Homemade Depression-Era Crazy Chocolate Cake {aka Wacky Cake}

[Updated on June 19, 2020] Homemade Depression-Era Crazy Chocolate Cake, also known as Wacky Cake, is an easy, rich, deliciously dense cake worthy of the most discerning chocoholic.  I like to think it is one of those pantry-perfect recipes because you make it with ingredients that you normally have readily available in your pantry.

Harkening back to the Depression Era of the 1930s, this is my grandmother Dorothy’s recipe.  She was born in 1904 and passed away in 1987, but to this day, every time I make it I think of her.  She was a young wife with three children when this recipe made the rounds, passed neighbor to neighbor, coffee klatch to coffee klatch, women’s club to women’s club, family to family.

Easy-to-make from scratch, this chocolate cake is extra chocolatey!  With a couple of “secret” twists, every bite is sinfully rich – from the luscious and creamy sweetness of the homemade chocolate frosting to the moist and delicious cake – making this cake a chocolate-lovers dream.

What are the Secret Twists?

Well, I’ll say it straight out and get the shock factor over with:  this cake has vinegar in it.  And the cake is milkless, butterless, and eggless; that’s right, it has no eggs plus it’s dairy-free.  Note, however, that the frosting is made with both butter and milk.

Let me put your fears to rest:  you can’t taste the vinegar.  The vinegar, when mixed with baking soda, helps the cake to rise when baked.

An old-fashioned, vintage recipe, it burst on the scene during the Great Depression (1929-1933) when eggs, milk, and butter were scarce.  It continued to gain favor once World War II broke out because of wartime rationing.

My theory is that a woman developed it with input and advice from her mad scientist husband.  Just saying that makes me think of Alton Brown of the Food Network’s Good Eats show!

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Don’t you love the kitchen towel in the photo above?  I bought it at a local store, but it’s available on Amazon along with tons of other products with this saying.  Check it out!  The adorable square server is part of a Brownie Baker Set made by one of my favorite companies, Mud Pie.

The Many Aliases of Crazy Chocolate Cake

My grandmother always called this recipe Crazy Chocolate Cake and that’s what she wrote down on her recipe card.  Unfortunately, I no longer have her recipe box because I lost it and almost everything else in the wildfire in 2007.  Fortunately, since this is a well-loved family recipe, other family members had a copy and my niece, Tiffany, included it in the cookbook she had made for me in 2008.  Here’s a picture of that cookbook:

Plus, now, it’s all over the internet.

As you know from this post’s title, this recipe is also known as Wacky Cake.  Other aliases include:

Depression Cake

Chocolate Depression Cake

War Cake

Vinegar Cake

WWII Cake

WWII Ration Chocolate Cake

Mix-in-the-Pan Chocolate Cake

Made-in-the-Pan Cake

Screwball Cake

Cockeyed Cake

Wonder Cake

Joe Cake

Three-Hole Cake, and, of course…

Crazy Cake

Wacky Cake

There are various theories for all of these different names, but my grandmother told me it was called Crazy Chocolate Cake because it had vinegar in it and no eggs, butter, or milk – all common ingredients in a regular cake.

I have a decent-size collection of cookbooks (over 250) that I’ve acquired since the 2007 fire (I guess you could say it’s an addiction – collecting cookbooks, that is!).  And a few of those cookbooks are very vintage – one from the early 1900s (my great-grandmother’s; it belonged to my aunt at the time of the fire, so it wasn’t lost), another of my grandmother’s from 1929 and two that I bought at antique stores, one with a copyright date of 1939 and another with a copyright date of 1944.

Anyway, it makes sense that the 1900s cookbook and the 1929 cookbook don’t have this recipe it in because, after all, it’s from the Great Depression and World War II and both cookbooks pre-date those years.  But, it isn’t in the other two cookbooks either, both published after the Great Depression and right at the timeline for World War II.

