My sisters and I always requested this cake for our birthdays. Now, my daughters ask for it for their birthdays!
This was a recipe that has been passed down in my family as well. It's called 'crazy cake' because it's made without eggs and butter. It became popular during War Rations because it didn't use eggs or butter. Our family recipe calls for 2 Tablespoons of vinegar, 2 teaspoons of salt and 3/4 c. oil. It makes a FANTASTICly chocolatey cake (and trust me, you can't taste the vinegar). If you're making a layer cake, I'd use less oil, as the 3/4 c. makes a very soft and tender cake that won't hold up outside a pan. We top our crazy cake with a boiled chocolate p'nut butter frosting (fudgy!) or with cool whip and a variety of crushed up chocolate candies...but it's way yummy just right out of the pan with nothing on it!
Read MoreThis recipe is terrible! I should have known - there are no eggs in the recipe! The cake tasted like a runny sugar and coco water mixture. Very plain, one dimensional and simple. Don't be fooled by the name "crazy chocolate cake". The cake was not rich nor moist. In fact, it took long to bake and even then it appeared uncooked in the middle (sort of like a brownie consistency, but minus the chocolaty-richness). If someone baked this for my birthday I'd throw it at them.
Read MoreThis was a recipe that has been passed down in my family as well. It's called 'crazy cake' because it's made without eggs and butter. It became popular during War Rations because it didn't use eggs or butter. Our family recipe calls for 2 Tablespoons of vinegar, 2 teaspoons of salt and 3/4 c. oil. It makes a FANTASTICly chocolatey cake (and trust me, you can't taste the vinegar). If you're making a layer cake, I'd use less oil, as the 3/4 c. makes a very soft and tender cake that won't hold up outside a pan. We top our crazy cake with a boiled chocolate p'nut butter frosting (fudgy!) or with cool whip and a variety of crushed up chocolate candies...but it's way yummy just right out of the pan with nothing on it!
This recipe is terrible! I should have known - there are no eggs in the recipe! The cake tasted like a runny sugar and coco water mixture. Very plain, one dimensional and simple. Don't be fooled by the name "crazy chocolate cake". The cake was not rich nor moist. In fact, it took long to bake and even then it appeared uncooked in the middle (sort of like a brownie consistency, but minus the chocolaty-richness). If someone baked this for my birthday I'd throw it at them.
i was a little nervous about making this cake after reading such extreme contrasting views - i decided that i'd go for it, hoping that the raving reviews would reflect my opinion. so i started to bake this cake for my husbands birthday party - after i had the batter in the cake pan and ready to go into the oven i realized that there wouldn't be enough for all of the party guests so i hauled out my ingredients again and made another batch. here's the interesting part. i found that the first batch had a cookie dough consistancy vs. a cake batter consistancy but the second time around it was like a typical cake batter. my conclusion is that i must have missed adding something in the first batch because the first cake was: 1. baked in only 20 minutes 2. very dry 3. very flavorless. Yikes!! BUT.. The second cake was AMAZING living up to every positive review I read... so my advice is to: 1. carefully follow the directions and 2. don't give up if the first cake is a dud.
I changed the recipe a little. I took the cocoa up to a full cup, and added an egg for good measure. The cake turned out rich and moist! It was so simple to make, too! Thanks for a great recipe.
This cake was amazing! It was thick and moist HOWEVER... due to doing the mixing right in the pan, the flour did not get thouroughly mixed in which resulted in chewy parts of the cake. I suggest using a net thingy to thin out the flour before putting it in the pan.
This came out great - I did up the cocoa powder to 1 cup - like others had suggested doing. We made cupcakes out it for my daughter's birthday. No idea how people ended up with bad results - this was so easy to put together, and it is so moist and chocolate-y!!
Let me thank you for putting ths cake on here! It is the BEST most moist cake I've ever made!! and simple too. Thank you again its the best chocolate cake!!! I can't say it enough.
A very similar recipe appeared in Peg Bracken's "I Hate To Cook Cookbook" as Cockeyed Cake, and I remember seeing another in one of the first Bake Off cookbooks (from the early 1950's). My family has been making Cockeyed Cake for 40+ years, and never had a failure that I can recall. THE CORRECT AMOUNT OF VINEGAR PROBABLY SHOULD BE 2 TABLESPOONS, NOT 2 TEASPOONS! YOU MAY ALSO TRY 2 TEASPOONS OF VANILLA. I also think that the preparation instructions may be causing some problems here. The original recipes were 1/2 this amount and were mixed in a 9" pan. THE DRY INGREDIENTS MUST BE SIFTED TOGETHER WELL BEFORE YOU ADD THE WET INGREDIENTS. You may want to do what the original recipes specified: Make three wells (one each for the vinegar, oil, and vanilla), then pour the cold water over all. When I make this, I generally use a bowl to mix the batter rather than the baking pan. It is easier to get the batter evenly mixed. Also, the vinegar activates the baking soda right away, so it is important to get the cake in the oven immediately.
