This Chocolate Wacky Cake is a delicious old-fashioned one-pan chocolate cake that contains no eggs, butter, or milk! It’s totally wacky and vegan too!
Chocolate Wacky Cake
Have you ever had Chocolate Wacky Cake before? It’s a really old recipe, and if you’ve had it before it’s probably because the recipe was passed on to your mother or grandmother at a church or community gathering decades ago.
Wacky Cake is believed to have come about in times of rationing during WWII, but it also called Depression Cake or Crazy Cake, which would date its creation a little earlier in America’s history, but either way, it was created when milk, eggs, and butter were scarce and people had to learn to adapt in the kitchen.
If you decide to leave off my delicious Cool Whip Ganache, then this cake doesn’t have any milk, eggs, or butter in it, and is totally a vegan cake too! If you decide to omit the ganache topping, you can dust it with powdered sugar or drizzle in chocolate sauce.
One of the other reasons this cake gets is name is that of the way it’s prepped, right in the pan it’s baked in, but make sure to whisk it up good and get all the dry ingredients mixed in before baking. You can mix the ingredients together in a bowl if you wish and then add it to the pan.
Tools You’ll Need For This Wacky Cake Recipe:
- An 8-inch round cake pan – this cake conveniently makes just one layer which means it’s perfect what you want something small for a family dessert or as an addition to a dessert spread for the holidays.
- I highly recommend using a Bake Even Strip, this will help to ensure a relatively level cake once bakes and not one with a huge dome top.
- Cake tester to make sure that your cake is perfectly cooked before pulling out of the oven.
Chocolate Wacky Cake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsweetened baking cocoa not Dutch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup cold water
- 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 batch Cool Whip Ganache
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Use a nonstick 8-inch cake pan, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Make four wells in the mix.
- Add wet ingredients into the wells and then whisk to combine, making sure all dry ingredients are mixed in.
- Bake for 32 to 35 minutes or until toothpick comes clean from the center of the cake.
- Cool the cake on a cooling rack for 30 minutes before inverting and removing from the pan. Top with ganache or a dusting of powdered sugar and enjoy.
ShannaMade says
I love wacky cake my family has been making it for years I believe the recipe I have on my page is the same one! Will have to try it with your frosting looks yummy!
Rebecca says
I bet it is, it’s such a classic recipe! My Grammie always dusted it with powdered sugar but I really love the ganache topping!
Marcelle says
Is that chocolate crumble you threw on top of the ganache
Rebecca says
Just some chocolate sprinkles!
Chrisy says
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been craving chocolate cake but was missing some sort of perishable ingredient (oh, the struggle). Can’t WAIT to try this! 😉
Rebecca says
Yes, I love that this is made with pantry staples!
Lanna Case says
How do you make the ganache?
Rebecca says
Hi Lanna, I like to it in the post and recipe card, but you can also find it here: https://www.sugarandsoul.co/cool-whip-ganache-recipe/
Rosemary says
Getting ready to make this. It looks and sounds great. One question – where do I find the recipe for the Cool Whip Ganache?
Rebecca says
Hi Rosemary, you can find it here:m https://www.sugarandsoul.co/cool-whip-ganache-recipe/ It is also linked to in the recipe card and post for convenience.
Mary says
The ganache in the list is to be added to the mix or for the topping please.Thanks
Rebecca says
Hi Mary, it is to be used as a topping once the cake has been cooked.
Bethany says
I love a good, easy homemade chocolate cake!
Linda Borgia says
I have been making this cake recipe for my highly milk allergic daughter for years. But Cool Whip is NOT NON DAIRY. It contains sodium caseinate which is a milk derivative which can cause someone allergic to go into anaphylacsis. Please make a note of that in the recipe or switch to a truly non dairy frosting.
Rebecca Hubbell says
Hi Linda, I appreciate your concern for those with allergies, but I didn’t claim that cool whip was non-dairy, I’m aware that it isn’t. I’ve stated in the post that the cake is dairy and egg free but the ganache is not and I have left an alternate topping option of powdered sugar for those who have allergies and cannot enjoy the ganache topping. I know that many who enjoy this cake do enjoy it because of food allergies, but there are many who are looking for an easy recipe they can make when they’re out of things like milk and eggs.