Wacky Cake
Chocolate cake with a simple vanilla frosting – this “wacky cake” recipe, which uses no butter, eggs or milk, was popular during WWII when rationing was prevalent.
Last month, I made Chocolate Dump-It Cake, which is a one-pot cake recipe dating back to the 1930’s or 1940’s, and it has quickly become one of the most popular recipes I’ve shared recently. A reader left a comment on that post about “wacky cake”, and another reader, Nancy, emailed me her family’s recipe for this one-pan, light-as-air chocolate cake.
The premise of the cake – the reason it’s “wacky” – is that there is no butter, no eggs and no milk in the cake. Everything is mixed together right in the pan, using only a fork. After doing some reading, I found that this was a popular recipe during World War II because of the rationing of those ingredients. Those ladies knew what they were doing, because this is a phenomenal cake! My family couldn’t believe the cake lacked all of those typical cake ingredients, and happily devoured it, commenting over and over about how delicious it was.
This cake really could not be any easier to throw together – grab your favorite 8-inch square baking dish, put all of the dry ingredients in there and mix together with a fork.
Then, make three wells and add the vinegar, vanilla extract and oil into each… Pour water over the entire mixture and stir with a fork until well combined.
Voila! Ready for the oven!
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Nancy’s recipe said to top the cooled cake with your favorite vanilla frosting, so I did just that. It’s my standard vanilla that I use for any vanilla-topped cupcakes (like the homemade funfetti cupcakes); I was running low on vanilla extract, so I used vanilla bean paste in its place, and oh my! The flavor and all of those little bean specks – loved it!
The reviews were unanimous among my family – everyone loved the cake. It turned out wonderfully light, moist and full of chocolate flavor; the vanilla frosting was a great contrast and a big hit.
This recipe deserves to be in everyone’s recipe box – it’s so easy, super quick, and makes a wonderfully delicious chocolate cake suitable for any dessert occasion!
Watch How to Make Wacky Cake:
One year ago: Dark Chocolate Chip & Walnut Banana Bread
Five years ago: Peach Cobbler
Seven years ago: White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Wacky Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1½ cups (187.5 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (200 g) sugar
- 4 tbsp (4) (rounded) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 cup (250 ml) water
For the Vanilla Frosting:
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2½ cups (300 g) powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
Instructions
- Make the Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In an ungreased glass or ceramic 8-inch square pan (do not use metal), add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt, and stir to combine with a fork.
- Make three wells in the mixture and to those wells add the vinegar, vanilla extract and vegetable oil. Pour the water over the entire mixture and mix with a fork until thoroughly combined and no dry ingredients remain.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 26 to 30 minutes. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
- Make the Vanilla Frosting: Using the wire whisk attachment of your stand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl once or twice. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the powdered sugar. Once all of the powdered sugar is incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high and add the vanilla, mixing until incorporated. Whip at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed.
- Using a spatula, spread the vanilla frosting evenly over the top of the cake. The cake can be stored, covered with plastic wrap, at room temperature, for up to 4 days.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
I love the history! Bring it to church tomorrow. thx k
I’ve also been making this cake for years, primarily because it is non-dairy, but it is really just a good, easy cake. Great birthday cake if you want layers, etc. When I first found this recipe, the person who posted it suggesting adding a handful of chocolate chips to the batter, which I do almost always now, just before the water. Not too many though, or it won’t work well. Just a handful. I also love this cake because it really isn’t fussy – I frankly don’t bother much with the wells anymore, or rather, just make the faintest pretense at making them. I just mix well once everything is in and there’s no problem. I do grease my pan(s) by the way, for the poster above, but never flour, and if there is any stickiness, it is just the smallest bit. I do grease well though!
How easy is it to cut and get out of a pan that has not been greased and floured ??
Hi Mamie, No issue at all – it’s a really moist cake!
Wacky cake is one of my family’s favorite cakes! Love the vanilla bean frosting on this one!
OMG this looks incredible!
http://www.eatwearwander.com
This is a firm favourite in our household – but we know it as ‘Wicky-Wackey Cake’ -not quite sure how it got that name! If I have to take a tray bake to a function I double the recipe- everybody enjoys it as it is so moist.
My husband actually made this for me about a month ago, but we decided to make peanut butter frosting with it. It was rich and delicious! So happy to see other people enjoy this cake recipe. You seriously can’t go wrong!
Always,
Char.
