“Let them eat cake.” ~ Marie Antoinette
The Original Snack Cake
Growing up, my Mom made this cake at least once a week. It is the original snack cake. It’s made in the pan you bake it in (who doesn’t like fewer pans to clean up), it is very easy to make, it is kid-friendly and it is non-dairy. What else can a busy person, who really wants to satisfy their sweet tooth, ask for?
This cake is called the Wacky Cake. Jean Anderson’s American Century Cookbook states that this cake dates to the 1970’s. However, there is evidence that cakes such as this existed in the 1940’s. Cakes that didn’t have butter and eggs originally appeared during World War I as rationing was introduced. They reappeared during World War II for the same reason.
So, what makes this cake Wacky. As I said before, it is mixed and baked in the same pan. The batter has no eggs and it includes vinegar and water. So let’s get started with this cake.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8 x 8” pan with cooking spray.
Gather the ingredients.
Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and sugar directly into the prepared pan.
Make three wells in the dry ingredients. Put the vegetable oil in one well, the vanilla in the second well and the white vinegar in the last well.
Pour 1 cup of water over the top of the mixture. Mix all the ingredients together. Smooth out the top and place in a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes, or until a cake tester, when inserted into the cake, comes out clean. Cool.
Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar and serve. If you want to frost the cake with icing, check out my go to vanilla buttercream frosting.
Wacky Cake Recipe
By Published: March 13, 2013
- Yield: 9 Servings
- Prep: 15 mins
- Cook: 30 mins
- Ready In: 45 mins
The original chocolate snack cake Origin unknown
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8 x 8” pan with cooking spray.
- Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and sugar directly into the prepared pan. Make three wells in the dry ingredients. Put the vegetable oil in one well, the vanilla in the second well and the white vinegar in the last well.
- Pour 1 cup of water over the top of the mixture. Mix all the ingredients together. Smooth out the top and place the pan in a preheated 350 degree oven.
- Bake for 25 – 30 minutes, or until a cake tester, when inserted into the cake, comes out clean. Cool.
- Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar for a snack cake. If you want to frost the cake with icing, check out my go to vanilla buttercream icing.
