut’s tomb. Until this cake. I am not exaggerating, this cake is phenomenal! I’ve made it several times and it has never been dry or tasteless. This cake’s a sure thing. I have made it with and without frosting and it’s great either way. My son is now thrilled at the prospect he’ll actually get a birthday cake this year. Poor kid has spent the past 14 years getting a birthday pie due to my inability to make him a proper cake. Thank you for a terrific cake recipe!
Hi Beth and everybody!
I made this cake on for myself on my birthday in February 2021, and I’ve never forgotten it. I absolutely loved it, it was so delicious!
I’m wanting to surprise my boyfriend by making a cake for Valentine’s day, but I’ve never made a two-tiered cake before (I’ve been watching soo many tutorials on youtube about that!). I was wondering, I know this might be a silly question, but would this recipe work for a layer cake with two layers, do you think??
Thank you so much for your time and guidance!
Hi Caroline! I have zero experience with making layered cakes, unfortunately, but I don’t know why it wouldn’t work! You might try Googling something like “what cake works for layered cakes” to see if there are any general criteria that makes a cake good for layering. The only thing that sticks out to me is that you may want to line the baking dish or do a butter coating with a light flour dusting just to make sure the cake comes out easily in one piece.
Can you make the cake up the day before and then do the icing the next day? Or if you do the icing the day before spread it, will it get too hard if not served right away?
You could bake the cake the day before, if you’d like. I don’t suggest making the icing ahead of time, though, as it will dry out like you suspected. You could always stir a bit more water into it if you do make it the day before, but that’s about the same amount of effort as just making it fresh. :)
My go to cake. great for weeknights, or when you want something easy to share with friends. I skip the icing and serve it with fruit or jam and whipped cream/cool whip – so delicious!
Delicious! So moist and such chocolate flavor! I am going to experiment the next time I make this by adding a layer of melted peanut butter on top of the cake and then the icing. Chocolate and peanut butter- how can you go wrong?
Full transparency: I have not used Beth’s recipe. BUT this is identical to the recipe passed down to me from my grandma. Easy and delicious! My grandma passed when I was really young, so it makes me feel very connected to her.
That makes me so happy to hear. :)
This cake and icing are awesome! I added the icing when the cake was still warm to get a gooey effect. Soooooo good!
Can this be made as a white or vanilla cake
There are probably versions of that out there, but I haven’t made one, unfortunately! :)
Awesome recipe…I substituted all purpose flour for spelt flour and used half a cup of agave and half cup of turbinado sugar which gave it a slight crunch. I also added a bit of cardamom to make it interesting. This will replace my brownie recipe.
My mom called this “wacky cake”, it was THE birthday cake recipe she used when we were kids. It is THE ONLY chocolate cake I will it, all the other chocolate cakes I’ve had are either too chocolatey (I know, I know) or are too sugary with zero flavor and often times very dry. I think my moms recipe called for a bit more oil, very moist, not too sweet and nice rich chocolate flavor
My Gram made this “Wacky Cake” all the time when I was growing up. Instead of icing, though, she would take a chocolate Hershey bar, break it up into squares and put them on the still warm cake. It only took a minute or two for the squares to melt and then she used a knife to spread the “icing” around on top!
Hi Phyllis, I just wanted to say thanks for sharing the great tip to ice this cake! One of my kids only recently grew out of a dairy intolerance, and inspired by your Gram’s method, we would sprinkle dairy free chocolate chips on top of the cake and spread when soft for the icing. Now that she seems to be ok with dairy, I am looking forward to trying the actual Hershey bar method. Thanks, Beth and Phyllis!
This is my second time making this amazing cake. Still so impressed by how easy, quick, and good it is. It’s Friday and I was in the mood to do something fun. I wanted something sweet but didn’t have the usual baking stuff. I thought, what can I make with flour and sugar? I didn’t thin about this cake immediately, but I was so happy when I did. Even better, I had all the ingredients. Definitely give this cake a try!
Can I put in a cupcake pan to bring to work or a party.
Looks so good.
I haven’t done this but I believe there have been comments from others who have had good results doing that.
Yummy and easy to follow recipe. I have been making your chocolate cake recipe since I came across your website last year. Today I added fresh blueberries and used a loaf pan to bake the cake. Came out beautiful and not overly sweet which works well for my toddler. No glaze needed. Thank you!
