Want another amazingly crazy crazy cake recipe? Last week I shared our Vanilla Crazy Cake and not even kidding – y’all went nuts.
Get ready to strap yourself in ’cause this Chocolate Crazy Cake is just as amazing and how can you go wrong with chocolate? Don’t know about crazy cakes yet?
They’re also known as Wacky Cake or Depression Cake, don’t need dairy or eggs to make them, and somehow still taste just as amazing if you swap in gluten-free flour, too.
Plus, forget about washing tons of dishes – these are all made in the same pan! These cakes became popular during the Great Depression when eggs and dairy products were expensive and hard to come by. Nowadays, they’re great for people with food allergies, and everyone will love them! Enjoy!
What You’ll Need To Make Chocolate Crazy Cake:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 5 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
How To Make Chocolate Crazy Cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt in a greased 8″ square (or round…I prefer the round, but I’ve made this in both) baking pan.
Make 3 depressions in the dry ingredients – two small and one large. Pour the vinegar and vanilla in each of the two smaller depressions, and the vegetable oil in the large one.
Pour water over the entire thing and mix until smooth.
Bake on the middle rack of the oven at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Let it cool, then top with your favorite frosting and enjoy!
This cake is downright chocolatey deliciousness.
Chocolate Crazy Cake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 5 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt in a greased 8" square (or round...I prefer the round, but I've made this in both) baking pan.
- Make 3 depressions in the dry ingredients - two small and one large. Pour the vinegar and vanilla in each of the two smaller depressions, and the vegetable oil in the large one.
- Pour water over the entire thing and mix until smooth.
- Bake on the middle rack of the oven at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Let it cool, then top with your favorite frosting and enjoy!
This recipe was adapted from this chocolate crazy cake recipe here.
Was amazing. Making the white one today as unfortunately hubby is not a fan of chocolate.
Can I use apple vinegar?
I haven’t tried it. Sorry!
This is the BEST cake I have ever made and eaten IN MY LIFE. And everyone else loves it too! Every time we need a dessert they ask for this. THANK YOU!!
The chocolate cake is delicious! The only difference was using white wine vinegar – all I had. Do you have any nutrition specs for it? Thank you this is a keeper
How do we make the frosting?
So do I double the ingredients to make the two layers shown or do I split the one layer??
it’s absolutely gorgeous.
I have my Nannie’s old cookbook from the 30s. It was the first cake that I made and I was all of 6 years old and standin on my grandfather’s chair and cleared away the dirty dishes! So proud of myself! Great, simple cakes!
Does this recipe make only ONE 8″ round cake? To make a layer cake, double recipe?
I wanted to make depression cakes with my boys when we were studying the great depression.. what a fun history and science lesson in one and oh so yummy! Pinned!
My version of the chocolate cake – aka Mix-In-the-Pan Chocolate Jiffy Cake – calls for 1 cup of cold coffee, not water. Coffee enhances the flavor of chocolate.
I also use this recipe to make any flavor cake, by omitting the cocoa, and using other extracts – i.e. lemon cake by using lemon extract and lemon zest, or any flavor I want. I used this recipe to make a lemon cake for 100 people when the resort I was the Pastry Chef at, ran out of eggs.
I also use this recipe, with variations, for all my clients who have allergies. I even use this recipe for diabetics by replacing the sugar with Swerve Granulated Sugar Replacement. And I use Swerve Confectioner’s Sugar to make diabetic frostings – like SMBC, or French Buttercream. (Swerve also makes a brown sugar – I buy them at my local health food store).
Made the vanilla cake yesterday and just wanted to keep eating it, lush and for me dairy free a bonus. Going to try the chocolate one next, thank you for sharing. ?
Please how many grams or ounces per cup. In English
Thank you.
Amazing cake Jamie! It’s the first time we see such a beautiful chocolate cake without butter in the list of ingredients! Loved it, pinned!
Panos and Mirella
Her chocolate cake tempts me hehehe … I’ll try to make this beautiful cake, thank you for a variety of recipes
is there a vegan recipe for frosting for the cake?
I use 1 cup of vegan butter (Earth Balance), 4 cups of icing sugar, 1 tsp of vanilla and about 1 to 2 tblsp of water, just enough to get the right consistency.
could you use date syrup or coconut nectar instead of sugar?
Bake for how long?
Step 4 in the recipe: Bake on the middle rack of the oven at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Let it cool, then top with your favorite frosting and enjoy!
RE: the chocolate cake, you just talk about 1 round pan. It looks like you need 2 round pans from the picture, no?? Also, what size round pan – 8″, 9″ ?? thank you in advance for your response.
I have never heard of crazy cake! I going to make this right now. Your pictures got me hungry for chocolate cake. Pinning so I don’t lose the recipe!
Oh, dear. This looks so easy… and delicious! I’m pinning to give this a try!
I would love for you to join us and share each week at Brag About It link party on VMG206 (Mondays at Midnight).
~ Megin of VMG206
This chocolate cake looks amazing, I found your website through the Artsy Fartsy Link Party, pinning!
Been making this for years. The best. Double ingredients for 9 x 13. Sprinkle 1 cup chocolate chips on top while hot and spread after melted.
Is this a more dense or light and fluffy cake? I’m looking for a recipe to use for an ice cream cake.
WOW!! This is the simplest vegan chocolate cake I have ever seen! I’m SOO gonna try this 😀