Depression Cake

This recipe for chocolate cake is from the time of the Great Depression, it’s a moist and light chocolate cake made without eggs or dairy.

Depression Cake?  Yep, that’s what I said.

^LOVE IT? PIN IT!^

I first shared this recipe back in June of 2012.  The other day while sharing with you my Chicken Piccata Recipe, it came to mind once again.  As a matter of a fact, I couldn’t STOP thinking about it.  

I had to make it.  We had this for dessert Monday night.  It’s one of my hubby’s favorite cakes.  Why?  Because there is no frosting.  Yep. he’s “one of those” who scrapes the frosting off of the cake before he eats it.  We like to serve this with a big dollop of whipped cream, but it’s delicious right out of the dish, like a snack cake.

Baking with Vinegar and Without Eggs:

I have come to find out that this cake, or similar cakes that are made without eggs, butter and milk, but utilize vinegar, go by many other names.  The most common name is  “Wacky Cake,” but it’s also been known as “Crazy Cake,”  “Dump Cake,” and “War Cake.”  Names like crazy and wacky come from the fact that most people would wonder just How on earth can you bake a cake without eggs?!

You sure can! Baking without eggs has become even more common in this day and age of so many people having allergies and such.  Eggless cakes are made with things like applesauce, too.  But in the case of this Depression Cake, we rely on the vinegar to do the “fizzy lifting.”

What does vinegar do to cake batter? Vinegar, used as an acid, reacts with the baking soda produces a chemical reaction, making carbon dioxide and give cake (and cookie) batters that lift they need while they bake. Most people think “yuck” when they think of the strong taste that vinegar has, but you won’t even taste it, or believe it’s in there at all!

My Favorite Chocolate Cake Recipes:

• Sauerkraut Chocolate Cake
• Chocolate Espresso Cake
• Chocolate Banana Cake
• Black Forest Cake
• Chocolate Pudding Poke Cake
• Chocolate Macaroon Tunnel Cake

Let’s get to the recipe for this deliciously crazy, wacky, wartime, Depression Cake, shall we? 

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Yield: 9x13 cake

Depression Cake

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This recipe is from the time of the Great Depression, it's a moist and light chocolate cake made without eggs or dairy.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar
• 3 cups flour
• 5 heaping Tablespoons of cocoa
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 10 Tablespoons oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 Tablespoons white vinegar
• 2 cups cold water
• whipped cream, for serving, if desired

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine ingredients and pour into an UNGREASED 9×13 pan.
3. Bake for 40 minutes.
4. Top with fresh whipped cream if desired.
   

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• 
  9x13 Pyrex Baking Dish with a Lid

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

18

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 239Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 259mgCarbohydrates: 39gFiber: 1gSugar: 22gProtein: 2g

Nutrition isn't guaranteed accurate.