My Gram's Wacky Cake is a nostalgic New England favorite! This moist chocolate snack cake is a cinch to make with everyday ingredients, and no eggs or dairy. It's a comfy, from-scratch treat.
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Treating yourself or your family to a slice of rich, sweet cake doesn't have to be a time-consuming affair. My family recipe for chocolate Wacky Cake is proof of that!
This is an indulgent chocolate snack cake that's so easy to make; the batter is whisked up right in the cake pan. And amazingly, it has no milk, eggs, or butter, which means it's also vegan. This cake is a fun recipe to make with kids, too!
Top this cake with any frosting you like, or with a dusting of sugar. It's perfect for small New England get-togethers, or to have on hand for when neighbors stop by for a cup of tea and the latest local gossip!
In a nutshell... 🐿️
- What this is: My grandfather's favorite chocolate cake recipe! Wacky cake is a nostalgic, Depression-era chocolate treat that's magically made without eggs, milk, or butter. It's a tasty recipe from my grandmother's recipe box, and proof that you don't need fancy ingredients to make a really delicious dessert.
- You'll love this part: This cake recipe comes together quickly with pantry ingredients, and the batter is mixed right in the cake pan. With this, you can easily whip up a rich chocolate cake for weeknight desserts or to share with a friend. Plus, it's a vegan cake, so everyone can enjoy a slice!
- How it's made: Whisk dry ingredients in the cake pan. Poke holes to add the liquid ingredients, mix, and bake.
Jump to:
- Notes from fellow cooks:
- My grandmother's recipe
- In an Age of AI Recipes, My Grandmother's Recipe Box Feels Radical
- What's a Wacky Cake made of?
- Is Wacky Cake good?
- Aunt Clara's Sour Cream Sugar Cookies
- Why you'll love my grandmother's Wacky Cake recipe
- 🔪 How to make Gram's Easy Wacky Cake Recipe
- Cake Recipe Ingredients:
- Wacky Cake FAQs
- Tips:
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
Notes from fellow cooks:
"I loved hearing the story behind this cake! I have a similar family recipe passed around by my aunts and cousins. I like your recipe as it makes a smaller cake. I'll have to give this a try!" — Heidi
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My grandmother's recipe
This chocolate wacky cake recipe comes from my grandmother Ruth Riley's recipe box. My grandfather John loved desserts so much that he indulged in sweets pretty much every night. According to my mom, this wacky cake was one of his favorites.
Yes, this is my grandmother's recipe.
I'm stating this clearly, firmly—and proudly. Why? There's an unfortunate and lazy tendency online for folks to crab about recipe developers and bloggers who share stories along with their recipes.
(Happily, I am lucky and grateful because my readers and fans are lovely, generous, positive, and supportive—and they never do this.)
I mean seriously: what could be more natural than telling the stories of holidays at grandparents' houses, discovering new ingredients on a trip abroad, of cooking from a young age at a parent's side, or falling in love over a sumptuous dinner?
And yet, there are people who seemingly have nothing better to do than to spend time hammering out mean-spirited (and frankly unimaginative) jabs at creators, trying to chip away at their happiness and hard work.
Well, I love the food and food stories from my family. And everything I make and cook for my own family and friends today began with the people who cooked for me. So I will share stories—and I hope you share yours, too!
(And incidentally, if my grandmother Riley were alive and heard folks saying mean stuff like that, she'd sure as hell have given them a high-volume earful!)
Family treasures
In an Age of AI Recipes, My Grandmother's Recipe Box Feels Radical
My essay for Simply Recipes ♥
What's a Wacky Cake made of?
This old-fashioned recipe goes by several names: wacky cake, crazy cake, Depression cake, and goofy cake. It's thought of as a World War II-era recipe but may have been created even earlier, in the 1930s during the Great Depression.
When ingredients like butter were strictly rationed, scarce, or difficult to afford for many households, home cooks got creative and came up with ingenious dessert recipes.
