Gram's Easy Wacky Cake Recipe
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.
Servings: 9 servings
Calories: 210kcal
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
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 210kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 253mg | Potassium: 59mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 22g | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 1mg