This cake was sooo good and chocolatey. We added almost 1 cup of cocoa powder to enrich the flavor. My son loved that you can make it in the pan!! thank you it is a keeper for us!
This was a strange recipe. The batter tasted good. The cake smelled wonderful while baking. It looked great when it was done. The texture was perfect, very moist and dense. Unfortunately, it didn't taste very good. It's not that it tasted bad, it didn't have much of a flavor at all. I topped it with a rich chocolate frosting, and the kids were happy, but I'm glad I didn't make it for company. I won't make this one again.
I would actually give this cake 2.5 stars.I made a quick fudge icing to go over this and it wasn't too bad but I think it could use more chocolate...then I would give it a 3. For something that has neither eggs, nor milk I think this turned out well. However it really doesn't measure up to a chocolate cake that DOES use these things. It is moist but a bit thick going down. I think maybe 1.5 cups of sugar would suffice and maybe a cup of cocoa powder would improve the taste even more.
This was fabulous. Reading the other reviews, I increased cocoa to 1 c. And, I used Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa to boot. WOW, was it fudgey! Yummy! The best part was my son who's allergic to eggs, milk, and of course, butter could eat it for his birthday cake, yet everyone else could enjoy it too! Thanks!
This recipe is okay as is (especially if for kids and with filling or frosting)--but it would be rated higher with the following changes: increase the amount of cocoa to 1 cup, and use two teaspoons of vanilla or add a teaspoon of chocolate extract. SIFT the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix them with the wet ingredients before adding to a prepared pan--if you sift the dry, it will help the leavening be more uniform than mixing in the pan. Give it a try!
This was an excellent recipe!!! I used 1 tablespoon white vinegar, one tablespoon lemon juice. I also used milk instead of water and added a half teaspoon of instant coffee as someone suggested. I also upped the cocoa to 1 cup and added 1 teaspoon of baking powder... this was amazing! Finally I mixed the dry ingredients in a bowl and the wet ingredients in a separate bowl then mixed them and poured into pan. Rich, chocolatey, yummy and less fat since there is no eggs! Also no worries, you cant taste the vinegar!
I used the Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa with this which maybe explains the rich chocolate flavor that my family experienced.
I cook for 500 school kids, and they love when I make this chocolate cake. I sprinkle the cake with powdered sugar instead of frosting. This cake also freezes well.
I just made this today. The recipe didn't talk about sifting the flour, but I did anyways...In hoping that my cake will rise higher. The cake turned out beautiful! It was soft, moist, big, and delicious (even when I halved the recipe)! I used a LITTLE less sugar (for my personal preference). IT'S MY FIRST TIME MAKING CHOCOLATE CAKE FROM SCRATCH, AND I SUCCEEDED BIG TIME!!! THANKS SO MUCH FOR SHARING!
This recipe is fine as it is. However, I always use a mixing bowl, then pour it into a Pam sprayed baking dish. For a mocha flavor, use cold coffee instead of water.
Our family has been making this for 4 generations with a variation : mix all dry ingredients in pan, make three wells for liquids, stir together, bake! Our kids love it! So rich and Moist.
I was so excited to find this recipe. this is the same one we used as kids! This was the only chocolate cake my mom ever made but she lost the recipe years ago. i made it for my family and it disappeared pretty quickly. It is best with a thick buttercream frosting and a tall glass of ice cold milk. thanks
I made cupcakes from this recipe. It makes 24 moist cupcakes. As recommeneded by other bakers who rated this recipe, I put 1 cup of cocoa. I would even say that you could get away with adding a bit more AND a half a cup of chocolate chips, which would enhance the chocolaty flavor and sweetness. I am surprised at how well they turned out, considering the absence of milk and eggs...I'd make these again.
I made this for my son's birthday as he is allergic to diary and eggs and let's just say he wasn't the only one to love it. It gets requested now for other birthdays. Great cake.
This was a really good recipe! I changed a couple of things to make it healthier though. I used some white wheat...and I also substituted honey and splenda for the sugar. The consistency turned out GREAT! It just wasn't very sweet because I didn't use real sugar.