I did, however, find this recipe in a cookbook from 1966 and it’s even called Crazy Chocolate Cake!  The ingredient list is the same, but the amounts are slightly different.  It does say to make the three “wells” (more about this later) and it doesn’t include a frosting recipe (more about that later, too).

This cookbook is called Favorite Recipes of America – Desserts by Mary Anne Richards and is Volume 1 in a 5-book set by the same name (Favorite Recipes of America).  I love that Volume 1 is desserts (the other volumes are Meats, Salads, Casseroles, and Vegetables)!  I bought this 5-book set at a local antique store a few years ago, but guess what?  It’s available on Amazon!

I bought the kitchen towel in the photo above of the 1950s woman with her hands on her hips, at JoAnn’s a few years ago.  That’s another addiction I have – kitchen towels.  I rationalize that I can use them as food photo-styling props.  While this exact kitchen is not (yet) available on Amazon, there are similar ones with the same saying.

The lovely turquoise tray came from a local antique store.  It’s an old silver tray, now very much out of fashion, painted and distressed in this amazing color.  It elevates this simple decadent chocolate cake to rock-star status!

How to Make Depression-Era Crazy Chocolate Cake

This cake is so easy to make that you’ll never go back to boxed chocolate cake again!  And you can make it directly in the baking pan if you wish.  My grandmother made it that way and that’s the way she taught me.  But over the years, I’ve reverted to assembling it in a mixing bowl because you have to be careful if you are stirring it together in the baking pan.  And I’m a messy cook, so I slop stuff everywhere!  So, a glass mixing bowl works best for me.

Prepare for Success

So, here’s the deal:  you MUST, you simply MUST make this cake in a glass pan!  If you make it in any kind of metal pan, you will be sorely disappointed!  In my opinion, in order to taste the benefit of this delicious cake, this tip is a must.  And while you are at it, if you decide to mix it in a bowl, you should use a glass or plastic mixing bowl.  Here’s why…

Many years ago, when my niece, Tiffany, was in her twenties (crazy, but she’s in her 30’s and that’s really weird for me to say!), Tiffany made this cake and brought it to a family function.  She made it in a metal pan and just didn’t understand why it didn’t taste very good.

That was my “aha” moment – I’d been teaching my nieces to make this cake for years and given them all copies of the recipe (because it’s a family favorite), but nowhere did I mention that it needs to be made in a glass pan.

When I would teach them face-to-face, I would use a glass pan.  I just never explained the ramifications of using a metal pan.  Well, if you use a metal pan, the vinegar and baking soda do something funny (a chemical reaction occurs that maybe, someone out there who has taken chemistry, can explain), making the cake, while not inedible, certainly tasteless and a little metallic tasting.  But this cake made in a glass pan is a wonderful thing!

So, make this cake, vinegar and all, but use a glass pan!

No mixer is needed and you don’t even have to grease the pan.  This cake has a lot of oil in it, and while you don’t have to grease the pan, I do anyway.  I do this out of habit because that’s what you always do – you grease the pan.  And I also choose to flour the pan, but I flour it with unsweetened cocoa powder.  Since it’s a chocolate cake, I use cocoa!

So, to review:

1. Use a 9″ x 13″ glass baking dish.
2. Spray with non-stick cooking spray or use a little canola oil and a paper towel to grease the baking dish.
3. Dust the greased pan with a couple of tablespoons of cocoa powder.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Don’t leave the prepared cake sitting out on your counter while you wait for the oven to heat up!

How to Combine the Dry Ingredients

If you don’t grease the glass baking pan, you can mix the dry ingredients (and later the wet ingredients) right in the baking pan.  My grandmother did it that way and that’s the way she taught me.  But my preferred method is to use a large mixing bowl because I tend to make a mess all over my counter when I mix it directly in the pan.

