Chocolate wacky cake. Dense, rich, and loaded with chocolate! Also known as a "depression cake," this cake contains no eggs, milk, or butter. It is also the first cake that I ever made from scratch.
It has become a tradition, starting sometime around my junior high years, that I make this cake for my mom's birthday. When we were up at my parents this weekend, we had a belated birthday celebration for my mom, and I, of course, made this cake!
This recipe has been around for years, but I don't actually know the original source of this exact recipe. In fact, when looking through my mom's recipe box this weekend, I found a recipe from my grandma that was a little different than my mom's.
The fudge frosting was a later addition, and I think it was originally called "No Fail Fudge Frosting." That name fits. You can let it boil longer or shorter than the instructions, not beat it enough or too much, and you will still end up with a wonderful layer of fudge. Go ahead and give it a try!
Chocolate Wacky Cake with Fudge Frosting
Yield: 24 pieces
Ingredients
- For the Cake
- 3 C all-purpose flour
- 2 C sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1/3 C unsweetened baking cocoa
- 2 C water
- 3 tbsp canola oil
- 2 tbsp white vinegar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- For the Frosting
- 1 1/2 C sugar
- 3 tbsp unsweetened baking cocoa
- 1/3 C milk
- 1/3 C butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray a 9x13 cake pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- Sift together flour, sugar, salt, soda, and baking cocoa into a large bowl. If you have a small sifter, just whisk the dry ingredients together thoroughly. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, stir together wet ingredients. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir until completely combined.
- Pour batter into cake pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove for oven to a wire rack to cool completely.
- When cake is cool, prepare frosting.
- In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, baking cocoa, milk, and butter. Bring to a rolling boil over medium heat. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent scorching.
- Remove from heat. Add vanilla and beat until glossy and frosting starts to thicken.
- Pour frosting over the top and smooth across top of cake with the back of a spoon. Frosting will harden as it cools, so it is important that you work quickly.
This recipe is linked with Crazy Sweet Tuesday, Friday Favorites, I'm Lovin' It Fridays, Kitchen Fun Friday, Martha Mondays, Mop It Up Mondays, Pamela's Heavenly Treats, Strut Your Stuff Saturday, Sweet Treats and Swanky Stuff, Tastetastic Thursday, Thursday Treasures, Totally Tasty Tuesday, Tuesday Talent Show, Weekend Potluck.