This was a good and super easy cake, so easy I could have let my 8yr old make it alone. Ella, the first reviewer who had such bad results must have missed ingredients or something, because this turns out great for me every time. The cake is so easy to make that I have time and energy to get creative with the frosting! People always comment on the flavor and texture. I think it is not as intensely chocolatey as some of the more traditional chocolate cake recipes on this site, but it sure is a lot quicker and always turns out 100 times better than the cheater cakes at the store bakery, so I'm happy to make this when we have unexpected guests or a party to go to.
When i was growing up this was the only cake my brother and i ever wanted on our birthdays. My mother called it mud cake. she also had a specific chocolate frosting that went on it that in my opinion make the cake. However, my brother liked the cake with no frosting at all. It is the easiest cake to make and the best chocolate cake i have ever had. But i have never once mixed in the pan like it says to. the trick to this is in the mixing bowl u mix every thing together except the vinegar. Then when the batter is smooth u add your vinegar and then pour into a greased and floured pan.
This is the best chocolate cake there is!!! I have been making it for 25 years and it always turns out perfect. I sometimes use cold coffe instead of water and it is great.
I made this for my sons birthday yesterday, and we thought it was just OK. It was such a strange list of ingredients with all the water. It didn't taste sweet enough to my family and would have been just as easy to bake a box cake. Of course if you have allergies or don't eat eggs, this would be the way to go because it was pretty good, just not the best birthday cake.
Wonderful, SIMPLE cake. I had a bit of a hard time getting it out of the pan, so next time I would light grease it; I use glass pans. It turned out perfect and everyone enjoyed it!
I love this recipe ! I added 1 cup of cocoa as others have said and some choocolate chips hehehe. I also used milk instead of water with a 1/2 tsp of instant coffee mixed into it. I baked it jelly roll style and used chocolate butter cream filling and topped with chocolate ganache for the most evil chocolate desert ever FTW! :D
I Made this for a surprise 90 birthday . It was gone in 10 minutes and everybody wanted the recipe. I told them where I got it. It gets five stars from me. Simple to prepare. delicious to eat.
Amazing cake! I mixed all the ingredients in a separate bowl instead of doing it right in the pan as the recipe says. Added 3/4 cups of cocoa instead of 5/8 just out of personal preference. COOL!
I love this recipe. I add one cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips and it makes a world of difference. This recipe is so easy and so tasty. It will forever be my chocolate cake recipe. Now if I could just find a yellow recipe that is this good.
I remember this as a child, called Wacky Chocolate Cake. Very moist, and the vinegar does make a difference, it just brightens up the flavour. We used it as a layered cake with cherry pie filling in the middle, iced with whipping cream. It makes a VERY moist version of dark forest cake we called Dark Bush Cake! Yum, yum! Will definately make again.
I've been making this cake for over 45 years and it is still a favorite. It works out better if you sift flour first--then measure--sift again with other ingredients. I usually do this on a couple pieces of wax paper a couple of times, then sift it into the pan and finish it. It's worth the extra effort.
I needed a non dairy, non-egg cake recipe. I found this one and went further by using a combination of non-wheat flours, sucanat and agave instead of white cane sugar and the result was fantastic. I have made this "birthday" cake for 40 plus children and teachers every year for three years and will be making it again! Thnaks for sharing it!
i made this recipe as a half recipe after reading the reveiws then decided to make another, the first turned out with no flavour at all and looked like it hadnt cooked so i changed the second a bit. With it i added a couple tablespoons more cocoa and extra water until it looked like cake batter. It turned out delicous as a half recipe but i dont think i will make it again since its so iffy about turning out
use one cup of sugar for a low sugar and use apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar and coffee instead of water
This recipe has been in my family for years as well. Absolutely The best Choc. cake ever! If you dont like this cake or comes out odd, re check the recipe because you are not doing something right.
I have used this recipe for years and my mom has used it even longer. It is pretty much the only chocolate cake recipe that I use. I have lots of friends that don't eat eggs, and they love when I bring this cake to work. It is always a hit.
Needed more chocolate.
Good recipe, but DO NOT cook 35 minutes! Try 25 min, since 35 mintues burned my cake! Had to re-cook!
My mom let us make this cake when we were kids. We made wells in the dry ingredients to put the liquids in, then poured the water over the top and mixed it all up right in the pan. This is *the* chocolate cake! Love it! Thanks for posting this recipe!