I love this chocolate cake recipe, but I had never made the icing until yesterday. Mine was a little thick, but it was user error. I think added too much powdered sugar. It was perfect for spreading on top of the cake! Lots of compliments! The kids ate the leftover icing with saltine crackers.
Can I substitute regular flour for gluten free flour??
I’m sorry, I haven’t tried gluten-free flour with this recipe, so I’m not sure how that will turn out.
I’m going to try it with Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 flour. I will report back!
I have used GF flour with no issues! I have a friend with celiac and I have an egg allergy. This cake is heavrnly and seriously hits that chocolate craving!
I’ve made it with gf all purpose flour. It works fine. I haven’t made it with regular flour, but usually gf cakes are a little denser than regular cakes.
I was going to try this with gf flour, and I am hoping you might share a little more information. Did you use Bob’s all purpose gf flour blend or another? Or was it a 1:1? Any help is appreciated!
I always use either Trader Joe’s all purpose GF flour or Pamela’s all purpose artisan blend gf flour when baking. TJ’s tends to make a slightly drier product, but both work well.
Made this cake yesterday for the first time, oh ! Boy , so delicious, moist and the frosting too so delicious.
Thank you, it’s really really good .
I just made this depression cake 🍰🎂 for a dessert wowww sooo easy and simply delicious. Love it!!! ☺️
Thank you very much for inspiration. I’m not very into baking and I’m vegan. So this is the cake exactly for me. Baking shorter time I turned it to the brownie cake. I skipped icing, but added soaked raisins and soaked nuts into batter.
I made this cake for my birthday. It was early 2021, and everything was still locked down. This was easy to put together and gave the evening a sense of occasion. I increased the cocoa to 1/2 cup and the whole family enjoyed the cake served with a dusting of powdered sugar. I used this recipe as the basis for my son’s birthday “dirt cake” made with mascarpone frosting, cake crumbles and gummy worms. My kids regularly request this for dessert, I’ve never made the icing.
I followed the recipe exactly and agree with Beth that this is not the world’s best cake. Still, I will probably make the cake again and try it with buttercream frosting. I sampled the cake by itself and liked the fact that it was not too sweet. I think the icing is what is turning me off.
Has anyone doubled this recipe to use in a character pan? My grandson is allergic to dairy and eggs. I want to make him a dinosaur cake for his birthday, but it’s a big pan. Would this cake still come out light and fluffy under those circumstances? Vegan cakes are so dense and don’t rise in the center of the cake. :(
Hi Rita. I have been using this recipe for decades & only recently realised it is vegan! It’s just a beautiful cake with a lovely texture. It has been the cake of choice for my 3 kids birthdays for most of their lives. I’ve doubled it, 1 & a half’d it, used all sorts of different pans, made tiered cakes all with great success! I will often swapped half the water for coffee for a deeper chocolate taste. My only tip would be to wait until it’s fully cooled to ice it & it will need a thin crumb coat for character cakes & the like.
Good luck & bake with abandon! 😁😁
the cake was fine but the icing tho…..I could feel the icing particles in my mouth and I thought that it was the baking soda but no….I think the icing sugar should be melted in the microwave before pouring it onto the cake so you would get the texture of the particles
Did you sift the powdered sugar?
Sounds like my kind of cake! Thank you so much for this recipe. I will definitely make this.
Don’t let this cake’s humble description fool you. It’s as good as any chocolate cake and so moist and fluffy! I’m not a very good baker, and this cake turned out amazing for me. I made a peanut butter chocolate cream cheese frosting to go with it and added grated fresh ginger to the batter for a kick. So yummy and versatile. Boyfriend is happy (thanks, Beth!).
Thank you so much for the base recipe.
During the pandemic, I have made some version of this cake pretty much once a week. Lots of changes and variations (adding nuts, adding cinnamon, adding orange rind). Then I took off from the chocolate all together. In the latest version, I used pineapple juice instead of water and vinegar, got rid of the chocolate, and topped with a sugar-spice-nut swirl for spiced coffee cake. I think preserved lemon-ginger cake is next on the agenda.
I think this is my new favorite chocolate cake recipe. Great texture and flavor. I used apple cider vinegar and olive oil. I added a little orange extract as well. We love orange chocolate in this house. This cake will be made many times again in the future.
Love this cake! It’s one of my go-to’s when I want to throw together a quick dessert.
