This deliciously moist chocolate 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.
There are affiliate links in this post – please read my full disclosure policy. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
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 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
Crazy Chocolate Cake
This deliciously moist depression era chocolate cake mixes up in just 5 minutes and will have you kissing store bought cake mixes goodbye!
Servings: 18
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
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.
Skylar
I made those cake in two pans instead of one big one. I substituted coffee for the water, and made a maple syrup icing sugar glaze to top it off with.
The results were fantastic, it was moist and fluffy, not too dense. My only criticism is that it could be more chocolatey, I think next time I’ll add another 1/4 cup of cocoa and see how it goes.
I’m thinking about serving this at my baby shower being such a great option for lactose intolerant and vegetarian/vegan guests!
Lydia Beiler
So glad you enjoyed it, Skylar! And the maple syrup icing glaze sounds delicious too. I think you could increase the cocoa powder without it affecting things too much. If you try it that way and think about it, I’d love to know how it worked. And congratulations on the baby too!
Nancy
Hi Lydia, I’m excited to try this recipe! Do you think it would work if I replaced the water with whole milk?
Thanks!
Lydia Beiler
I’m guessing that it would work okay, but I don’t know for sure. I’ve never tried using milk so I can’t say for sure that the results will be great.
Nancy
Update: I followed the recipe exactly except using whole milk in place of water. It was delicious!
Lydia Beiler
Thanks for the update! I was curious if you had tried it and how it turned out. Good to know!
Esther
Thanks Lydia for a really delicious chocolate cake! Did you make your own Chocolate frosting/icing too? Would this work if I used gluten-free flour since a member of my family is gluten intolerant?
Lydia Beiler
You are very welcome, Esther! And yes, I used this homemade chocolate frosting recipe, although it’s also delicious with my caramel frosting too. I don’t have much experience with gluten-free baking, but as long as you are using a one-to-one gluten-free flour, I don’t know why this recipe wouldn’t work.
Kim
My family has been baking this cake for generations. It is the most delicious, moist cake! I always substitute coffee in for the water as well…add some cinnamon for a different, but still delicious, taste.
Lydia Beiler
Every time I make it I am amazed all over again that such simple ingredients can make such an incredibly moist, delicious cake! I bet the coffee gives it an extra boost of flavor. And the addition of cinnamon sounds tasty! I’d love to try that and top it with chocolate frosting. Yum!
Diana Dodd
Can you use baking powder in lieu of baking soda?
Lydia Beiler
It needs to be baking soda actually. Baking soda reacts with the vinegar and is what causing the cake to rise. Baking powder wouldn’t have that reaction and you’d end up with a very flat, odd cake, I’m afraid!
Gina
I was looking for a homemade cake mix that I could turn into a non-acholic Margarita cake. I tried the recipe online but due to allergies it was not a good fit. This worked out perfectly. This is what I change to accommodate what we have now due to staying at home. I left out the cocoa powder and added this instead.
3 packets of True Lime
1/4 Cup of Nellie and Joe’s Key Lime Juice
1/4 Cup of Nellie and Joe’s Lemon Juice
Then I added 1 1/2 cups of water to keep it at 2 cups total.
Everything else stayed the sane you could add green food coloring if you wanted due to allergies I use the green from the lime juice. It smells amazing at I took a quick taste and its wonderful. Will use a basic buttercream or can add lime and lemon juice mix instead of a little milk. Thank you this is the best, I did still add the vinegar but it may not have been necessary.
Lydia Beiler
Yum, that sounds super tasty, Gina! My son is a big fan of lime flavored recipes and would be ecstatic I made your version. As far as the vinegar, I think it would have flopped without it since the vingear is what activates the baking soda! So if you make it again, you’ll probably want to make sure you leave it in there!
Mary
This cake is easy, moist and delicious! Do you have a similar recipe for a white cake or would you just eliminate the cocoa powder?
Lydia Beiler
Delighted to hear that you enjoyed it, Mary! I keep wanting to try making this without the cocoa powder to see if it works but just haven’t gotten it done. However, I’m 99% sure it would work great. If you give it a try, I’d love to know how it turns out!