This chocolate wacky cake is super moist and so easy to make. It mixes up right in the pan, and it doesn’t use any eggs or dairy!
Chocolate wacky cake is one of our absolute favourite desserts. I’ve been making it for about 20 years.
It’s a recipe I got from my mother-in-law when I got married and I have been making it ever since.
At least once a year in fact (usually more), because it is always the cake my husband request for his birthday. Without fail.
I actually usually try to convince him to let me make him something else, because it’s just so easy that it doesn’t seem impressive enough for a birthday cake!
But it’s his favourite, so that’s what we make.
The great thing about wacky cake is that it is so easy to make.
You mix it up right in the baking pan and it can literally be ready to go in the oven before it has even finished heating up.
It’s easy enough that all the kids can make it without any help.
This wacky cake is the best chocolate cake.
Soft and moist and full of chocolate flavour, and so easy to make.
Plus it doesn’t have any dairy or eggs in it, so it’s perfect if you’re contending with any allergies. Or you just don’t have anything but pantry staples available.
And everyone loves it.
Why is it called Wacky Cake?
This chocolate cake is called wacky cake for a couple of reasons.
It uses a different mixing technique than most cakes, with all the ingredients mixed up right in the baking pan.
It also uses unusual ingredients like vinegar, and doesn’t have any milk, eggs, or butter in it.
Wacky cake likely originated during wartime rationing when it was difficult to get things like milk, eggs, and butter.
It’s also sometimes called crazy cake, or depression cake.
How do you make wacky cake from scratch?
Wacky cake is one of the easiest desserts to make.
My kids have been making it on their own for years.
And the best part is it mixes up right in the baking pan, so you don’t even have a bunch of dishes to do afterwards.
All you have to do to make a wacky cake from scratch is whisk together the dry ingredients in the baking pan.
You then make three wells in the dry ingredients, and add vanilla, vinegar, and oil to them.
Pour some water over top and stir everything together. That’s it.
So easy, and it makes the best chocolate cake!
How to make Wacky Cake:
- This wacky cake is one of the easiest cakes to make. It mixes up right in the cake pan, and can easily be ready to go in the oven by the time it’s heated up (maybe faster!).
- I use vanilla buttercream frosting, so that’s what I’ve included in the recipe, but use any frosting you like, or none at all.
- The cake is dairy free, but the frosting is not, so use a different frosting recipe for a completely dairy free dessert. Or replace the butter with margarine and omit the cream in the frosting.
- We like this cake cold, so usually keep it in the fridge, but it will be fine at room temperature for up to 3 days if you prefer. Keep it covered tightly with plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out.
- Wacky cake also freezes well. I usually cut it into squares and freeze it in an airtight container so we can take out as many portions as we want. You can freeze it with the frosting on, and it defrosts quite quickly at room temperature.
- If you want a larger cake, you can double the recipe and bake it in a 9×13 inch pan instead.
Here are some more great dessert recipes for you:
- Slow Cooker Chocolate Pudding Cake
- Cherry Cheesecake Bars
- Pecan Pie Bars
- Raspberry Pie
- Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes
Wacky Cake
This chocolate wacky cake is super moist and so easy to make. It mixes up right in the pan, and it doesn't use any milk, eggs, or butter!
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 6 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 cup water
For the frosting:
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream (35% whipping cream)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- In an 8x8 inch baking pan, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and cocoa powder until well combined.
- With a spoon, make 3 wells in the dry ingredients.
- Pour the vanilla into one well, the vinegar into the second well, and the oil into the third well.
- Pour the water over top of everything and stir to combine. Make sure to get into all the corners to get all the dry ingredients incorporated.
- Bake for 30-32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool completely on a wire rack.
- For the frosting, cream the butter and vanilla with an electric mixer until it is light and fluffy.
- Add the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Add the cream, and whip for 2-3 minutes, until the frosting is light and fluffy.
- Spread the frosting over top of the cooled cake.
- Wacky cake will keep well in the fridge or at room temperature, covered tightly, for up to 3 days. It can also be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Notes
I always use Dutch processed cocoa powder for this recipe.
For the oil, another vegetable oil should be fine if you prefer not to use canola oil, but that’s what I always use. You can also use melted butter or shortening if you like, but I do prefer oil for this recipe.
I always use a glass baking dish for this cake. If you only have a metal baking pan, the cake may take a bit longer to bake.
The cake is egg and dairy free, but the frosting is not. If you need it to be, use a different frosting recipe, or use a dairy free replacement for the butter and omit the cream.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
serves 12Serving Size:
1 piece of cakeAmount Per Serving: Calories: 341Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 6.1gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 257mgCarbohydrates: 49.6gFiber: 1gSugar: 36.4gProtein: 2.1g
Susan C.
Thursday 1st of February 2024
I've been enjoying this cake for almost 60 yrs and I have a photo from my first birthday to prove it! Recently found it works great as a layer cake. Let it cool completely in the pan on a rack then loosen all around the edge with a butter knife. Turn over on to your off hand and gently thump the bottom of the pan til it comes loose. Might have to fiddle a little bit, but if a small part gets stuck just put that facing down. It's just fantastic for a birthday cake!
DOTTIE W.
Wednesday 20th of December 2023
Best chocolate cake recipe and so easy too.The frosting is spot on, creamy and not sickenly sweet...
Judy
Tuesday 20th of September 2022
The cake doesn’t stick to the unprepared pan?
Stacey
Wednesday 21st of September 2022
No I've never had a problem with that, but I don't try to take the entire cake out of the pan to ice it either. I put the icing on while it's in the pan and then slice and serve it from the pan. I don't think the entire cake would pop out of the pan in one piece like when you use a prepared pan to bake a cake, but it comes out just fine piece by piece.
Hope
Friday 28th of January 2022
Super excited to find this recipe! My Mum baked a very similar cake but called it "Wowie Cake". I had been learning the countries in Africa, such as Malawi, the first time she made it. I thought this cake was "Malawi Cake" for the longest time.
Stacey
Thursday 3rd of February 2022
It’s a pretty common recipe, with so many names! Hope you like this version!
Holly
Thursday 28th of January 2021
My Mon always made this cake when we were little. She called it Blue Monday cake :-) We liked it warm with ice cream or whipped cream on top!! Yummy! Thanks for sharing.
Stacey
Friday 29th of January 2021
Haha, I love that name for it! And with ice cream or whipped cream would be preferable to me, but the rest of the family likes buttercream on it so that's what I usually do :)