If you are teaching a child how to make this cake, chances are you will have a mess on your counter, too.  So add the flour, baking soda, granulated sugar, salt, and unsweetened cocoa powder to the mixing bowl and stir together with a whisk, spatula, or fork (your choice) until the dry ingredients are well combined.

Using the back of a soup spoon (or your clean fingers), make three “wells” in the dry ingredients; two about the size of a tablespoon and the other about the size of a half-cup (in fact, use the back of a half-cup measure to make the well).

Add the Wet Ingredients

Measure the cold water in a 2-cup measuring cup and set aside.  Measure and pour the white vinegar in one of the small “wells,” measure and pour the vanilla in the other small “well,” and measure and pour the vegetable oil into the larger “well.”  Last, pour the cold water over all and whisk all ingredients together until well mixed with minimal lumps.

The Big Finish

Pour batter into a greased and floured GLASS baking dish.  Immediately place in the preheated oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes clean.  Don’t overbake!  Check the oven at 30 minutes and thereafter every 5 minutes until done.

Remove cake from oven and allow to cool completely. Then, take a damp paper towel and clean flour/cocoa powder from around the edges of the pan to make it pretty for frosting.

Dress It Up and Make It Pretty

This frosting recipe is the one my grandmother used.  It does contain butter and milk, so if you have landed on this page looking for a completely vegan chocolate cake recipe, don’t fret!  Here are a few suggestions:

• Use the chocolate frosting recipe below, but substitute margarine for the butter and use water for the milk.
• Dust the cooled cake with powdered sugar.  This tender, moist chocolate cake is not overly sweet, but it is sweet enough without frosting.
• Make a vegan frosting.  I’d include a link to one, but since I’ve never had vegan frosting nor have I made it, I’m hesitant to recommend one.  So if you don’t have one in your recipe arsenal, just Google it.
• Ditch the frosting and add a dollop of non-dairy whipped topping.

Other Frosting Ideas

In addition to my grandmother’s chocolate frosting recipe included in the printable recipe card below, here are some other suggestions for frosting this cake:

• Frost it with white frosting.
• Make a chocolate ganache.
• Add rainbow sprinkles to any of the above.  Or stay with the chocolate theme and use chocolate sprinkles.
• Sprinkle with chopped walnuts or chocolate chips or both!
• And for extra decadence, add a dollop of fresh whipped cream on the side.

You can, of course, serve a scoop of chocolate or vanilla ice cream with this amazingly delicious chocolate cake.  But, truthfully, I like it unadorned except for my grandmother’s chocolate frosting.  Every last bite speaks of home.

Other Tips for Crazy Chocolate Cake

This cake serves 12.  If you want to make a smaller cake, cut the recipe in half and bake in an 8″ x 8″ glass baking dish.

Be sure to use fresh baking soda.  If your baking soda is past it’s prime, the cake will fail.

It keeps well covered with either plastic wrap or aluminum foil at room temperature for about 3 days.

It can be refrigerated.  Again, cover with either plastic wrap or aluminum foil.  In fact, some people prefer it cold.

This cake can be frozen.  Cut into squares and place each square in its own freezer-safe plastic storage container or all the pieces together in a larger freezer-safe storage container fitted with a lid.  It will keep in the freezer for about three months.  Defrost at room temperature.

Kitchen Tools and Supplies Needed to Make This Chocolate Cake Recipe

9″ x 13″ Glass Baking Dish || Glass Mixing Bowl Set || Whisk or Rubber Spatula || Electric Mixer || Dry Measuring Cup Set || 2-Cup Liquid Measuring Cup || Measuring Spoon Set || Offset Spatula for Spreading || Non-Stick Cooking Spray || All-Purpose Flour || Granulated Sugar || Unsweetened Cocoa Powder || Baking Soda || Salt || White Vinegar || Vanilla || Vegetable Oil || Powdered Sugar || Butter || Milk

Here’s the recipe for my grandmother’s Crazy Chocolate Cake:

