Chocolate Wacky Cake (aka Depression Era Cake, Crazy Cake or War Cake)
If you don’t have eggs, milk or butter on hand but still want to bake a homemade cake, you can make this deliciously moist Great-Depression-era chocolate cake, also known as Wacky Cake, Crazy Cake or War Cake. Topped with the best chocolate buttercream frosting, it’s a treat that the whole family will love.
Equipment
- Medium Mixing Bowl
- Spatula
- Measuring Utensils
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups flour all-purpose or pastry
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- 6 Tablespoons oil melted coconut oil, lard, butter or avocado oil
- 1 cup water or 1/2 cup cold coffee, 1/2 cup water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. While the oven is preheating, measure all dry ingredients and place into a medium-sized mixing bowl.
- Stir together dry ingredients, making sure there are no large clumps.
- Make three small wells in the dry ingredients and add each individual wet ingredient (vinegar, vanilla extract and oil) to the wells.
- Pour the water (or coffee/water mixture) into the bowl, distributing evenly.
- Mix together the wet and dry ingredients.
- Don’t overmix, only stir until the dry ingredients are just incorporated.
- Pour cake batter into an 8×8-inch pan or an 8 ½-inch cast iron skillet and spread until smooth.
- Place into a 350°F oven and bake for 28-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting or serving. Frost with my chocolate buttercream recipe or another frosting of choice.
- Slice, serve and enjoy!
Notes
Want to make a larger cake? Double the recipe and make a layer cake or simply bake it in a 9×13-inch pan.
Tips for the Best Chocolate Cake
When making chocolate cake, there are a few things you’ll want to make sure you do for the best results possible:
- Use Coffee – Though the recipe calls for water, I recommend you use half coffee and half water to enhance the chocolate flavor.
- Don’t Overmix – When mixing the dry and wet ingredients together, don’t overmix the ingredients. Overmixing is what causes cakes to be tough or dense. We want light and fluffy, so only stir the batter until the dry ingredients are incorporated.
- Make Cupcakes! – If you’d rather make chocolate Wacky cake cupcakes, just fill your muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350°F until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Pro Tip: Some crumbs on the toothpick are OK. However, you don’t want any wet batter.
- Add Frosting – Though you can certainly enjoy this chocolate cake without frosting, in my opinion, frosting makes everything better. You can grab my chocolate buttercream frosting recipe here.
Nutrition
Serving: 1sliceCalories: 282kcalCarbohydrates: 44gProtein: 3gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.04gSodium: 285mgPotassium: 67mgFiber: 2gSugar: 25gCalcium: 8mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!