Wacky Cake

“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.

Buttercream iced cake

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray an 8 x 8” pan with cooking spray.

Preparing the pan

Gather the ingredients.

Wacky cake ingredients

Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and sugar directly into the prepared pan.

Sifting ingredients

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.

Wacky cake wells

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.

Mixed wacky cake

Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar and serve.   If you want to frost the cake with icing,  check out my go to vanilla buttercream frosting.

Plated wacky cake

Wacky Cake Recipe

Wacky Cake

By Patricia Rio Published: March 13, 2013

  • Wacky Cake
    5 votes, 4.40 avg. rating (89% score)
  • Yield: 9 Servings
  • Prep: 15 mins
  • Cook: 30 mins
  • Ready In: 45 mins

The original chocolate snack cake Origin unknown

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8 x 8” pan with cooking spray.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes, or until a cake tester, when inserted into the cake, comes out clean. Cool.
  5. 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.
    Wacky Cake

    Patricia Rio
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