This old-fashioned Wacky Cake recipe has some expected ingredients, like flour, sugar, and cocoa, but the reason this cake is "wacky" is that it's made with:
- No eggs
- No milk
- No butter
What's also wacky is how delicious this simple cake made with simple, inexpensive ingredients really is!
Is Wacky Cake good?
Is Wacky Cake good?? Heck yeah, it's good! Even without any eggs or dairy, Wacky Cake is really moist and delicious. It has a rich, chocolaty flavor that can stand on its own, but is, of course, also very good with frosting or a dusting of powdered sugar.
I like to store Wacky Cake in the fridge because the cold makes the cake taste even more chocolaty somehow. You really won't believe how freaking delicious this simple cake is!
Another family recipe!
Aunt Clara's Sour Cream Sugar Cookies
Soft, lightly nutmeggy cookies with maple-glazed tops.
Why you'll love my grandmother's Wacky Cake recipe
There are many reasons to love this simple, homemade Wacky Chocolate Cake. First off it is made with no eggs, butter, or milk. This is handy when these ingredients are unavailable, or if you happen to be out of one or all of them.
No eggs, butter, or milk also means this cake is vegan. That means it's a chocolate cake that everyone can enjoy!
The cake batter comes together quickly and easily. It's almost a kind of dump cake because the cake batter comes together right in the cake pan. It's a fun dessert to make with kids.
(See below—you won't have to ask twice for kids to poke holes in something!)
The simplicity of this chocolate cake makes it perfect any day of the week, for an afternoon snack or an easy, after-dinner chocolate dessert.
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🔪 How to make Gram's Easy Wacky Cake Recipe
Cake Recipe Ingredients:
- All-Purpose Flour: King Arthur Baking Company flours are my go-tos.
- Sugar: I use white granulated sugar to sweeten the cake.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: Use natural cocoa powder (not Dutch process).
- Baking Soda: This leavener works with the acidic cocoa powder to make the cake rise.
- Salt: Just a pinch of salt elevates the flavor of the entire cake.
- Oil: Use a neutral oil like canola or grapeseed oil; it creates a tender and moist cake.
- White Vinegar: This ingredient also activates the baking soda to help give the cake a light texture.
- Vanilla Extract: Use a quality extract like Nielsen-Massey brand.
- Water: Bring the batter together with some room temperature water.
Prepare the dry ingredients
Whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, and other dry ingredients. Pour them into a greased, square cake pan and spread them into an even layer.
Poke some holes
Poke three holes into the dry mixture—one of the holes should be larger.
Add liquids
Pour oil into the larger hole. Vanilla and vinegar get poured into the other two holes. Pour the water into the pan and whisk everything together.
Bake!
Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Once the cake has cooled completely on a wire rack, you can frost it, dust it with powdered sugar, and most importantly eat it.
Wacky Cake FAQs
Because my family recipe for chocolate Wacky Cake is made with no eggs and no dairy products, it is indeed a vegan cake. You can dust it with sugar, or choose a vegan frosting recipe for the topping.
Use your favorite frosting on this cake. Some flavors that go really well with chocolate include peanut butter, vanilla, strawberry, caramel, coconut, marshmallow, and, of course, more chocolate.
You can also skip the frosting and top the cake with a dusting of confectioner's sugar dollops of fresh whipped cream.
Although my Wacky Cake doesn't require refrigeration, I will say that it tastes even more delicious when served cold! So it's your call: store it at room temperature or in the fridge. Either way, wrap the cake tightly with food wrap or put it into an airtight container to keep it moist. When choosing a frosting to top the cake, keep in mind that some frostings, such as cream cheese-based, should be refrigerated.
Tips:
- Whisk or sift the dry ingredients well before adding them to the pan, to be sure the baking soda and salt are evenly distributed.
- When mixing the wet and dry ingredients together don't forget to check the corners of the pan for pockets of dry stuff that need to be mixed in.
- If the baked cake comes out with an uneven top, don't stress over it: just spread some extra frosting over the uneven spots!
Ready to get wacky? I really hope so, because this is one tasty Chocolate Wacky Cake.
