I first encountered this at the home of my friend, Marianne, when we were in junior high. She called it wacky cake, and I thought it was pretty crazy to make a cake in the pan, like making a mudpie.  I loved it, and got the recipe from her. I made it for my mom, who remembered making cakes like it during the war…no butter, no eggs.
Wacky Cake (aka Crazy Cake, Cockeyed cake, Depression Cake)
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons cocoa
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 5 tablespoons oil
- 1 cup water (can add a teaspoon of instant coffee)
This is very easy to make, and you can stir it all up in the pan (an 8 x 8) if you like.  I prefer to make it in a bowl and use a wire whisk, but that’s personal preference…when I was younger, I mixed it in the pan because I hated washing up. (See notes below for variations)
Preheat the oven to 350F. Â Sift the dry ingredients together (or just combine them very well). Make three troughs/wells in the dry ingredients, and put the vanilla in one, the vinegar in another and the oil in the third. Pour the water over top, and stir it all together. Bake for 25-35 Â minutes (or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean).
This makes a very rich, moist cake. I quite like it with a fudge icing, which is also quite easy to make.
Fudge icing
- 2-3 Â tablespoons butter
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 cups icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Bring the butter and sugar to a boil, and add the milk. Reduce heat to medium, and boil for a couple of minutes, then remove from heat and beat in the icing sugar and vanilla. When thickened, pour over the cake.
If you have any suggestions, please share them here:)
I had someone suggest making this a vanilla cake by replacing the cocoa with  an equal amount of flour.  You could also replace the water with strong coffee and make a mocha cake.
For those who are on a gluten-free diet, you can use gluten-free baking mix. I would suggest increasing the cocoa powder by one or two tablespoons, or adding a 1/4 cup of chocolate chips to counter the tartness of the gluten-free mix.
Note: The combination of baking soda and vinegar is what gives this cake it’s lift. Sometimes it gives a slightly tart after taste. If you increase the cocoa to 4 tablespoons and dissolve a teaspoon of instant coffee granules in the water, the after taste is pretty much non-existent.