I had long forgotten about this cake! My nana used to tell stories of making this when she was younger and she made this when I was very young. I made it lastnight and told my boyfriends mom about it and she was almost in tears. (her late mom used to make it) I added extra cocoa as well as shredded chocolate bar to the batter (no choc. chips) and it turned out wonderful. I'm just one of those people that loves the taste of this cake! It's perfect =-) I will be making it a lot now!!
I made this and my kids loved it!! It was sooo easy to make. I also changed the cocoa to 1 cup. It was moist and rich.
I have made this cake for years. My recipe is called Wacky Cocoa Cake. It has 2 TBS. of vinegar though. It is a very heavy cake and you either love it or hate. There is no in between. My late grandfather used to make up holidays so that I would make it for him. I used to bake for a restaurant and I told the customers, you will either love it or totally hate it. More often than not, they loved it.
My mom makes a version of this cake. I love it because I almost always have all the ingredients on hand. I mixed the dry ingredients together, then added all the liquids and mixed. Then I poured it into a greased pan. I baked it for a little longer than the recipe suggests, maybe an extra 10 or 15 minutes. It turned out chocolatey and substantial--not airy. Next time I'll cut the sugar, maybe as much as by half. Very, very good recipe!
we use this recipe for birthday parties. Sometimes we start eating it while it is still warm with no frosting....yum! We have added chocolate chips to be naughty! Jamie started it in the family and now it is a Tradition!
Exactly like I remember my granny making, I added a little extra oil, cocoa, and an extra tbsp of vinegar.
I was surprised at how good this cake tasted. I made it for my son's 1st birthday and my husband insisted that a cake without butter wouldn't be rich/chocolatey enough but it was a huge hit... It's a lactose-free, soy-free treasure.
You have not any idea how long I have been looking for this recipe. My grandmother use to make it and she called it a Wacky Cake. Thank you for ending my search. I know how wonderful, moist this cake is and it can easily be made into a cake for diabetics.
I make one very close to this except the one I use calls for half a cup of cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons of vinegar, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, and only a dash of salt. If you didn't like this recipe, try it with these modifications. You'll love it.
I have the same recipe, all the measurements are exactly half (not the vanilla still use 1tsp) and bake in an 8x8 pan. The cake is pretty good. Its from my childhood too, so it brings back great memories. Its moist & yummy, try it one day when your out of eggs and craving cake!
I have no idea why some reviews don't like this cake. This cake was amazing and stands alone... it was so moist that I didn't even frost it. I didn't have any vegetable oil so I used olive oil and was a little nervous about it, but it still came out delicious. This cake is going to be a standby for those evenings that we just need a yummy, cheap and easy treat!
This was definetly the best cake I've ever made and it was really easy to make. I used buttercream frosting and everyone loved it!
I made this recipe as cupcakes for my daughters class party and they all loved it! Very simple to make and delicious! This ones a definite keeper!
This cake turned out beautifully! I was looking for something quick to aid a craving :o) and this was perfect! So easy and looked wonderful! This cake is very very smooth and so simple. I didn't realize it till after but this cake didn't need any eggs - even better and nothing seems compromised.
I will not make a boxed chocolate cake again. This cake is ridiculously simple and it's so moist and chocolatey. I was worried that it didn't use any eggs or butter, but they are not needed. I split the recipe into two 8x8 cakes (because there is no way my fiance and I could ever finish a whole batch ourselves.) The first cake I topped with whipped topping. The second cake I'll be topping with a chocolate butter cream frosting. So delicious.
I just made this cake, and it tastes pretty good. I used 1 cup of cocoa as others suggestions. Also, I halved the cake, spread it w/ strawberry jam. And top the cake w/ cream cheese frosting w/ pecan. It was good. Thanks for the recipe.
It was an Ok cake. It was moist and the texture was right but for my family we prefer a richer taste. Great in a pinch!
yummy and soooo easy!!! very light and moist, I topped it with chocolate buttercream frosting... delicious!!! thanx
Thanks for reminding me of this cake. We called it Whacky cake. I made it many many times for my son who is allergic to dairy products and eggs. This was always his birthday cake. I followed the recipie except as others added more chocolate..
My boys love this cake. My youngest son needed a science project for school, how mixing different things togethet make something else. He used this cake as his science project. My recipe is a little different, I use 2 tablespoons of cidar vinegar, 3/4 cups liquid vegetable oil, 6 tablespoons of cocoa, and I leave the vanilla out.
The cake was moist and fluffy and very easy to make. It seemed to be missing a little something though...maybe I would try it again with a couple of eggs or some milk instead of water??
