WACKY Cake

BLOG

I can still picture my grandmother standing at her farmhouse stove, cracking open precious eggs she'd just sold back to herself. The surplus was sold to allow her to buy rationed products.

One recipe she made regularly was this 'Wacky Cake'—a chocolate cake so frugal it needed no eggs, butter, or milk. While historians debate the exact origin of the name, the most likely explanation is that it earned its playful moniker from the unconventional method of mixing everything directly in the baking pan—no bowl required. Homemakers could hardly believe a cake without eggs or butter would actually rise and taste good. BUT IT DOES!

Even as a child spoiled by Betty Crocker mixes, I had to admire her ingenuity, even if I couldn't quite share her enthusiasm for the taste. When my character Chessa bakes in 'The Last Quiet Autumn,' I drew directly from recipes like this one. Understanding how women stretched ingredients during wartime rationing helped me write scenes that felt authentic.

Have you tried Depression-era recipes? I'd love to hear about your family's resourceful traditions from that era.

Wacky Chocolate Cake 

(a.k.a. Depression Cake or Crazy Cake)

Circa 1940s

Ingredients:

•           1½ cups all-purpose flour

•           1/2 cup granulated sugar

•           ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

•           1 teaspoon baking soda

•           ½ teaspoon salt

•           1 teaspoon vanilla extract

•           1 tablespoon vinegar (white or apple cider)

•           5 tablespoons vegetable oil

•           1 cup cold water

Instructions:

1.           Preheat oven to 350°F

2.           In an ungreased 8x8-inch square baking pan, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.

3.           Make three wells in the dry mixture:

o   In one well, pour the vanilla.

o   In the second, the vinegar.

o   In the third, the oil.

4.           Pour the cold water over everything and mix well with a fork or whisk until smooth.

5.           Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

6.           Let cool in the pan. Dust with powdered sugar or enjoy plain.