Last weekend, I made a mango mousse cake for the husband's advance birthday celebration.…
Chocolate Wacky Cake
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Wacky Cake has been created since the America’s Depression Era, where ingredients such as milk and eggs were scarce. This is an easy cake recipe made without eggs or dairy. Here’s the chocolate wacky cake!
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What is Chocolate Wacky Cake?
This is a popular cake in the USA. A spongy and fluffy cake, this cake has a deep chocolate flavor. It is also a super easy cake recipe to make, which uses no eggs, butter or milk. Great recipe for kids who like to try baking a cake on their own!
This cake tastes a little like a moist brownie, with a lighter texture.
My personal favourite supermarket cocoa powder is Vanhouten’s. If you’re feeling a little fancy and would like a more intense chocolate taste, you can try Valrhona!
>> MORE EASY SWEET TREAT RECIPES:
How to Make the Wacky Cake?
You simply just combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl or tray. And then you’ll make 3 wells in the dry ingredients for adding the wet ingredients – oil, vanilla extract and distilled white vinegar.
Before mixing the batter, pour the cup of water evenly over the ingredients, and mix them all together using a fork or whisk.
Yes! You don’t need fancy equipment, which I guess is really good in this Circuit Breaker period!
Do I Need to Frost the Cake?
The cake tastes better with frosting. Due to the little ingredients used in the cake batter, there is not much flavor to it, except for chocolatey richness – if you’d compare this cake with the usual chocolate cakes we eat.
Try not to skip the frosting. You can use the traditional American buttercream, German buttercream, Swiss Meringue buttercream, or even chocolate ganache! If you do not want to make the frosting, you can also dust the top of the cake with some icing sugar and eat it together with some fresh fruits.
In this recipe, I’ve made the traditional American buttercream because it is easy. This buttercream has a nostalgic old school taste, which I don’t mind eating occasionally! Be sure to beat the buttercream well as the icing sugar may make the buttercream taste a little gritty.
Do choose a lighter butter – my first choice is always French butter, as they are not overly greasy. Some butters, such as Australia or Denmark ones, tend to be richer and heavier in texture.
How Can I Store The Cake?
You can make the cake and buttercream all on the same day. After frosting the cake, let the buttercream chill and set in the fridge for about 15-20mins so it is easier to cut into the cake.
As you serve the cake, try to only cut out the pcs that will be served and eaten. Leave the rest of the cake uncut. If you may have leftover, place a pc of clingwrap over the cut (exposed) area and preferably store in an airtight container. Place into the fridge. This will help reduce the cut portion from drying out.
You can store the cake in the fridge for 3-4 days. Let cake come to room temperature for about 15 mins before serving, otherwise the cake and buttercream might be hard.

Chocolate Wacky Cake
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 8" x 8" Cake Pan 1x
Ingredients
Cake
- 188 g plain flour
- 200 g caster sugar
- 28 g unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp distilled white vinegar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 80 g oil
- 240 ml water (room temperature)
Frosting
- 112 g unsalted butter (softened)
- 30 g unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3/4 – 2 tsp milk (room temperature)
- 135 – 165 g icing sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 175C. Grease and line 8″ x 8″ cake pan.
- Sift all dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl or tray. If you do not have a sieve, simply whisk all dry ingredients together till fairly well combined.
- Make 3 holes in the dry ingredients.
- Place vinegar, oil, vanilla extract respectively in each of the holes.
- Pour water over the ingredients and whisk well, using a whisk or fork. You should have a fairly smooth and liquid batter.
- Pour batter into prepared cake pan. Bake in preheated oven at 175C for 26-32 mins, or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Let cake cool completely on wire rack.
Frosting
- Sift and mix cocoa powder, icing sugar and pinch of salt in mixing bowl.
- Place softened butter into the bowl and beat well.
- Once mixture is smooth, add in milk and vanilla. You can adjust consistency by adding more milk (so it is softer). Add 1/2 tsp one at a time. Beat till buttercream lighten slightly in color and looks fluffier.
- Once buttercream is ready, spread onto completely cooled cake. Decorate as you wish.
Notes
You can let frosted cake chill briefly in the fridge for 15-20 mins for the buttercream to set, so you can cut nicely.
Use 135g icing sugar first. This buttercream is sweeter. If you prefer a much more sweeter taste, add more icing sugar bit by bit after you tasted it.
Omit cocoa powder if you’d like to make a vanilla buttercream instead.
- Category: Cakes, Dessert, Eggless, Dairy Free
- Method: Mixing
- Cuisine: American
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