This deliciously moist Chocolate Crazy Cake, also called Wacky Cake, mixes up in just 5 minutes and will have you kissing store-bought cake mixes goodbye! It’s made with just a few simple, budget-friendly ingredients.
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Would you ever have thought you could bake a rich and super moist chocolate cake without using eggs, butter, or milk?
Actually, Crazy Cake (also known as Wacky Cake) has been around since the Great Depression and is considered an old-fashioned favorite.
Why You’ll Love This Homemade Cake Recipe
- Quick and Easy to Make. Only 5 minutes of prep work and you literally dump all of the ingredients in a bowl.
- One Bowl Recipe. Basically, no mess to clean!
- No Mixer Needed. Simply mix together by hand and you are ready to bake.
- Budget-friendly. The total cost for this recipe is just $1.15! (Cost calculated using Aldi prices.)
- Made with Simple Pantry Staples. No preservatives, food dyes or hard to pronounce ingredients that you really aren’t sure what they are. Just everyday ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen!
Watch Video: Learn How to Make This Recipe
Crazy Cake Ingredients
- Flour. All-purpose is what I use.
- Sugar.
- Cocoa Powder. I use regular unsweetened cocoa powder but dark cocoa powder can be used as well. If you use that, you may want to increase the sugar to 1 3/4 cup.
- Baking Soda.
- Salt.
- Water.
- Oil. Canola or vegetable are the budget-friendly options, but I’ve used coconut oil too.
- White Vinegar. The vinegar reacts with the baking soda to make the cake light and fluffy since there are no eggs.
- Vanilla.
How to Make Wacky Cake
STEP 1: Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl. Mix together and pour into a greased 9×13 baking dish.
STEP 2: Bake for 30 to 35 minutes at 350 degrees.
Expert Tips
- Frosting: Top your crazy cake with Quick Caramel Icing, 5 Minute Chocolate Buttercream Frosting or your favorite frosting before serving.
- Storing: Cover the dish and store it on the counter or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Layered Cake: If you want to make a layer cake, you can also bake this in two round cake pans or two 8×8 cake pans. You will need to reduce the baking time to 20-25 minutes though.
- Freezing Unfrosted Cake: Wrap in a layer of plastic wrap and aluminum foil before freezing. Or you can freeze the cake directly in the pan- just cover with saran wrap. Thaw completely before frosting.
- Freezing Frosted Cake: Not all frostings freeze well, but if you are using buttercream or a shortening-based frosting, you can frost your cake before freezing. You can either freeze the cake directly in the pan (just make sure it’s covered with saran wrap) or cut it into slices and transfer it to a freezer-safe container.
More Recipes You’ll Love
- Super Moist Gingerbread Cake with Caramel Icing
- Easy Apple Dumpling Dessert
- Homemade Cool Whip
- Super Easy Strawberry Pie
- Fresh Strawberry Yogurt Cake
Simple Moist Chocolate Crazy Cake
Ingredients
- 3 c. flour
- 1 1/2 c. sugar
- 6 Tbsp. cocoa powder
- 2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 c. water
- 2/3 c. canola or vegetable oil
- 2 tsp. white vinegar
- 2 tsp. vanilla
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients and pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 min.
Notes
Michele D
This recipe didn’t work. I tried it twice, exactly as written.
While I will admit that it was moist and fluffy, the lack of eggs resulted in a cake that crumbled into millions of pieces. I could be wrong, but I think eggs would have created a structure to hold it all together. Additionally, the bottom of the cake stuck to the pan, hence the reason I tried to make it twice. I had wondered if there was sufficient butter on the pan before pouring in the mixture; so I made sure it was well coated the second time around. Unfortunately, the cake produced identical results. All of the ingredients used were fresh and the cake did rise well. I also found that the flavor was a bit off. I suppose the odd taste could have been hidden under a flavorful frosting, but in my opinion, the base flavors should not be off as it was in this cake. I think I was tasting either the vinegar or the soda; it was a strange flavor.
I won’t be making this again.
Lydia Beiler
I’m really sorry you didn’t love it, Michele. I’ve made this often and it definitely shouldn’t be crumbling into a million pieces nor sticking to the bottom of the pan, so I’m not sure what went wrong.