Also I added a tweak to the icing in order to cut the sweetness but use the same basic recipe. Just replace the 3 tbs water with strong coffee.
Used GF flour and palm sugar and this was still delish. Also made as cupcakes instead; they were done in about 20 minutes. Thanks for the easy (and allergy-friendly) recipe!
HI~
I made it yesterday and it tasted so good. It’s my first time making a cake without eggs and butter. I was surprised that the cake was so moist and soft. It’s also not too sweet! Thank you.
We love this recipe, it is perfect for those baking with allergies in mind We sub-ed a wheat free flour for the AP flour, but it turned out amazing.
This was super easy and delicious. I wasn’t expecting much because of the disclaimer in the recipe that it’s not the best chocolate cake ever, but it far exceeded my expectations.
My grandmother got this same recipe from a newspaper during WW2, except with a vanilla frosting. With so many shortages papers would often publish recipes that could work around them, this one conserving eggs and butter. My favorite since I was a little kid.
Hmmm… Amazing cake… it looks so yummy
Amazingly tasty and budget friendly recipe. Definitely a keeper!
Thank you for this awesome recipe! I have made it so many times. Two times I modified the recipe, but I got terrible results. The first time I replaced cocoa powder with ginger powder, but the cake didn’t rise at all! It was just a lump of dough. The second was pouring the batter in muffin molds, it was fluffy but really wet, it broke into small pieces when I got it out of mold. Could you guide me on these two. Thank you.
Hmm, honestly those two things are a mystery to me. I’m not sure why the ginger would affect the leavening and I’m not sure why the texture would be so drastically different when using a muffin tin.
Hi David! Cocoa is naturally acidic, so when it is combined with the baking soda in this recipe (baking soda is a base) they react and produce CO2 bubbles that make the cake rise. When you replaced the cocoa with ginger, the baking soda had nothing acidic to react with and create bubbles so it stayed a lump of dough. You could try experimenting and adding a tbsp of apple cider vinegar or some other acid if you want to replace the naturally acidic cocoa with ginger.
For the muffin tin problem, most eggless cakes are rather fragile because they do not have eggs to bind them together. When I make eggless cupcakes, I usually use foil or paper wrappers to help the cupcakes stay together. Hope that helps!
I’ve made this numerous times since the pandemic began. I am gluten free so I use gluten free flour and everything I bake is sugar free for my diabetic SO, so I use Splenda. Everything else is the same and it works every time. Thanks for this! ❤️
Have made this recipe 4 times in 3 weeks and easy to covert to UK measuring/temperature etc. This is so good, my other half said it was as good as his Mam’s! And has asked me to stop making it cos it’s sooo good. Thank you!
As someone with an anaphylactic dairy allergy, this type of recipe is a lifesaver.
Suggestion to anyone else who likes coffee and might have a little leftover from their morning pot: replace the 3tbsp of water for the icing with 3tbsp of coffee, makes a mocha icing which cuts the sweetness a bit and adds a nice punch to the cake.
Not sure what happened, but my batter was A LOT more liquid than the recipe describes! Don’t be afraid if you’re batter is very loose—I added extra flour and cocoa powder out of fear. I was skeptical, but this cake truly is very good! You wouldn’t know the difference.
It may sound weird, but I substituted the cooking oil with some bacon grease I had in my fridge from last week’s brunch. It worked really well and gave the cake a chocolaty-smoky taste! I tried a peanut butter frosting on top. If you like chocolate-dipped bacon, try it!
That doesn’t sound weird at all to me, it sounds AH-MAZ-ING! :D
Thank you for sharing this delightfully easy, mouthwateringly delicious recipe. Have baked this cake several times since I first tried it a few weeks back and it’s been a huge success each time!
This cake is like a magic trick! I really could not tell that it was any different from a normal cake. I wanted something a little smaller than my usual two layer cake recipe (but didn’t feel like doing the math) Not sure if it makes a difference either way but I did use boiling water to help bloom the cocoa. I think this cake is even better the next day.
When you’re on a low-fat diet, this is the best cake ever! :)
Could I double the recipe and bake in a 9×13 pan?
This looks like what my mom called wacky cake or dump cake. I can’t remember if those recipes had eggs or milk. We only have three in our house right now, so a smaller cake is always good. I’ll have to try that soon.