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My family has been making wacky cake for years! It is our go-to birthday cake because it is so easy to make and so tasty. It’s perfect with cream cheese icing. :)
This looks yummy and I’m definitely going to try it – now to decide which frosting to use…lol
This sounds great, but I usually make cake with applesauce instead of oil. Could this substitution work for this cake?
Hi Judy, I haven’t tried it, but if you do, let me know how it turns out!
Thank you, thank you, thank you. When I mention to people that my mother makes a chocolate cake without eggs but with vinegar they think I am crazy and that it must taste awful. Glad I am not the only one who has heard of it! My mother has been making this cake for YEARS only she calls it “Chemical Cake” because she used to make it with her classroom (she is a retired elementary school teacher). It was to show the properties of the vinegar and baking soda combined. Of course, they loved it — chocolate cake in science class!? It is still her go-to chocolate cake! She frosts it with an easy vanilla glaze or warm with a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream! HEAVEN!
I love the suggestion of your readers that posted they use coffee instead of water. I am wondering how that tastes. I will try it that way as well!
This looks brilliant! Can’t wait to try it, your recipes never fail to impress ☺️
Why should a metal pan not be used? I would love to try this recipe, but currently my only 8-inch square pan is metal, so just curious what the issue might be if I used that as opposed to buying a glass one.
I nearly always use a metal pan with no problems. My guess the reason to not use a metal pan is that you could scratch it while stirring with a fork. I always make the cake batter in a bowl, just like I would with any other cake, and then pour the batter into the cake pan.
Hi Susanna, Nancy (who shared the recipe with me) said that the vinegar in the recipe can react with a metal pan, she said she would get a thin sludgy layer on the bottom of the cake when using a metal pan. Hope that helps!
Yes, that is very helpful! Thank you :)
Sounds like my kind of cake…easy to eat and looks delicious!
Because of the lack of eggs, milk, and butter, this recipe is vegan until you get to the icing. A dusting of powdered sugar or a drizzle icing made with powdered sugar and almond milk would take it the rest of the way.
I love how resourceful those women were during WWII! Certainly, the combination of vinegar and baking soda provides the perfect leavening for this moist-looking cake! This is definitely one to try when pinched for time. Looks delicious!
I think I’m the reader who left the comment about Wacky cake! Wow I’m totally famous now! ;) In our family we make a marshmallow Fluff frosting for it which is also amazing. Here’s the recipe, I would halve it for an 8’X8′ cake or make all of it and save the extra. It’s really good spread on Graham Crackers.
¾ cup Crisco
2 cups Marshmallow Fluff
1 ½ cups confectioners sugar
¾ tsp. vanilla
Small amount of milk
Mix together the first 4 ingredients and add small amounts of milk until filling is fluffy, but not runny. Spread on cooled cake.
Sounds fantastic, Julie! I might have to file that one away for future reference! :)
Oooh sounds awesome, thanks so much for sharing that frosting!
LOVE this cake recipe….so easy and tasty….I don’t usually frost it, just sprinkle on some chocolate chips and chopped nuts…
I have a spice recipe from Sweet Little Bluebird…
1 1/2 cups flour plus 2 tablespoons
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
whisk the above in an 8 X 8 baking pan, make 3 holes in dry mix and pour in each hole:
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 tablespoons oil
pour 1 cup water over all and mix till smooth
bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes
I haven’t made this yet….but I sure make the chocolate cake recipe…
Oooh love this pumpkin spice version! Thanks for sharing!
Our family has used this recipe for over 60 years, we knew it as “crazy cake” and was the requested cake for all birthdays. The first cake I ever made for it is indeed a one bowl, mix it up cake. This has brought back many memories!
thanks for posting this on the Wacky cake. I was just talking to my husband about my first husbands aunt who made this all the time and it was so good. Back In the day those ladies used what they had to and make it work. She passed away this week and this was just a confirmation to me that she is in my thoughts..Thank you
Aww Ida, I’m so sorry for your loss. xo
Thanks for a great memory! This was the first thing I baked all by myself as a little girl almost 50 years ago!! I can picture my mom explaining how “wacky” it was and that it was like magic turning into a delicious cake! We often skipped the frosting in favor of whipped cream or made different flavor variations with chocolate chips or caramels, mini marshmallows, candy bar chunks like recees, etc. I’ll have to make this with my daughter (an accomplished baker) this weekend!
So fun! This looks like maybe the easiest cake ever to make! Thank you for sharing, Michelle – it looks delicious!
Hi Michelle, I made this years ago, and look forward to trying this yummy cake again…. Thanks for the great recipe and instructions!
