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.
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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
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.
Beverly Grage
I did a search for a chocolate cake that used no eggs…. and your recipe popped up. At the same time I was looking for a way to use up leftover coffee. I had milk in my coffee that had turned a little sour, so…. I followed your recipe, using two cups of creamed (with milk) cold coffee instead of plain water. Talk about wonderful !! This cake is moist, very flavorful and ~easy~…and much better than a boxed cake mix !! Thank you for posting your recipe !!
ThriftyFrugalMom
Beverly, I absolutely love the way you got creative and used up your leftover coffee in this cake! I’ve subbed water for coffee in chocolate cakes before and it always adds a nice depth of flavor. And I’m sure that little bit of cream only made it better! 🙂 So glad you loved it. Thanks for taking the time to let me know!
Jana
Best chocolate cake ever ! I found exactly same recipe somewhere on internet some years ago – except yours is doubled of all ingredients. This is the only cake I bake and freeze to have a piece with my coffee from time to time. People, try this, I fully recommend it.
ThriftyFrugalMom
Thanks for sharing your recommendation, Jana! 🙂
Paula
Love this recipe and I can’t wait to try it. Which icing did you use?
ThriftyFrugalMom
Paula, I usually make this and top it with my Quick Caramel Icing. But the cake in the pictures has a homemade Chocolate Buttercream icing. I would love to get the recipe posted to the blog some day….just not enough hours to get everything posted that I would like too! 🙂 If you want the recipe though, I’d be happy to email it to you.
ThriftyFrugalMom
Just wanted to let you know that I just posted the recipe for the Chocolate Buttercream Frosting that I used on this cake in the photos. 🙂
Ashley
This looks so yummy, and so much more frugal than my normal chocolate cake recipe. My go-to has almost a pound of butter, and several eggs as well. We go to a potluck every week after church, so a cheaper dessert recipe is exactly what I need! I’m going to make it tomorrow.
ThriftyFrugalMom
Yes, it’s super frugal! And I have nothing against butter :), but I admit, this cake is way better than my previous recipe that called for butter. Hope the cake turned out well for you!
LaTrice
I LOVE chocolate cake!!!! 🙂
ThriftyFrugalMom
Then you’ll have to give this one a try and let me know what you think! 🙂
Irene Kot
Well, I must confess that it all looks delicious and I am sure it tastes like that.I always try to find out interesting recipes for my children as they like eating tasty meals. Your blog is full of cool ideas and I will use them. Okay?:)
ThriftyFrugalMom
Thanks, Irene! I’m sure your kids will love this easy cake. 🙂