Vanilla Crazy Cake You Can Make With No Eggs, Milk, Or Butter
I’ve got the craziest recipe for you guys today! But I suppose you already knew that from the title, didn’t you?
Vanilla Crazy Cake – also known as Wacky Cake or Depression Cake, doesn’t need dairy or eggs to make them.
Want more cake recipes? Check out:
- Bailey’s Mousse Cake
- Almond Bundt Cake
- The Best Icebox Cakes
- Rainbow Unicorn Cake
- Chocolate Crazy Cake
- Victoria Sponge Cake
In fact, you don’t even need to get a separate bowl dirty – you can make it right in the 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!
All things aside, sometimes we just need a quick and delicious way to satisfy our sweet tooth and this is it!
The beauty is, you can change out ingredients or add to it as needed. Take the basis of this recipe and add sprinkles or a different flavored extract. Maybe you want to make it a fun color, you can add some food dye and truly make it fun and colorful.
Have fun making this cake and we cannot wait to see the look on your face when it’s made without those eggs and and dairy products!
What You’ll Need To Make Vanilla Crazy Cake:
- All-purpose flour
- Sugar
- Baking soda
- Salt
- White vinegar
- Vegetable oil
- Water
- Pure vanilla extract
How To Make Vanilla Crazy Cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the flour, sugar, baking soda, 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!
If you’re more of a chocolate fan, check out our Chocolate Crazy Cake recipe!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Cups All-purpose flour
- 1 Cup Sugar
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 tsp White vinegar
- 5 tbsp Vegetable oil
- 1 Cup Water
- 1 ½ tsp Pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the flour, sugar, baking soda, 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!
Can I freeze this cake?
I made this cake because I needed something sweet and easy to make. Never heard of a depression cake. Mine wasn’t a ‘true’ depression cake cause I used butter and milk for the frosting. But cake was delicious. Will make again. Maybe a chocolate cake.
Hello!
I’m having a hard time getting these to come out “fluffy” and not gummy.
The only thing I’ve done differently is use GF flour. Is that my problem??
yes, I also made it with GF flour. GF flour uses gums to replace the gluten so that’s usually the difference
is Vinegar absolutely necessary or can i replace it with lemon juice?
No, the vinegar is essential for the chemical reaction with the baking soda. This is what fluffs the cake.
I would like to try this recipe with lemon curd, does the cake hold up well in layers?
Has anyone tried it with almond flour???
Can I use gluten free flour in this recipe?
Can I add a banana to this recipe?
Just made the chocolate recipe mixed in a pan put in cupcake liners baked up beautiful and fluffy did vanilla next but mixed in a bowl didn’t want a repeat mess but they are dense do you think mixing in the bowl was what caused this ?
Made this cake and put Marion berries and non-dairy whipped topping:-) awesome
I have been making Depression cake for years. The recipe is exactly like your. Love it
I have to make this cake in advance. How do you recommend storing? I usually refrigerate cakes with egg but unsure if it’s necessary with this one. Do not want it to dry out.
I always freeze mine once cooled and take it out a couple of hours before I want to serve.
Also, once defrosted a few seconds in the microwave works wonders!
I used fresh squeezed blood orange juice instead of water and made it into a sheet cake. turned out really well thanks!
WOW! I was very surprised by how ell this turned out
I added the juice of one lemon to make a lemon cake
Put homemade whip topping on top with lemon zest-PEFECT
Thank you!
Can I sub out almond flour for the all purpose? I need a grain free cake. Thank you in advance
I make a “butter cream” frosting that uses margarine/shortening (equal parts) and water instead of milk with the confectioners sugar and vanilla…tastes just as good
Need a non diary vanilla frosting
Miss Jones Vanilla Frosting made with Coconut bought at Publix; tastes great as Our 1 year old grandson ate happily on his cupcakes !
Where can you find Non-Diary frosting???
I just have one question the picture shows a two layer cake but the recipe only refers to one pan so I am guessing you need to make the same recipe Teutonic make a two layer cake ? Please help also I don’t see any suggestions for a dairy free frosting which would also be very helpful
Try substituting butter with “Earth Balance” vegan buttery sticks (sold at Meijer) for your frosting and thin with water or milk substitute (as soy or coconut milk) .
Can this recipe be used for cup cakes as well?
Yes! I’ve done it – works perfectly
Wacky Cake is as ‘fool proof’ a recipe as you’ll ever find. It’s very forgiving to all sorts of mistakes as well as modifications. I use root beer for the water sometimes.
You can undercook it or overcook it.
It’s not a souffle! I T vinegar or 1 T, it matters not. It’s perfect for kids to make on their own too.
Hi! I wanted to know why theres no baking powder? I would to ask possible i could use selfraising flour?. Thank you.
The cake is find for layering it’s more on a dense side but not as much as a pound cake. Mop
My grandmother used a variant of this during WW 1, and didn’t have sugar, so used dried fruits, like raisins for sweetness.
Hello there,
I’d love to bake this cake for a friend’s wedding. Do you reckon I can make it into two layers? Will it be sturdy enough? Thank you very much! It’s a scrumptious recipe, by the way! ??
Do not waste your ingredients. Every cake needs eggs. Mine turned out 3/4 of on inch in height. Looked like a pancake.
Well you should try it again being more careful perhaps. Mine rose beautifully ?
Mine rose Perfectly!!! Try again next time.
Not true. My grandson and i are both egg allergic. I bake light successful cakes all the time with no eggs. Only my family is aware they are egg free and i am considered by friends to be an excellent baker.
If this was flat you either left out the vinegar or baking soda or mixed the batter and let it sit s while before baking.. eggs dong give lightness the baking soda/ vinegar does.
I’m vegan and make all my baked goods without eggs or dairy and they come out perfect every time
Same, I followed recipe to the dot and ended up in the bin!! Never again
Sorry for my dumb question what’s a depression ? Im so confuse in that part of the recipe . Help
It’s where she is making a hole in the dry ingredients to pour the wet into. She added a picture
Crazy cake, or “depression” cake is referencing the GREAT Depression in historical times when foods like dairy and eggs were scarce because of the expense and it was necessary to find ways to cook and bake without some of the more pricey ingredients.
?
Hope that helps!
For other frugal inexpensive recipes, look for Great Depression recipes and advice on how to maintain a more frugal lifestyle
It was an era in the United States “The Great Depression”
just a well or hole in the dry ingredients for the wet ingredients to be contained in.
It’s just 3 Holes pretty much, there’s a picture
Separate depressions really aren’t necessary. Just mix all the liquid ingredients together (water, oil, vinegar OR lemon juice, and vanilla extract), then pour them into the dry ingredients. Mix together well, and pour into the baking pan.