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.
Katie
I needed to find a chocolate cake without eggs because we are running out, and then I found this. This looks delicious! I think I will make it this Sunday to serve with vanilla ice cream and fudge sauce. Do you use an electric mixer to mix this up? And presumably I would just mix the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients separately, then mix them together?
Lydia Beiler
This is the perfect recipe for those times when you are running low on eggs- and in my opinion, even when you have loads of eggs because it’s just that good! 🙂 Yes, I do use an electric mixer to mix it up. It’s quite runny though and can splash a bit, so if you are using a hand blender it can make a bit of a mess. I’m sure you could use a whisk to mix it as well, it just would take a bit more effort. No need to mix the dry and wet ingredients separately. Just dump everything into the mixing bowl and then mix. So super easy!
kimy
OMG this recipe is amazing! I just made it and its so moist and yummy. I was skeptical with a recipe with no eggs or butter but this one really works. Well done 🙂
ThriftyFrugalMom
I know, that lack of eggs and butter seems like it just couldn’t have you end up with an amazing cake, right? So glad you loved it!
Jane
Hello Lydia! My new kitchen reno has been 5 weeks and soon sink and countertop will be installed. My 9 yr old grddaughter is eager to bake and because of ingredients, we will start with your choc cake. It has been hard not to cook favorite recipes this summer, but as soon as we can, I will search out your meals, too. Now is time to find new favorites! Bless you, it is fun to meet all your fans!
ThriftyFrugalMom
Jane, I’m so sorry for the slow reply. We just did a big move and as a result, I got rather behind on things for a bit. I’m sure by now you are enjoying your new kitchen and able to get back to enjoying favorite recipes again. Yay! And I love that you are helping your granddaughter learn to bake. What a gift you are giving her! I hope the cake turned out well for you all!
Katie
Lydia,
Best chocolate Cake!!
Lydia, Thank you for Your God given gift of Good knowledge, being thrifty, being sweet, & being soo kind to others.
Much happiness, Katie
ThriftyFrugalMom
Aw, thanks for your very kind words, Katie! And so glad you enjoyed the cake. It’s one of those recipes that is so shockingly simple that it seems like it couldn’t be that great. But it’s always a hit no matter who I serve it to!
Rebecca
I made the cake this weekend with the icing recipe on this page and we loved it! My daughter’s BF has a major dairy /whey allergy and he can eat this cake and she is subbing almond milk for the icing and almond flour for the cake. He never gets to eat any type of dessert due to his allergies. She is pretty excited about treating him. My cake was made per the recipe and it was great! Had a little left over icing so I’m gonna have to figure out how to cut that part some but overall it is a great recipe and we truly enjoyed it! Best part is I always have all the ingredients in the pantry so it definitely a win win!
Sharon
Lydia, I have luckily discovered your website today. As I was reading, I realized something seemed familiar….now that I read about you I know what it is! I was born and partially raised in Lancaster, PA. This cake is in the oven as we speak, and I realize that it is my grandmother’s exact recipe! That makes it extra special, because there are not many of my family members left, and finding your recipes has turned out to be very comforting for me. Thank you.
ThriftyFrugalMom
That is so neat, Sharon! And it’s kind of funny, because I originally found the recipe in a little cookbook that a family from the Lancaster area put together a number of years ago. I’m so glad that you found it and love that it helped you relive some good memories. Thanks so much for letting me know! 🙂