Homemade Depression-Era Crazy Chocolate Cake {aka Wacky Cake}

Print Recipe

★★★★★

4.5 from 2 reviews

Harkening back to the Depression Era of the 1930s, this easy-to-make chocolate cake is, well, amazingly chocolatey!  With a couple of “secret” twists, every bite is sinfully rich – from the luscious and creamy sweetness of the homemade chocolate frosting to the moist and delicious cake – making this cake a chocolate-lovers dream.  My grandmother’s recipe, this eggless chocolate cake is a family favorite, handed down to each successive generation because it’s the only chocolate cake requested for family get-togethers.

• Author: Carole from Toot Sweet 4 Two
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 35 mins
• Total Time: 50 mins
• Yield: 12 1x
• Category: Dessert
• Cuisine: Chocolate

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the cake:

• non-stick cooking spray
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder plus a little extra to dust the greased baking pan
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil plus extra to grease the baking pan (if not using non-stick cooking spray)
• 2 cups cold water

For the frosting:

• 3 cups confectioners’ (powdered) sugar, divided
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 stick butter (4 ounces), softened to room temperature
• 2–4 tablespoons milk (or more, if needed)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

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Instructions

For the cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease a 9″ x 13″ GLASS baking pan and dust with unsweetened cocoa (instead of flour).
3. In a GLASS mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, sugar, salt, and cocoa using a whisk, spatula, or fork.
4. Make three “wells” in the dry mixture to hold the vinegar, vanilla, and oil.
5. Add vinegar, vanilla, and oil to their respective “wells.”
6. Add the water all at once and stir by hand with a whisk or spatula until blended and relatively smooth (the batter will start to bubble a little when the vinegar is mixed in because, with the baking soda, a chemical reaction happens, which causes the cake to rise when baking).
7. Immediately pour batter into glass baking pan and place in the preheated oven.
8. Bake for 30-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.  After 30 minutes, check the cake and if it is not done, cook 5 minutes more and check again.
9. Remove from oven and cool completely and frost with chocolate frosting.

For the frosting:

1. You’ll need two mixing bowls for the frosting – one that holds around 3 cups and one larger one.
2. In the 3-cup mixing bowl, using a fork, stir together 2 cups of the powdered sugar with all of the unsweetened cocoa and set aside.
3. In a separate larger mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together the softened butter with one cup powdered sugar and one tablespoon milk until smooth.
4. Add one cup of powdered sugar/cocoa mixture and another tablespoon of milk and mix well.
5. Add vanilla and the remaining cup of powdered sugar/cocoa mixture and mix well.
6. If frosting needs to be thinned a little, add additional tablespoons of milk, one tablespoon at a time,  and beat until frosting is light and fluffy.
7. Spread frosting on top of the cake.
8. Enjoy!

Notes

It is important to use a 9″ x 13″ glass pan for this recipe. If you use a metal pan, a chemical reaction occurs and makes a tasteless cake!  It is important to use a GLASS or plastic bowl to mix the batter in, too.
Be sure to use fresh baking soda. If you don’t know how old your baking soda is, buy a new box.

Keywords: chocolate cake

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By the way, this post was originally posted in October 2012 with ugly iPhone photos.  These photos in this updated post were taken by my team member, Jacquie!  She and her husband, Dylan, also a member of the team, came over for a meeting to take photos for our new “About” page currently under development!

Anyway, I surprised Jacquie by asking her to do a photoshoot on several old recipes I made before they arrived.  She graciously accepted the challenge and I threw all kinds of photo props her way with no specific food photo-styling in mind and let her wing it.  Didn’t she do a fabulous job?  I think she may have a new career in the works (just sayin’…)!

And don’t forget to sign up to receive my newsletter in your inbox.  As a thank you, I’ll send you a freebie!  Look for the sign-up boxes near the top of this post and again at the bottom of this post.  Thanks so much!

Tootles,

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