I have already made this a couple times since you posted the recipe. Delicious and easy. This past time I poured the batter into a cupcake tin to make 9 decadent chocolate muffins that were filled to the brim. I wanted to comment so others would know the recipe also worked well as a cupcake/muffin.
I actually found a similar version a couple of years ago because my neighbors daughter is allergic to eggs, nuts and dairy. This weekend is my friends birthday and one of the women is lactose intolerant so I immediately volunteered to make this…it’s delicious!
WONDERFUL I TRIED IT AND GUESS WHAT MY DAY WAS FILLED WITH LAUGHTER AND JOY
Delicious! I recently took this cake to a birthday party and everyone snapped it right up. I love how easy the recipe is, and that it’s free of all animal products – please keep the vegan recipes coming! This is definitely a keeper, and will be my go-to for future dessert requests.
Tastes like chocolate bread, kinda bland but it’s okay I guess.
FORGET WHAT I SAID EARLIER. PAIR IT WITH ICE CREAM AND YOU ARE SET IT IS SO DELICIOUS AND I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH HOW MAGNIFICENT THIS RECIPE IS.
This was so good! I think you really sell yourself short by saying this isn’t the best chocolate cake, I loved it. It’s like a cross between a brownie and a cake. I made it without frosting but I threw in some chocolate chips.
My 6 yr old made this for her student teaching day at school. She loved it and it was very easy to make!
Made this tonight as both my parents remembered this kind of thing from their childhoods…we did tweak the toping though, as we did not want frosting and plain sugar seemed tame. We have another recipe that uses this topping and it is great: once the batter is in the pan but before you pop it in the oven, sprinkle over the top in this order: 1/2 cup chocolate chips (we used minis), 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (feel free to sub any other nut or skip if you don’t like/can’t have nuts), and 1/4 cup sugar (normal white sugar). Bake as directed. This gives you a slightly crunchy top with nice melty chips, not too sweet. Cake was tasty, though as noted not super rich. It’s easy for anyone to make.
So good!
Perfection! Light, moist, tasty and not overly sweet! Family loved it and has already requested another cake be made as soon as I can.
It’s so refreshing to find a tasty recipe and put it together in no time at all! Thanks for another delicious winner!
My mom would make this and called it “Texas Sheet Cake” she made it on a cookie sheet. We all loved it!
When I came across this recipe, I thought it was TOO GOOD to be true for it to be so simple with all the kitchen staples. i jumped off my seat to start baking to prove myself that this can’t be real.
i substituted oil for applesauce (1:1), and the sugar was dialed back to half. there was just the slightest tinge of sweetness but that’s my general preference for these type of pastries as i often have this with jam or something sweet like honey as a drizzle. i did not make the icing.
verdict: this recipe is my new keeper – thank you SO much for sharing this!!! :) i hv officially been proven wrong and such easy DELICIOUS recipes can exist!!;)
ps. can i sub some component of whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, chickpea flour? I used all-purpose flour and it turned out very nice! not too dense, not too light.
Wow! So surprised how delicious this cake is. I have never made a chocolate cake from scratch, but this is way better than the boxed mixes, and cheaper to boot. It was also really easy to throw together in a few minutes this afternoon. I added a handful of chocolate chips which probably lent a little extra richness, and it was so good. Very moist, not too airy, and full of chocolate flavor. I halved the recipe for my household of two and baked it in a 6″ square dish. I will absolutely make this again anytime we are craving something easy and chocolate.
I just made this yesterday because I was looking for baking recipes with limited ingredients and came across this. It turned out great! Thanks so much for the recipe!
I’ve made this cake twice, second time by request, and it’s one of the best chocolate cakes I’ve ever made!! It came out perfect each time and was so simple to make!! I posted a picture of it on FB and had many requests for the recipe!!
Thanks so much Beth!
This was an amazing cake and has been incredibly popular with my co-workers during the pandemic. We’ve taken the approach “if you’re (even a little) depressed, you should make this cake” :) It’s so easy to make, not too sweet, fluffy and moist, and did I say EASY?! I love trying new recipes but especially those which are simple and use ingredients I likely have already. This has inspired me to look for more depression-era recipes, and I hope you try some and post them here too. Budget Bytes is my #1 go-to recipe site, and I’d love to see more content like this while we’re all adjusting.
I also use this cake a lot because of food allergies. It’s so yummy! If you make a ganache instead of frosting and pour it on while the cake is hot right from the oven, it will deflate the cake a bit and give it a chewier texture almost like brownies.
