This Old Fashioned Crazy Cake recipe, sometimes called a Wacky Cake or a Depression Cake, can be found in most old-timey cookbooks. It was developed during the Great Depression when milk, butter and eggs were scarce. And it's still darned good!
Old Fashioned Crazy Cake is gluten free, dairy free, egg free and surprisingly good.
This delightful Crazy Cake can me made without milk, butter or eggs. With the current pandemic, these ingredients are sometimes unavailable now. I've seen similar recipes on multiple sites, but this one is inspired by James Beard's recipe. Some include milk; some do not. The cocoa makes this cake richly chocolate and the coffee makes it a bit deeper in flavor. It is not overly sweet and is scrumptious with or without frosting. The texture is a bit more dense than typical cakes, but you would never guess it's gluten free.
What You Need
You need measuring cups and spoons a wire whisk and a small cake pan. I used a single round cake pan and it worked perfectly. Some recipes say to mix it right in the pan, but I used a mixing bowl and then poured it into the greased cake pan.
Old Fashioned Crazy Cake Recipe (Gluten Free / Dairy Free)
Ingredients
- 1½ cups gluten free flour
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder or special dark cocoa
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 cup cooled brewed coffee
Instructions
- Grease an 8-inch cake pan. Set aside.
- Heat oven to 375F degrees.
- In a medium bowl, mix the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Poke three holes into the mix. Pour the vanilla in one hole, vinegar in the second hole, and oil into the last hole.
- Pour the coffee into the bowl and whisk or stir the ingredients until well blended.
- Pour the batter into the cake pan.
- Bake at 350F degrees for about 30 minutes, or until the top is set but still springy. A toothpick inserted into the cake should come out clean when the cake is done.
- Let the cake cool.
- Now you have a choice. Sprinkle with a little powdered sugar, frost with homemade frosting, top with whipped cream, or serve with ice cream.
Nutrition
You May Also Like These Recipes
- My Favorite Chocolate Cake
- Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes
- Gingerbread Pineapple Upside Down Cake
- Coconut Cupcakes (Gluten Free)
- Easy Cherry Almond Coffee Cake
- Lemon Cake (Gluten Free)
Lois Carter Crawford is an author, home chef, health advocate, and food coach who fought her way back from several debilitating health issues, including a moderate heart attack! She discovered that inflammation caused by the food she ate was the underlying cause of most of her health problems and developed a method and tools to help others research their food sensitivities.
Leave a Reply