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Cinnamon Crazy Cake – or some call it Wacky Cake – is a delicious dessert with zero eggs, milk or butter. Making a cake without those kitchen staples sounds, well, crazy!
We made a chocolate version of this Depression Cake that you might want to check out as well!
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One of the best tasting depression cakes I have ever made - thank you!
Cinnamon Crazy Cake
For those wondering, the reason this dessert carries the name it does, is because the recipe originated during The Great Depression.
Back then, eggs, milk and butter were items that were hard to come by. So, the brilliant minds created a way to have cake without it. (They sound like my kind of people.)
Ingredients You Will Need
- Flour. We’re using All-Purpose flour for this recipe since we are adding in salt and baking soda. (Self-Rising flour already has those things included.)
- Sugar. Every good recipe has sugar.
- Baking Soda. If all you have in the kitchen is self-rising flour, leave this out.
- Salt. Same for this ingredient: if using self-rising, leave this out.
- Nutmeg. You don’t need much of this spice because it has a very intense flavor.
- Ginger. You’ll need even less of this spice! Ginger is super strong and even a little spicy.
- Ground Cloves. This spice is really warm and pretty similar to nutmeg.
- Cinnamon. This is what adds the most flavor to your cake.
- Canola Oil.
- Distilled White Vinegar.
- Vanilla Extract. Any vanilla is fine to use, but when it has the word “imitation” on it, it isn’t quite as tasty as the real stuff.
- Water.
How To Make Crazy Cake
- Whisk the dry ingredients. Combine all of your spices with the rest of the dry ingredients in a big bowl.
- Make wells. Use a spoon to create three little wells in mixture that you can pour the wet ingredients into.
- Add wet ingredients. Each well gets one of the wet ingredients and the water covers all of it.
- Mix. Stir everything up.
- Bake. Cook this cake in a glass pan for a little under half an hour.
Make The Cream Cheese Frosting
- This part is super easy. Just use a mixer to beat the cream cheese and then add in vanilla and powdered sugar. You can sprinkle a little more cinnamon on top if you want.
- Frost the cake and you’re all done!
More Easy Cake Recipes
Cinnamon Crazy Cake
Cinnamon Crazy Cake – or some call it Crazy Cake – is a soft, tender cake with zero eggs, milk or butter. Top it off with cream cheese frosting!
Servings: 16
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger
- 1/2 cups Canola oil
- 1/2 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups cold water
Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients
- 8 ounce package cream cheese softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 cups Powdered sugar
Instructions
Cake Directions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Using a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves and ginger.
- Make 3 wells in the dry ingredients.
- Pour the vanilla into one well.
- Vinegar into a second one.
- Canola oil into the third one.
- Pour cold water over the ingredients in the bowl.
- Mix until combined and smooth.
- Pour the batter into the glass pan and bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cream Cheese Frosting Directions
- Using a mixing bowl, combine the softened cream cheese and mix until smooth.
- Add in the vanilla and powdered sugar and mix until combined.
- Spread onto the cooled cake.
- Sprinkle cinnamon over the top of the cake.
- Place into the fridge overnight.
- Cut and serve!
Last Step:
Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.Nutrition
Calories: 311kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 279mg | Potassium: 64mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 42g | Vitamin A: 9IU | Vitamin C: 0.02mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 1mg
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36 comments on “Cinnamon Crazy Cake”
I’ve made this for a couple years now and realized I never left a review! Such a delicious, moist cake. Makes great cupcakes too!
Thank you Chelsea!
Trying it tonight smelling really good. I made the chocolate version. I believe the mayonnaise cake is what we call it growing up. I didn’t look at the recipe but it’s made with mayonnaise and cocoa powder and not the spices. Of course I’m looking forward to trying it instead of making my frosting. I am using cream cheese ready to spread along with some cinnamon and sugar on top. Well let you know what I think.
One of the best tasting depression cakes I have ever made – thank you!
Thank you Terry!
What size pan?
Hi Henrietta. You’ll use a 9×13 pan.
What size pan???
Hi Jan. This recipe uses a 9×13 pan.
