Since a lot of us are trying to cut our grocery bills where possible, I thought there was no better time to reshare this Chocolate Depression Cake recipe (also known as Crazy Cake or Wacky Cake), which was born out of a time when ingredients were in limited supply—The Great Depression. This unique cake is rich and chocolatey without using any eggs, milk, or butter and is made entirely with shelf-stable pantry staples. A cake without butter?? So “wacky,” I know.
“I love this recipe! It’s so easy to make. It’s very delicious along with the frosting! This is my go-to chocolate cake recipe!”
Becky
Butter and eggs usually do some heavy lifting in cake recipes. Butter keeps cakes tender by coating the flour and slowing down gluten development, while eggs help with both leavening and structure. But here’s the magic of this chocolate depression cake: instead of butter, I use a neutral oil (whatever you have on hand works), which can achieve the same effect but with slightly less richness. And instead of eggs, I rely on a combo of vinegar and baking soda. The reaction between the two gives the batter a quick lift, making the cake light and fluffy.
So while this cake doesn’t contain any butter, it’s a damn fine treat when your cabinets are bare. Not to mention, it’s incredibly easy. Anyone can make this cake, and with very little cooking equipment or ingredients. For those two reasons alone, this is a good recipe to keep tucked in your back pocket (or your browser’s bookmarks). Also, it just happens to be vegan! It’s almost like a giant version of my chocolate mug cake if you’ve ever tried that. Anne Byrn’s 1917 apple sauce cake also uses a similar no-egg, no-butter style batter.
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Gather all of your ingredients and preheat your oven to 350ºF.
Make the batter: In a large bowl, add 1.5 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, ½ tsp salt, 1 tsp baking soda, and ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder.
Stir these dry ingredients together until they’re well combined.
Measure 1 cup water in a liquid measuring cup, then add 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1 Tbsp vinegar (any light vinegar, like white vinegar, rice vinegar, or apple cider vinegar).
Add ⅓ cup cooking oil and the water mixture to the dry ingredients.
Stir until a thick cake batter forms. A few lumps are okay, but make sure no dry flour remains on the bottom of the bowl.
Bake: Pour the cake batter into an 8×8 or 9×9 inch baking dish. You don’t need to grease the baking dish as the batter already contains plenty of oil.
Bake the cake in the fully preheated 350ºF oven for 35 minutes. If you plan to make the chocolate icing, cool the cake for at least an hour before making and adding the icing.
Make the icing: Add 1.5 cups powdered sugar, ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa, and 1 tsp vanilla extract to a bowl. Starting with 1 tablespoon water, stir in water until it forms a thick icing (about 3 Tbsp total). The powdered sugar only needs a very small amount of liquid to melt into a thick icing. If you let the icing sit for a bit, it can dry out but can be moistened again by stirring in another splash of water.
Pour the prepared icing over the baked and cooled cake, then spread into an even layer.
Serve: Cut the cake into nine equal pieces, then serve!
It’s also really good with a glass of milk or scoop of ice cream!
I made a super simple dairy-free chocolate icing to top my cake, but be aware that this type of dairy-free icing is super sweet because there is no fat to mellow out the sweetness. If you’re not into super sweet icings, I suggest skipping the icing and just dusting your cake with powdered sugar after it cools (if you do it while the cake is still hot, the powdered sugar will dissolve).
Or, if you’ve got butter on hand, you can go with a more traditional chocolate buttercream. Whipped topping or homemade whipped cream (added after the cake has cooled) would also be yum. And if you’re skipping the icing altogether? A warm slice with a scoop of vanilla ice cream is absolutely divine, as is a side of fresh fruit and homemade fruit dip. 🤤
You can store this dairy and egg-free cake at room temperature for up to 3-4 days. I’d keep it in an airtight container to stop it from drying out too quickly. You can also freeze the unfrosted cake for up to 3 months. If you want to add the icing, let your chocolate depression cake thaw and make the icing just before serving.
Our Chocolate Depression Cake recipe was originally published 4/10/20. It was retested, reworked, and republished to be better than ever 6/28/25.
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