Wacky Cake – not just a crazy recipe. Also known as Depression cake, Crazy Cake, Joe Cake and WWII cake and has been around since rationing occurred during WWII. As a young girl, I remember my mother making this cake and telling me the story of how and why this cake came to be, at least in her family. It was not only a favorite but also a clever cake during austere times. Among her other WWII stories, this cake became a delicious childhood memory.
Shortages come and go, and this Wacky Cake is a great recipe to have on hand. This cake is not overly sweet, dense and a very moist cake that can be made from normal kitchen items that you likely just have on hand. And the best secret, its made without eggs, butter or milk! Wacky Cake – not just a crazy recipe! Let’s make this simple and delicious cake.
Following my routine description process, here’s the ingredients
- All purpose flour
- Cocoa Powder
- Sugar
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Water
- Oil
- Vanilla
- Red Vinegar
Assemble the dry ingredients
In a large bowl, measure the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda and salt. Whisk the ingredients together and set aside.
Dry mix 
Baking Soda, Cocoa and Salt
Prepare the liquids
Measure the water, oil, vanilla and vinegar. The vinegar combined with the soda make the leavening in this cake. The use of the red vinegar helps to enhance the dark color of the cake once baked. You can use white vinegar if that’s what you have – there is no change in the flavor of the cake.
Put the Batter Together
So as simple as it sounds, pour all the liquids into the dry ingredients and mix well. I like to use a whisk and spatula. The batter will look like a milk chocolate cake but it will turn very dark when baked.
Adding vinegar 
Final batter
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the pan. I like to use a bundt pan, so I spray the pan and then dust with cocoa powder. My mom used to always use a 9 x 13 pan. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and into the oven!
Prepared pan 
Batter ready for the oven
Bake for 45 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. This cake bakes close to this time and springs back to touch when done. This recipe creates a nice rounded cake with that desired crack in the top! Though this looks like a milk chocolate cake, the actual cake is very dark chocolate in color (as you can see in the prepared pictures).
Here’s how to enjoy it
This cake is very versatile. Its not only easy and quick to put together, it gives you lots of ways to serve. I like to dust the cake with powdered sugar, slice and serve with whipped cream and fresh fruit. For the bundt cake, you can put a nice vanilla glaze. Take 1 cup powdered sugar and 2-3 tablespoons of milk, one teaspoon of vanilla. Mix together and drizzle over the cake.
If you bake this in a 9 x 13 like my mother would do, you can put a chocolate buttercream frosting on it. The contrast of a milk chocolate buttercream against this dark cake is amazing.
But if nothing else, this cake is delicious just plain. The stories and vintage history make this a special cake. Enjoy!
Wacky Cake
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 4 Tbsp cocoa
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups water
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 Tbsp red vinegar Can use white vinegar but the red vinegar gives the cake a deeper chocolate color. Does not affect the flavor.
- 1 tsp salt
- ¾ cup corn or canola oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare bundt pan or 9×13 pan. Spray with cooking spray and dust with cocoa powder.
- Mix the dry ingredients in bowl.
- Pour in liquid ingredients. Mix well.
- Pour into prepared pan.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool on a rack for 20 minutes. If using bundt pan, remove from pan and allow to finish cooling on rack.