I made this for my son when he was little and had numerous food allergies. No eggs, no milk , no soy (if you use corn oil). Very tasty!
Haven’t tried the recipe yet but I make a similar chocolate cake so I’m sure it will be fine. I would do the coffee for water and my go to icing is always Neufchâtel cream cheese with a little powdered sugar and almond extract.
This cake turned out delicious even with my substitutions of balsamic vinegar and almond extract. The only thing was the middle stuck to the pan and also to the plate I turned it onto to cool.
Looks yum! you captured it beautifully. I’m a new bee, I start cooking in this pandemic and now am loving to make different varieties of food, dessert. Today I would love to try this out.
I made this as my first ever baking recipe. It turned out fantastic! I did have the middle sink. But, the combo of cake and icing made out week. My wife and I love chocolate and this did not disappoint. My wife keeps around good quality cocoa powder and she says that makes a different. It sure did taste good here. And between the two of us and some serious discipline, we made the cake last five days. It was easy…so easy, I couldn’t believe it. When it came out of the oven…I had a huge smile on my face. Thank you for such an easy and wonderful recipe.
I used cooled coffee instead of water and it came out pretty good especially with ice cream. If you aren’t going to make the frosting (I don’t have confection sugar). Can you use around a quarter cup or eighth cup more sugar to make the cake itself a little sweeter? I wasn’t sure if that would completely overwhelm the cake or not. Its pretty good right now but needs to be a little sweeter in my opinion unless you add ice cream to it.
perfect recipe! It’s not too sweet (I made it without frosting) and while it is great solo, it would be good with fruit sauce or fresh whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream.
I just made this but didn’t pay full attention to the instructions and made it in a cake tin instead of a baking dish. I only realized when I saw the pics down the bottom. I assume you bake it, let it cool, frost it and serve it in the baking dish?. Can I take it out of the oven, let it cool slightly and then remove from the pan and let it cool fully this way?
Yes you could do both. The instructions will guide you through the cooling and frosting.
I find it strange that you had to downplay this cake simply because it doesn’t have butter. That immediately turned me off from making this. Why would you even suggest something that you think isn’t the best?
Also I bake without butter all the time subbing it with coconut oil thats not melted and no one has ever been able to tell that it’s a no butter cake. I even made butter cakes without butter. So try it out, maybe it will satisfy you
Oh my gosh, such nostalgia! When I was a girl in the 1960s one of the moms in the neighborhood used to make this all the time and taught us to make it. The secret ingredient was the vinegar, and we thought it was a terrific cake. I will make this asap, and already rated it as great, because I remember it so fondly.
What if you don’t have a square pan, 9+9/
I have a round 9 by 91/2
Can this recipe also be made in a 13 by 9 pan. If so what measurements would you have to make it with.
Yes you can do in a round or a 9×13. Baking time may vary some and it could be a bit thinner of a cake.
You can use a cup of cooled coffee instead of water for a little different flavor.
My kiddo suggested we make this today because he’s “depressed” schools are cancelled for rest of the term. It was fun to make. Cake was moist on the inside, a little crunchy on the outside. He loved the frosting.
Thank you for this great recipe! Making it for the third time this morning. I’ve been following the recipe exactly but instead of baking in a cake pan baking it in muffin/cupcake tin for 20 minutes at 350. I’m calling them chocolate muffins and omitting the frosting. My family has been gobbling them up!
This is what I did! Mine did not turn out *pretty* but they were absolutely delicious. I opted for a chocolate buttercream instead of the noted icing.
Used Bob’s Red Mill 1 for 1 GF baking flour and it worked perfectly.
Just reading your mug recipes and found the chocolate mug cake with peanut butter inside. I’m thinking how wonderful a easy peanut butter or nut butter frosting would be on top of this cake. Thank you for all the great recipes. Stay Safe and Healthy Everyone.
This cake is surprisingly delightful. As someone who doesn’t love overly sweet things, I cut the sugar in the cake to 1/2 cup, and cut the frosting into 1/3 of the original amount (so 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, etc.). Came out at the perfect sweetness for me.
I think doing the recipe as written with the frosting would be a bit saccharine for most people.