Crazy Cakes are the first cakes I have taught my children to make. My grandson Luke made his first when he was 5 years old
Great memories I’m sure Sara. Thanks!
What size pan? One picture looks like 8 or 9-inch square and another looks like 9 x 13.
Thanks.
Hi Marty. This recipe uses a 9×13.
Does it have to be refrigerated overnight before serving? Or does that just let everything set on it! At my house, if there’s a cake in the fridge it won’t be there when I get home from work!
Hi Michelle. I totally understand! If the cake is fairly cool, just a few hours in the fridge should be fine.
I love this cake, easy to make with on hand ingredients and tastes so good! I have always wondered why it calls for wells for the dry ingredients? I have googled and cannot find an answer. Just curious if you knew. Thanks for all the great recipes…
In “crazy cake” (also known as wacky cake), wells are made in the dry ingredients to create distinct areas where you can pour in the liquid ingredients like oil, vinegar, and vanilla extract, ensuring they are evenly distributed throughout the batter without overmixing, which is especially important in this recipe as it doesn’t use eggs for structure and relies on the careful incorporation of these wet ingredients to achieve the desired texture.
Key points about making wells in crazy cake:
Easy incorporation:
By creating wells, you can carefully add each liquid ingredient to its designated spot, preventing them from clumping together before being mixed into the dry ingredients.
No eggs for structure:
Since crazy cake doesn’t contain eggs, the chemical reaction between the vinegar’s acidity and the baking soda is crucial for leavening, and making wells helps ensure this reaction happens evenly.
Consistent texture:
The well method allows for a more uniform distribution of the wet ingredients, leading to a consistent cake texture throughout.
Can this be made in the instant pot. I think it would be a good layer on top of my cheese cake I make w/cinnamon graham cracker crust and then top with cream cheese frosting in this recipe. I made this many years ago when snowed in and didn’t have eggs, milk or butter. Delicious
Can vegetable oil be used instead of canola oil?
Yes, you can substitute with no issues.
This looks really good but if you cannot have dairy then what about cream cheese frosting. What would you recommend.
Butter cream made with crisco or coconut oil.
There’s also Vegan Cream Cheese nowadays and it’s dairy-free
Curious if anyone has tried with an all purpose gluten free flour yet?
I have made Wacky Cake with several different GF flours over the years and it always turns out good, one of my daughter and my favorite go to cake recipes. So I’m sure as a spice cake it will be good too!
I make the chocolate crazy cake quite often so today I wanted to try the Cinnamon Crazy Cake. So I googled it and found this recipe. It is in the oven now. I goofed and accidentally forgot the vinegar so we shall see how it comes out. When I make my chocolate crazy cake I make it all in an 8×8 square pan. I mix the whole thing in the pan so I only dirty one dish and if you make it in a glass pan you can look underneath it to see if you got it all mixed in. So when I went to make this I had to look and see what size pan to make it in. I looked through the instructions (where you usually find that) but it never says. I looked at the pictures and figured it was a 13x9x2 inch pan to use. If I missed it then I’m sorry but I looked all over and couldn’t find the pan size so I thought I would let you know.
So annoying that it doesn’t say the pan size! How did your turn out?
I intend to make it tomorrow. Did you use room temperature water or cold water as the recipe says? I’m also making it in 8×8 cake tin. I hope it turns out good. Fingers crossed. Please share your feedback: how did yours turn out?
Can you use regular vinegar?
Yes.
You mention using baking powder since it’s not self rising flour but then everywhere else you write baking soda. I don’t see baking powder in the ingredients. Is there baking powder in this recipe or just baking soda? I want to try it but not possibly ruin it with soda if it’s not supposed to be there.
It’s baking soda not powder. We corrected it in the post. Thanks!
What size pan? What oven temperature? Is the pan buttered and floured, buttered, floured, or neither? Thanks.
Hi Rose, use a 9 x 13 pan. The oven temp is in the recipe card…350 degrees. Also, you can use a non-stick cooking spray on the pan.
Is the glass pan a 9 x 13 inch pan?
Hi Judi, yes a 9 x 13 pan.