This easy chocolate cake takes no eggs or milk! It has great, rich chocolate flavor and is made in just one bowl. Basically this wacky cake recipe is your excuse to make chocolate cake any time you have an extra 10 minutes! This is also a great vegan chocolate cake if you ever need one!
What looks like a normal chocolate cake, tastes like a normal chocolate cake but has none of the fuss or ingredients of a normal chocolate cake?!? Wacky Cake!
What is a Wacky Cake?
During the Great Depression it was hard to get eggs and milk. Many families took to baking this wacky cake. It was also known as depression cake.
The cake was famous because it didn’t require any eggs or milk but you still got a great chocolate cake. It can be topped with whatever you happen to have.
It is lovely with a just a dusting of powdered sugar. I like to make a simple chocolate frosting for mine (but that is not vegan).
Many people who make wacky cake do so right in the cake pan. I’ve tried using the cake pan to mix up the ingredients and feel that it is messy and the cake is not as good.
Instead I suggest using a bowl to mix the batter and than pouring it into the cake pan. Basically not all short cuts save time. This is one of those places!
Wacky Cake Ingredients
My version of wacky cake is a little different from some others. I always include chocolate chips. This just gives a nice touch of extra chocolate flavor.
I also use coffee instead of water in my cake batter. Coffee brings out the flavor of chocolate and enhances it. You won’t taste coffee – some people can guess at the hint of flavor in the background but this is not a mocha cake. It is a true chocolate.
If you don’t have coffee you can use water instead but the coffee does make the chocolate flavor come out much more! I also do this with Black Magic Cake, my most popular Chocolate Cake!
How to Make A Vegan Chocolate Cake
I’ve found that it is nice to be able to make different cake recipes to deal with food restrictions and allergies. Sometimes you need a vegan birthday cake!
A vegan cake is one that is made without any animal products. Wacky cake is a great vegan cake because the cake is good by itself – you don’t have to buy weird stuff or make strange substitutions to get a great cake. Your guests who have egg or milk allergies are still able to enjoy having cake!
More Chocolate Cakes to Love
- Best Chocolate Cake With Vanilla Buttercream
- Best Black Magic Cake
- Chocolate Cake with Ganache and Vanilla Mousse Filling
- Better Than Homemade Chocolate Cake Mix
- Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes
Chocolate Wacky Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed (can sub white sugar)
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup of coffee not hot – warm or room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon distilled white vinegar can sub apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup chocolate chips optional
- Powdered sugar for dusting or use easy chocolate frosting below
For the Easy Chocolate Frosting (Spread while frosting and cake are warm)
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- ¼ cup evaporated milk or almond milk
- 2 Tablespoons salted butter can sub coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla or sub ½ tsp. of almond extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
To Make the Cake
- Adjust the rack to the middle shelf of the oven.
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Use cooking spray to grease a 9” round cake pan or 8”x 8” square cake pan. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
- Add the coffee, vinegar, vanilla and chocolate chips. Stir until the batter is smooth – it is generally on the thin side.
- Poor the batter into the prepared pan and bake. A metal pan takes about 25 minutes. A glass pan takes about 30-35 minutes. When a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out with damp crumps the cake is done.
- Make the frosting right away and frost the cake while frosting and cake are hot.
To Make the Frosting
- Combine the chocolate chips, milk and butter in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds.
- Use a fork or small whisk to blend together. If the chocolate chips are not fully melted microwave an additional 15-30 seconds. Stir again.
- Add powdered sugar and vanilla, stir with a whisk or fork until the frosting is smooth.
- Frost the cake immediately while frosting and cake are still hot.
- Leftover cake can be stored at room temperature for up to three days.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
MirlandrasKitchen.com is written to share great recipes. While we do our best to provide nutritional information as a general guideline, we are not registered dietitians and the values provided here should be considered estimates – not exact scientific data.
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