So good! Life hack: crush up mini eggs and sprinkle them over the top of the cake after frosting. Did this for an Easter treat last weekend and it was amazing :)
I made this yesterday because I was craving chocolate cake and have a limited supply of ingredients due to quarantine. I was able to splurge and make a chocolate buttercream frosting to accompany it rather than the drizzle. The cake was so light and airy it almost felt like I could eat it for breakfast! The chocolate buttercream really evened it out and it was a super satisfying treat. Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!
King Arthur Flour calls this “cake pan cake” and suggests a ganache frosting made by melting chocolate chips with half and half or with almond milk. I like to add a little offer to anything chocolate,not deepen the flavor. Say a generous teaspoon of espresso powder or sub some strong coffee for some of the milk.
I need it, right now! So I am going to prepare it, my kids will be happy too! Thanks for the recipe :)
I loved how easy and delicious it was!
Beth, you’re amazing and especially right now in these tough times, your food is putting smiles on my family’s faces.
Don’t know what I would do without you and your website. Food=love and life
I went ahead and tried this and was blown away by how good it was. I don’t know why I was skeptical of a vegan cake, but it was really moist and delicious! I don’t think I’ll ever go back to making chocolate cakes with eggs, milk or butter! I’m glad to have a new dessert option for my vegan friends.
This turned out surprisingly good (not sure why I was so skeptical…). I cut the sugar back to 2/3 cup and sprinkled some chocolate chips on top before baking. I didn’t add frosting or powdered sugar (it was plenty sweet as is). Super easy and yummy.
You can mix this cake right in the pan — I know the recipe from the Moosewood Restaurant Cooks At Home.
Me too! I also sub coffee for the water though
My mom has made this for us growing up and her mother made it for her, we call it wacky cake.
My 14 year old made this for us on Easter Sunday. My kids thought I was trying to sneak one by them with a vegan cake, but we all loved how delicious it was.
I’ve always known this as Crazy Cake, but my recipe is slightly different – 2 heaping TBSP of cocoa, bake for 30 minutes. We usually make it as cupcakes (makes 12) and actually prefer it without frosting (and I LOVE frosting). The tops are not as soft as other cupcakes, not hard exactly, I’m not sure how to describe them. Definitely a great recipe because you don’t have to have eggs or wait for butter to soften. Just throw everything in the bow. and mix it up. Just make sure you get all of the lumps because they’re disgusting. My brother loved the lumps so when he made it he’d leave it lumpy on purpose so he could have the whole thing to himself. I like the comments about using coffee instead of water – I think I’ll try that next time.
bowl, not bow!
Thank you!! My mother had a recipe for “Eggless, Milkless, Butterless Cake”–it had lots of raisins in it. She was not a baker, but it was always good!
Could you share the recipe? My grandma used to make that as well (born in 1910 and raised birthed her babies during and after WWII on nothing) . I don’t like raisins but I love them in her cake!!
It’s fun to make do with less or with alternative ingredients! I remember making this cake when I lived in India in the 90’s and didn’t have an oven. We would place the baking pan on top of a layer of sand in larger pan and bake it on low to medium heat I guess. What a treat that was indeed!!
My mother who is 90 remembers this cake from The Great Depression and WWII.
We’ve made this before although it’s been decades. Will make it again today since dad just bungled making a banana nut bread recipe.
Sounds great! I don’t have any cocoa powder though, is it okay if I just don’t add it and say it’s vanilla?
I haven’t tried that version and leaving the cocoa out might change the dry/wet ingredient ration, so you’re probably best Googling “vanilla wacky cake” to find a recipe that’s been tested without the cocoa powder. :)
I intentionally use virgin coconut oil in my chocolate recipes as chocolate and coconut are a great combination. My favorite Martha Stewart chocolate cake/cupcake recipe call for oil not butter. Oil makes for a moister cake then butter.
I’m now 60, and I have made this for years and years. It’s the only chocolate cake recipe I have. Got the recipe from my mom (89-years young), who made it as long as I can remember!
Thank you for this, Beth. Unfortunately flour has been sold out for weeks so I’ve had to be very judicious about my flour usage. :( :( One day I’ll hope to make this. It looks delicious though!
You can try calling to local restaurants or bakeries to see if they’ll sell you wholesale!
I have a recipe for this cake in my Recipe Box-it’s called Chocolate Snack Cake. I always keep it around for if I’m low on ingredients and need something sweet. Good things never go out of style!
My mom grew up during the depression, so this recipe was on a regular rotation in our house. It was the first recipe she taught me to make!
