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There is nothing easier to make than a Deep Depression Cake. A cake that dates back to the Great Depression, it is easy to make, a moist and inexpensive cake that has an amazing flavor. Made without butter, eggs or milk, this cake was inspired during the Great Depression.
Our 5-Minute Chocolate Buttercream Frosting is perfect with this chocolate cake recipe.
Featured Comment
We baked this depression cake today, along with the chocolate buttercream frosting. So delicious! We added almond extract to the cake and frosting, along with vanilla. I’m amazed at how moist and tender this turned out.
Deep Depression Cake Recipe
While deep depression cake started back in the Great Depression, it doesn’t mean it isn’t still loved today. This cake has been a classic for years and for good reason. This cake is extremely easy to make. It requires only the pan you will be baking in and a fork. It couldn’t be easier. The ingredients are extremely inexpensive.
Why Is This Called a Depression Cake?
This cake was created during the Great Depression. The cake is made with no butter, no eggs, and no milk. This is because during the Great Depression these ingredients were hard to come by. Since it was hard for many families to have enough food, dessert was a treat. By making it as inexpensive as possible.
Can I Freeze This Chocolate Cake?
If you want to freeze this Depression Era Chocolate cake, it is easy to do. Once the cake is cooled, you can slice it into pieces. You can freeze the cake as a whole or in individual slices. You can freeze the cake frosted or unfrosted. If you are freezing the cake frosted, you might want to freeze it on a plate before wrapping it. This will prevent the frosting from sticking to the plastic wrap.
Ingredients You Will Need
(full amounts in recipe box below)
- All-purpose Flour
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- Sugar
- Baking Soda
- Kosher Salt
- White Vinegar
- Vanilla Extract
- Vegetable Oil or Canola Oil
- Water
- Chocolate Frosting
- Rainbow Sprinkles
How to Make a Wacky Cake
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 13×9 baking dish with butter.
Using the pan as a bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
Using a fork, whisk together the ingredients.
Make 2 small wells on the sides and one larger well in the center in the dry ingredients.
Pour the vanilla and vinegar in each of the small wells and then oil in the larger well. Don’t worry if it overflows.
Pour water over everything and whisk to combine thoroughly.
Bake for 30 minutes or until the cake is done. A toothpick will come out clean when it is done.
Cool the cake completely and frost the cake with your favorite chocolate frosting.
If desired, sprinkle rainbow sprinkles over the top.
Enjoy!
Add as Google Trusted SourceChocolate Depression Cake - No Milk, Eggs or Butter
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup All-purpose Flour
- 1/3 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 teaspoon White Vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1/3 cup Vegetable Oil
- 1 cup Water
- Chocolate Frosting of your choice
- Rainbow Sprinkles, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Grease an 13x9 pan with butter.
- In the greased pan, combine the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
- Whisk lightly with a fork or small whisk to combine.
- Make two small wells on the sides and 1 large well in the middle of the dry ingredients.
- Pour the vinegar and vanilla into the small wells then pour the oil in the big well, if they spill over the wells that's perfectly okay.
- Pour the water over the top and whisk again to combine thoroughly.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Cool completely.
- Frost the cake with your choice of chocolate frosting. Our 5-Minute Chocolate Buttercream Frosting is wonderful with this cake!
- Optional; sprinkle rainbow sprinkles on top.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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My mom made this every year for my brothers’ birthdays as it was their favourite. She got the recipe from her grandmother, who also called it Crazy Cake. It’s a family treasure!
Did you just double the recipe for the 13×9 size pan?
Hi Molly, the recipe calls for a 9×13 pan so no need to double.
I want to make it for my hostel kids 60 kids please
How hard was it to get rainbow sprinkles during the depression?
this is amazing
ilove this
thankyou so much
Hat it when you do not have a print option for recipe.
Hi Joan, The print button is there in the recipe box…check again.
I cant wait to try these cakes.
In the 1960’s my mother was making a double recipe of this cake for our dessert. She had some of the ingredients in the bowl already when she found there was no cocoa in the cabinet. Not wanting to waste what she had put together she turned it into a spice cake and wrote down the directions for what she had done. Chopped walnuts and raisins are an optional addition. My mother called the original cake “Chocolate Crazy Cake” and her changes she named “Spice Snack Cake”
Follow instructions as for Chocolate Depression Cake:
SPICE SNACK CAKE
(created in 1960’s from Chocolate Depression Cake recipe when no cocoa found in cabinet)
Recipe for 8 inch square pan:
1-1/2 CUPS FLOUR
1 TEASPOON BAKING SODA
3/4 CUP SUGAR
1/2 TEASPOON SALT
3/4 TEASPOON CINNAMON
1/2 TEASPOON GROUND CLOVES
1/2 TEASPOON NUTMEG
5 TABLESPOONS COOKING OIL
1 TABLESPOON VINEGAR
1 CUP COLD WATER
1/2 CUP CHOPPED WALNUTS (OPTIONAL)
1/2 CUP RAISINS (OPTIONAL)
Thank you for the spice cake option! I will definitely try it.
Thank you for the spice cake version it was a big hit!
My mother-inlaw called this Crazy Chocolate Cake. I have been making fow 50 years as well. It’s great.
I’ll be making this as I am allergic to eggs and mom was a Depression baby-we share the same birthday so guess what mom…..
Please tell us how you made the frosting too!! Thank you !!
We made our Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.
A classic recipe I remember well from my childhood (WWII) Thank you for the reminder – I remember the ingredients but not the amounts. We used to have it with ice cream, no frosting. It is neither too heavy nor too sweet.
My mom grew up then as well.My step daughter shared this as I am allergic to eggs and I never get to enjoy with everyone else at parties.But I will try this and since I make desserts each week for mom (80) so this next week-she gets this! Happy times.Connie here.