Find our Gram's Easy Wacky Cake Recipe below. And if you have a massive sweet tooth as my family does, here are more sweet treats to consider:
💬 Did you make and devour this recipe? Leave a comment below.
📖 Recipe
Gram's Easy Wacky Cake Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons canola oil (or other neutral flavored vegetable oil)
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup water
- optional toppings: frosting in the flavor of your choice, or a dusting of confectioners' sugar
Instructions
Mix the dry ingredients:
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Use nonstick cooking spray or shortening to grease an 8-inch x 8-inch baking pan.
- In a medium bowl, sift or whisk together the 1½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and ½ teaspoon salt. Pour this dry mixture into the greased pan. Spread it into an even-ish layer.
Add the wet ingredients:
- Use the handle of a wooden spoon (or your finger!) to make three holes in the dry mixture—one of the holes should be a little larger than the other two.
- Pour 3 tablespoons canola oil into the larger hole. Pour 1 teaspoon white vinegar into one of the smaller holes, and finally pour 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract into the last hole.
- Pour 1 cup water over the whole thing and whisk everything together, mixing the dry ingredients with the wet until the cake batter is smooth. Use a rubber spatula or spoon to check the corners of the pan - sometimes pockets of dry ingredients will be hanging out there, and you'll want to stir these in. A few lumps in the batter is totally fine.
Bake:
- Bake the cake for about 30 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Place the pan on a cooling rack and let it cool completely.
- Once the cake is cool you can enjoy it as is, or add optional toppings: frosting in the flavor of your choice, or a dusting of confectioners' sugar.
- Slice the cake and serve; it's very nice with a glass of cold milk! Topping slices with a dollop of whipped cream is also very good.
- You can store this cake wrapped at room temperature or in the fridge for up to three days. It does taste very good chilled, so storing it in the fridge is my favorite.
Variations:
- To add some extra flavor or extra chocolate to this cake, stir in ⅔ cup of chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, or peanut butter chips.
Notes
- If the top of the baked cake is uneven, don't stress over it: just spread some extra frosting into the uneven areas!
- When mixing the wet and dry ingredients together don't forget to check the corners of the pan for pockets of flour that need to be mixed in.
Nutrition
The Armchair Squid says
No stories? Somewhere, MFK Fisher is turning over in her grave!
The ladies are baking a lot these days. Perhaps I can subtly suggest this recipe...
Nancy Mock says
Yes, exactly. I think your ladies would enjoy this recipe - quick, chocolaty, wacky... what's not to like?
Lori L. MacLaughlin says
The cake sounds delicious! Keep on telling those stories. I enjoy reading them.
Nancy Mock says
Thanks Lori ❤️ I hope you and the kids get to try this cake!
Heidi says
Hi Nancy,
I loved hearing the story behind this cake! I have an almost identical family recipe and we call it Steve's Chocolate Cake. Our recipe doesn't call for the 3 holes, but the ingredients are almost exactly the same! I don't know who "Steve" is, but this is a recipe passed around by some of my aunts and cousins. The frosting that we make to go with it is a chocolate sour cream frosting that is so rich and creamy. We also store ours in the fridge and I agree with you that it's so tasty this way. Everyone in my family loves this cake! I like your recipe as it makes a smaller cake (ours is 13 x 9 which is a bit much for just my immediate family). I'll have to give this a try!
Nancy Mock says
See? Everyone has a story behind their favorite foods - I’m so glad you shared yours!! I love that your family has a version of this cake recipe that they’ve passed down as well. It would be a fun project to unearth who Steve was! I think these frugal recipes were a lifesaver for families during lean times, and so not surprisingly they were made pretty frequently. I agree that the smaller size of this cake makes a perfect amount for a couple of days of dessert and no cake going to waste. Thank you for sharing this Heidi! 😍
MeliB says
What is that pretty pink frosting on top? Do you have a recipe for that? Looks yummy!!
Nancy Mock says
Indeed I do! I wrote an article for Taste Of Home, How To Make Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting, and used that frosting on my Wacky Cake. Here's a link to the frosting recipe: https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/how-to-make-strawberry-cream-cheese-frosting/ Enjoy it!