Hi Beth,
I think this is the first time I’ve responded to one of your posts…… but though it worthwhile because we’ve been making what we call “Wacky Cake” for years. It’s the families first choice for family gatherings (made one just yesterday- flavored the buttercream frosting with a dash of that mornings leftover coffee!.
However, in this time of careful rationing of what resources we have, two weeks ago I had googled recipes for eggless applesauce cake, since I had leftover applesauce in the fridge- and limited eggs.
Your recipe for Anne Byrn’s cake came up, was an easy recipe, so I made it. THE BEST spice type cake I’ve ever made! Once again, I used a “butter” (Earth Balance) cream frosting, this time flavored with orange juice), and I added raisins. So in love with this recipe- I hesitate to make it again as I’ve already gained during this “unique” period of time. :-(
Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe. (Love your site- be safe!)
Thank you for that! I love hearing about how recipes are a part of peoples’ family memories like that. :) I hope you’re staying safe, too!
My grandmother always made this cake for her kids’ and grandkids’ birthdays. She used coffee in place of water and made a boiled vanilla frosting. It tastes amazing and moist on day 2! I made it today for Easter dinner and added some peanut butter to my boiled frosting as a nod to the peanut butter eggs we don’t have!
My grandma too! We loved it more than store bought and would request it for all birthdays.
We added some cinnamon, but will try cayenne with the next one. Thanks for all the great suggestions for “extras” to this cake.
Easy and delicious! I also used coffee in place of water.
Used coconut oil, they turned out good. I didn’t need any frosting on top. :)
Made this cake today, it was so easy and turned out so nice and moist!
I know this as “snack cake” and I like to toss a handful of chocolate chips in (if you have them) and sprinkle the top with sugar before baking-gives it a nice little crunch on top. I love to make it up as a quick dessert and it never lasts more than two days at my house. We also make a yellow or vanilla version as well. We call that moon cake because you can mix everything in the pan (albeit a bowl is the better way to go) and we make craters for the wet ingredients. Adding in chocolate chips of course for “moon rocks”. Not accurate, but cute for kids and they love helping-especially when you make a volcano out of the baking powder and vinegar.
Hey would whole wheat or GF work for this?
We haven’t tested it yet, however another reader just commented she tried it with GF blend and it worked!
This was delicious! Thank you!
We made this tonight for tomorrow I didn’t think ahead for an Easter dessert but this is perfect! The kids helped and could even safely lick the bowl. Thanks Beth! Happy Easter everyone! 🐰
Very similar to the cake my grandma would always make us. We never wanted store bought cakes because grandma’s cake was always better. Her recipe called for sour cream to keep it from drying out. Thanks!!
Can I use agave syrup in place of the granulated sugar?? 🤞🏻
Yes you can!
I haven’t made this cake yet (it’s on my list to try, though!) but I’m wondering if replacing the water with coffee would enhance the chocolate flavour?
Oh most definitely!
I usually replace the water with a cup of cold, double-strength coffee. It’s delicious.
Looks good and Bob has had a hankering for chocolate! Thanks Beth!
Can’t wait to try this! I only have unsweetened cocoa powder though. Can I use that for the frosting portion too or will it not turn out sweet enough?
Does sweetened cocoa powder even exist? Haha. In the step-by-step photos, they specify unsweetened cocoa powder 👍🏻
Unsweetened cocoa powder is what the frosting calls for, and it’s really sweet because of all the powdered sugar.
Would coconut oil work in place of the neutral cooking oil? It will impart some coconut-y flavor to it, but I think it might also lend a slight bit of the fatty consistency you typically get from butter too. Also it happens to be what I have on hand at the moment besides olive oil lol.
@jake I made this last night, and as soon as I was done I said: next time use coconut. I think it would be great with coconut oil.
I’ve made this with melted coconut oil! And olive oil (see Smitten Kitchen’s Olive Oil Chocolate Cake) but it’s definitely better with the coconut.
Yes that would be just fine. It’s what I used this weekend and it came out great!
What fun! And so inexpensive, too!
I love Wacky cake! I originally ran across the recipe in an American Heart Association cookbook. It’s super simple. I will say that if you want to get the whole cake out of the pan, it helps to use parchment on the bottom. I made this for a neighbor’s birthday last week. He’s in his 80s and has become lactose intolerant. It was a big hit! I just dusted it with powdered sugar. This is a good recipe for time like these when some ingredients are scarce.
