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.
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!
Chocolate 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!
Last Step:
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140 comments on “Chocolate Depression Cake – No Milk, Eggs or Butter”
this turned out wonderfully!
I’m 73 and my mother made this in a 9 x 9 pan and we called it Wacky Chocolate Cake. She made a chocolate frosting with what she had. It’s a favorite with our children and grandchildren. Thanks for sharing!!!
My friend used to make this for her birthday in the black oven panel so that there was enough for everybody that came to visit her as a team. She called it a wiki wacky cake and topped it with caramel.
I recently discovered this recipe again and made it for my children and they loved it. my 14 year old bakes is now too .
I used to make this cake for my Step-daughter (she had an egg allergy) and she loved it! She could finally have cake like everyone else, so it made her very happy. She’s outgrown her allergies but still loves this cake.
Our family calls this “Crazy cake” – it’s been a family staple forever!
As a child, my mother used to make this cake that her mother used to make. I lost this recipe several years ago and am glad to see this online. And we called it a Wacky Cake.
Great cake. Some adjustments that I have made over the years that has improved the original recipe.
1) add 3/4 cup black cofffee to a 1 cup measure and fill the remaining 1/4 cup measure with water.
2) Add 1 1/2 Tbls of dark cocoa powder to the 1/3 measuring cup and fill the remaining measure with regular cocoa powder.
3) Use good oil. I use Sunflower Oil. It never has that rancid oil smell.
4) And most important….use the Betty Crocker Recipe “Chocolate Glaze” that is used in the Boston Cream Pie recipe.
It is like chocolate fudge!
5) Refrigerate the cake. It is so much better served chilled.
Trust me on these improvements. My sons and all of their friends can attest to the greatness of this little gem.
Loved it with the coffee, thanks
My grandmother used to put black coffee in the chocolate frosting also.
hi. what will i look for in the store..is it BETTY CROCKER CHOCOLATE GLAZE? can u please share the recipe for your chocolate glaze,,please and thank u
Surprisingly gppd. Fooled everyone.
Sounds spectacular & delicious!
Is the nutritional info for frosted or unfrosted?
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.
This is great for people who have food allergies
I’d prefer to mix it like any cake. The wells don’t always work well!
Don’t make it complicated. Any table salt will work just fine.
This is one of my favorite cake recipes. In fact, I just had a piece about an hour ago. This was the recipe that my mom would use when a child, boy or girl, found their self in the kitchen with nothing to do. As a boy, it was a joy to wipe-out the three holes of ingredients with a big flood of water, stir the mess together and then be amazed at the final product that tasted so good.
Often we made it with a peanut butter/milk/powdered sugar frosting(approximately 1 Tbsp, 1 Tbsp, 1 cup, respectively). Personally, I feel a store bought peanut butter cup can not hold a candle to this concoction. As one of your other commenters pointed out, not too heavy and not too sweet. I was from a large family, so we always made a double batch in a 9 X 13 and baked 35 to 45 min. or even longer(toothpick test). Also, double ingredients when making the peanut butter frosting.
Great Dessert and always up to emergency task when unexpected company is coming.
I made this in under 15 min using Krusteaz brand 1:1 gluten free flour & a tablespoon or so more water (because gf flour absorbs more) and I cannot express how much I LOVE it! I have allergies to dairy, wheat, eggs and some nuts, so this is a dream come true! GF tends not to rise as much so this is not terribly high, but super light, fluffy, tender, moist, and delicious! I’ve eaten a third of it and haven’t even put icing on it yet! Outstanding!
The only thing I will do differently next time is to use table salt because some of the crystals of kosher salt didn’t get a chance to melt, (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing;). Also thinking a German chocolate coconut icing or even just caramel syrup, would be amazing on it.
Thanks again for posting! I think I found my new go-to potluck dessert
I believe it was the old Betty Crocker cookbook that had an eggless, butterless, milkless spice cake recipe. I used to make it all the time for my kids when times were tough. Sometimes that was all we had to eat.
Can this recipe be successfuflly cut in half? I live alone and it seems the whole cake is too much for just one person.
Freezing cake is always an option! Then you don’t have to make it again so soon 🙂
Just double wrap it, (my mom always does a layer of Saran Wrap and a good tight layer of tin foil), and it’s ready to go for the next time you want it!
My grandma told me one time, “You know, I think my cakes are more moist after I freeze them, I think I’m always going to make them ahead and freeze them before I need them.” And she did… And people LOVED her cakes!
Hi there!
Just out of curiosity here regarding the wells… Is this for keeping it to one pan instead of an extra mixing bowl to wash? Or does the well help somehow on a chemical level for flavor or density vs mixed in a bowl?
I usually mix mine in a bowl. For me it’s just easier getting it mixed together. And you can make cupcakes.
My family loves this chocolate cake. It’s the only chocolate cake recipe I make.