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

chocolate cake in a 9x13 pan on a turquoise serving tray
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★★★★★

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.

Ingredients

Scale

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

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

Find it online: https://tootsweet4two.com/crazy-chocolate-cake/

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