We love this cake. If I need a larger cake for a crowd, I double the ingredients and put everything in a mixing bowl and beat. I pour it in a 9×13 pan and bake. It comes out wonderfully and is delicious.
If I don’t have a glass pan and use metal to make this, how badly will the cake be affected? Why do you advise against using metal?
My mom has always made this for me and it’s still my favorite cake TO THIS DAY! It’s so simple to make! Only problem is that I have a hard time not eating the whole thing in one sitting :)
I nearly always mix this cake in a stainless bowl and bake in a metal pan. If the cake is adversely affected by baking in a metal pan, I can’t tell you how. It’s still delicious.
Hi Avra, Nancy (who shared the recipe with me) said that the vinegar in the recipe can react with a metal pan, she said she would get a thin sludgy layer on the bottom of the cake when using a metal pan. Hope that helps!
I saved a chocolate cupcake recipe off the Simply Recipes site a few years ago that is almost identical to this recipe. Instead of water, the recipe calls for 1 cup of strongly brewed coffee and the oil used is light olive oil. The recipe makes one dozen of the most delicious, moist cupcakes ever. They are so easy and never fail to get raves. The first time I made these, it was with my 10 year old godchild. She took then home and had her parents try to uses what was NOt in the cupcakes…they failed the test!
I was just reading King Arthur Flour emails yesterday and say something called “Cake Pan Cake” and it was very similar. In reading the comments from their online recipe one of their bakers referred to it as a sibling of the “Wacky Cake”. Their Cake Pan Cake recipe was voted best recipe in the history. I was planning to make it but after reading your post…I think I’ll make both and look at them side by side. Thanks!
Let me know how they compare side by side!
Thanks so much for this recipe! It is difficult finding dessert recipes that do not include dairy for those (like me) who are allergic to dairy. If only the frosting were dairy free…any suggestions?
The cake is rich and moist by itself and doesn’t NEED a lot of frosting. I’ve served it with just a dusting of powdered sugar. I also make whipped “cream” for my niece who can’t eat dairy from coconut cream – drain the liquid from a can of coconut milk, whip the thick cream with powdered sugar and vanilla.
I’ve seen a mock-buttercream with shortening (coconut oil, vegan butter) and powdered sugar, loosened up with an alternative milk (almond, etc). A toasted meringue topping could work, as well.
In my family we frost this cake with marshmallow Fluff frosting which is dairy free if you substitute a different liquid for the small amount of milk used (almond milk or coconut milk would work and be delicious!). Here’s the recipe:
¾ cup Crisco
2 cups Marshmallow Fluff
1 ½ cups confectioners sugar
¾ tsp. vanilla
Small amount of milk
Mix together the first 4 ingredients and add small amounts of milk until filling is fluffy, but not runny. Spread on cooled cake
I make this cake with a chocolate ganache frosting made with chocolate chips (I usually use Ghiradelli bitterweet chocolate chips, but you could use dairy-free chips) and milk. I have used almond milk before, which works just fine! It’s really yummy.
Hi Meri, You could do a whipped coconut cream, a dusting of powdered sugar… those would be my two top picks!
I made a ganache with chocolate chips and coconut milk. Once the ganache was cool I whipped it in my mixer to make it a little fluffier. It was delicious! Very rich and chocolaty and totally dairy free :)
I’m a huge fan of quick, one-layer cakes and this is my favorite quick chocolate cake. I’ve been making it for years and it’s a very adaptable recipe.
Instead of water, try using strong, cold coffee. You can also use cider, red or white wine vinegar instead of white vinegar and olive oil instead of vegetable oil. Packed brown sugar can be used instead of white sugar. You can also make a dozen regular sized cupcakes from the recipe and it can also be used to make black bottom cupcakes.
I agree. I’ve been making this cake from a King Arthur Flour recipe for a few years. It is always a hit in my house. My favorite is to use a little coffee for the liquid, but mostly water.
I’ve also experimented with frosting, both with the cake warm and cooled. Dusting powdered sugar works on a cool cake. I just made this last week topping it with a quick ganache – had a bar of spiced chocolate in the pantry from a trip to Germany last Christmas that I melted with some cream. I poured the warm ganache over the warm cake. Yum. That gave me the idea to experiment with spices in the cake next time, or almond extract.
Hi Sally, Thanks for sharing some alternatives!
Hi Michelle,
This chocolate cake looks delicious. Love how easy it is to make!!
Thanks for sharing the recipe! :)
Amy