Chocolate Wacky Cake

This vintage Wacky Cake, or Depression Cake, is a unique cocoa-based sponge cake made entirely without eggs, butter, or milk. Instead, the recipe combines baking soda and vinegar to create a light, airy texture. It’s a one pan vegan chocolate cake that bakes up in less than an hour. Includes recipe for vegan chocolate frosting.

Do you have any favourite vintage recipes? Sometimes old school is the best school, especially when it comes to home cooked flavour. Nothing brings me back more than making a batch of Homestyle Raspberry Jam or smoking our family’s favourite snack, Brined Smoked Trout.

Chocolate Wacky Cake

Need a delicious cake in less than an hour with only pantry ingredients? This one pan Wacky Cake recipe comes to the rescue. Mix it in the baking pan, then bake it in 30-35 minutes. While the cake cools, whip up the creamy vegan chocolate frosting, recipe included.

This simple cake recipe is one that has stood the test of time. It first became popular during the Great Depression, continuing well into the 1940s due to war rationing. The crazy (or wacky) thing is, it doesn’t require eggs, butter, or milk but still tastes incredibly decadent, with a rich chocolate flavour and spongy texture.

Yeah, you heard that right. No eggs, butter, or milk… instead this cake relies on the chemical reaction between baking soda and vinegar to create the perfect cake texture. It may seem strange to add vinegar to a cake recipe. However, the flavour is negligible, and it seems to enhance the flavour of the chocolate.

This easy vegan recipe was also the first cake I learned to bake. I was seven years old and all I wanted to do was bake my dad a cake… and so I did. I made it so many times that he became very tired of it, although he would never dream of letting me know. To this day, if I ever want to get a reaction out of him, I’ll mention Wacky Cake.

With the rising cost of groceries, I think it’s the perfect time to bring back this thrifty recipe. I hope my dad can handle it the next time he visits!

How Does this Recipe Work?

In baking, lift or leavening is achieved in two ways.

Physical leavening is the process of leavening via steam or air. When butter and sugar are creamed together, air pockets become trapped in the mixture and rise during the heat of baking. Alternatively, when egg whites are whipped, the mechanical action introduces air into the whites. Any time there is moisture in the batter, it turns into steam during baking, providing extra lift.

Chemical leavening is achieved using baking soda and/or baking powder, usually mixed with another agent. When alkaline baking soda is mixed with an acid (vinegar, buttermilk, yogurt, cocoa powder, lemon juice), the resulting reaction releases carbon dioxide which does the heavy lifting.

Slightly acidic baking powder is ‘double acting’, meaning it releases gases when mixed with a simple liquid and again later when hits the hot oven. This is why only baking powder is used in low acid baking recipes.

Ingredients in Chocolate Wacky Cake

For this one pan cake recipe all you’ll need is an 8 x 8-inch baking dish, a wooden spoon, measuring cups and measuring spoons. Check your pantry for the following ingredients:

• Flour
• Sugar
• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• Baking Soda
• Salt
• Vinegar
• Vanilla Extract
• Vegetable Oil
• Water
• Dairy-free Butter
• Powdered Sugar
• Dairy-Free Milk (almond, oat, or soy)

All Purpose flour and granulated sugar are fine for this recipe. However, I do recommend sifting all the dry ingredients into the baking pan to avoid lumps in the cake batter. Use unsweetened cocoa powder in this recipe, not Dutch processed cocoa powder as it may affect the rise and texture of the cake.

Feel free to use white vinegar or apple cider vinegar in this recipe. Both have enough acidity to activate the baking soda. Choose a neutral tasting vegetable oil (like canola oil) and use real vanilla extract for best flavour.

You can use dairy free butter and milk (almond, oat, or soy) for the frosting to make it vegan or use real butter and milk in the frosting recipe.

How to Make Chocolate Wacky Cake

To begin, preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly grease an 8 x 8-inch baking dish.

Sift dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt) directly into the dish. Mix well then make 3 small wells in the dry mixture.

Pour vanilla into one well, oil into another, and vinegar into the third. Next, pour 1 cup water over everything and mix until smooth, scraping corners well.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

For the Dairy Free Chocolate Frosting

To make the dairy-free (or regular) chocolate frosting, beat dairy-free butter until smooth and creamy in a medium bowl. Sift in cocoa powder and mix until fully incorporated.

Pour in vanilla, salt, and 2 tablespoons dairy-free milk then add powdered sugar gradually, mixing on low speed. Beat until smooth and fluffy, adding more milk as needed for the desired consistency.

Spread or pipe onto a completely cooled cake.

Modifications and Variations

• Use less powdered sugar for a darker, less sweet frosting.
• Add extra milk for a softer, spreadable consistency.
• Chill briefly if frosting becomes too soft.
• Fudgy Frosting: Melt ¼ cup dairy-free chocolate and mix in.
• Mocha Frosting: Add ½ teaspoon espresso powder.
• Whipped Chocolate: Beat longer for a lighter texture.
• Chocolate Peanut Butter: Add ¼ cup peanut butter.

Storage

Store Wacky Cake in an airtight container in the fridge for 5 days or one day at room temperature. Freeze up to 2 months, thaw in fridge.

Hi! I’m Bernice Hill, the heart and soul behind Dish ‘n’ the Kitchen. It is my pleasure to share easy to follow recipes that are delicious, nutritious, and approachable for the whole family.

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