Just made the cake, it tastes amazing! Been looking around for a good vegan dessert recipe :D
Has anyone had success using a GF flour? Thanks!
I just made this cake with GF flour and it turned out great!
I made a similar cake with Bob’s 1-to-1 (blue bag) and it was soooo dense! BUT I think my baking soda is expired, so that could have lent to that disaster. I’m getting some Better Batter this week so I’ll have to try again (when I can get some new baking soda!)
I love Love LOVE this cake! It’s my go to recipe because it’s so easy and so fast to make. Sometimes instead of water I will use either leftover coffee, instant coffee or instant espresso to add more flavour. I’ve seen online different variations of this cake that is not chocolate. I wonder if they’re good? Anyway, thanks so much! :)
Do you think I could sub GF flour? Thank you for this recipe. I’m glad I have all the ingredients on hand. I guess that’s the point. :)
So easy to make. My kids loved it and said it was the best cake they have ever had!!!
This is my go-to chocolate cake recipe. It is always so moist!
I love this recipe, thank you for the reminder! The recipe I use has the option of subbing out the 1 C. Water for 1 C. of cold (or cool) coffee. It gives the cake a rich mocha flavor.
Saw this posted on insta and knew I had to give it a shot today. Just made this in a round cake pan, and it’s perfect! All ingredients I had on hand, and my vegan roommate can eat it. I didn’t change a thing except maybe added a tad more water to my glaze, which made it super shiny and reflective. Will definitely make again.
I learned how to make this cake in 8th grade Home Economics class–we were taught to mix it right in the baking pan! I even won a 4-H ribbon with it. My kids have loved making it for years.
You’re an angel. I’ve been craving sweets today, and I’m down to dried out gummy worms and leftover hot cocoa mix from Christmas. Didn’t want to make a run to the store since it’s not really “essential,” but I think I have just enough on hand to actually make this. Chocolate cake sounds amazing right now!
Greatest ideas Beth! Made this tonite. So yummy!
Thanks for all you do. You have given me the confidence to cook that I never had!!
This is so cool! I would love to see more historical recipes. I’m sure you’re familiar with the YouTube channel Great Depression Cooking with Clara (who unfortunately passed a few years ago). I hope the entire Budget Bytes team is staying safe and healthy!
I love this recipe SO MUCH! This was my grandmother’s “go to” cake for any occasion. If you had a birthday, this is the cake you got :) I still have her hand-written recipe card, which is exactly the recipe as you have listed :) 💙💚 She called it “Cake Pan Cake” because she mixed all the ingredients right in the 8×8 pan!
Hi there!
Can you use Almond flour too?
We haven’t tested it with almond flour but you can certainly give it a try. If you’re trying for gluten free, I’d choose a gluten free 1:1 blend instead.
OMG this is the exact same recipe (I have saved it!) from when I was 10 years old in 4-H Cooking class! We actually mixed the ingredients in the pan itself, and we learned about the Great Depression. It is on my menu for tonight!! Thank you for Resurrecting the recipe!
I love making this cake, and then once people rave about it, tell them, “Oh, by the way, that’s a VEGAN cake” hahaha
I love this cake. I was introduced to it many years ago as wacky cake and it was made right in the baking dish! It was the first cake I ever baked from scratch and it never failed. It’s easy and quick and hits the spot when you want a fast chocolate cake! Thanks for posting Beth!!!
Looks amazing! Would I be able to substitute the sugar for either honey or maple syrup. Or will it not rise the same way?
Since honey and maple syrup are both liquids, swapping them for the granulated sugar might throw off the dry/liquid ratio in this recipe. I haven’t tested it to know how much it will affect the end product, though!
Looks great – I’ve been making this exact type of cake for years for vegan friends. It also makes awesome cupcakes with a bit of chocolate pushed into the middle!
Made this cake today. Cake was dense but very soft and the icing provided the perfect amount of sweetness. Great recipe! Thanks for sharing.
What if I don’t have powdered sugar?
You can make powdered sugar from granulated sugar if you have a good blender! Here is a tutorial from another blogger: https://www.biggerbolderbaking.com/how-to-make-powdered-sugar/
I used to make wacky cake all the time as a kid, it was that easy. I love it. Total nostalgia comfort food. No if only I could find some flour to make it!