I added some fresh raspberries out of the garden and made a cream cheese frosting. WOW!!!Really good.
this cake was very easy to make. I was skeptical because there are no eggs, but it is delicious!
Cake really is not very chocolatey, and when baked is kind of mushy. Taste wasn't great. Vinegar definitely does not belong in a chocolate cake recipe.
This cake should be illegal! I mean really....how could something so simple from scratch be so fantastic!? It's a fail-safe cake. I mix about a 1/2 cup of chocolate chips in and use store bought chocolate frosting and it's death by chocolate! And it's teenager, pre-teen, 4 yr old and husband approved. If you let it cool just enough to frost and eat while it's till warm you with some vanilla bean ice cream......you will think you've died and gone to heaven! This is an idiot proof recipe and I can't thank you enough for sharing. I've already made two birthday cakes and several "craving chocolate dessert" ones. It's also perfect because you always have all of the ingredients in your kitchen too!
I made this for my husband's birthday last week. I baked two small round cakes for us and one square one to share later with friends. This was moist and amazing. Two days later, I took the square cake to a club gathering and it was cut up in small squares. Everyone thought it was brownies - that moist and fudgy! Also, without realizing it, a vegan recipe for my vegan friends...
This cake turned out great! I use a vegan mousse frosting with it.YUM! Everyone loved this.
This is very moist and simple to make. I didn't mix it in the cake pan (to avoid scraping up my cake pan or getting undisolved lumps), and it turned out fine. It has a nice rich taste (I added a tad more cocoa and a tad less sugar for a richer chocolatey taste.) FYI: The vinegar reacts with the baking soda and makes the batter bubbly. If this doesn't happen, your baking soda is probably old and the cake won't get fluffy and won't stay moist.
This is a great cake for vegans, but as far as chocolate cakes go, this does not quite make it.
Great recipe! I was very careful to use the right measurements living in Australia (our cups and US Cups are slightly different) and it turned out PERFECT! I did use a glass pan too and greased it, cooking at a lower temperature. Made the "Busy Day Cocoa Icing" to go with it. We had a party for our twin 6yo daughters this weekend, 24+ children and parents, some children with egg allergies, and everyone LOVED the cake, they said it was moist, and that you couldn't tell it didn't have eggs. I will be making this one again!! My friend whose daughter is allergic to eggs wants the recipe! Of course I'll share it with her!
Love this cake! I substituted 1 c cold black coffee for half the water and substituted half of the cocoa powder with Black cocoa powder - I also put in one egg. Not a frosting fan - so topped with whipped cream to serve - but is great without.
I thought this cake was AWSOME, even though I was a bit hesitant to made it with the bad reviews. Glad I did! I used 1 cup dark cocoa powder, and ICE water. It was fluffy, moist, with great chocolate taste, and it was super easy, (my 8 y/o daughter made it with supervision). Plus, what a money saver without the eggs and milk. And, only one pan to wash....what!?! You should make this today!
I followed the recipe and added extra cocoa powder & 1 tbsp vinegar as suggested by others. The centre of the cake was not cooked after 35min, so I cut out the sides and put the soggy piece to bake again. It cooked after another 20 mins. The textture of the cake was moist & good, except for the taste. It has a 'pungent' smell, which I think might be from the baking soda. Wonder why nobody mentioned this...
I made this cake as a teen. I think it was about the same recipe. It was good! My kids enjoyed making it for me! Thanks. Super easy.
I was surprised by how well this cake came out. I agree that you should up the cocoa a bit. It is really tasty, especially since it has no eggs in it. It is also super easy.
This cake is great any time or occation. I replace the water with coffee for a rich mocha flavor
Yummie :) I just made this cake and WOW is it ever good. A bit heavier than I thought it might be, but it is home made after all. I took other peoples suggestions and up'ed the cocoa to 1 cup. Other than that followed recipe exactly. Thank you very much.
This recipe is so easy. It tastes great without the frosting.
I have a vegan friend at work and wanted to make this for a potluck so she could actually eat something! It was pretty good in my opinion! I made cupcakes instead of cake, so I had to adjust the cooking time and I unfortunately baked them maybe 2 minutes too long b/c they were slightly dry - otherwise they tasted really, really good! No one had any idea they didn't have any animal products in them unless I told them. I made a vegan frosting to go with them but next time would probably just sprinkle some powdered sugar on top. Don't knock the recipe until you try it - it's pretty surprising!
I was hesitant to try this recipe because a cake without butter or eggs? What the? But I had no eggs, and I was craving chocolate.It tastes good!A little big hard to pry out of the pan though, but I let it cool for a while before attempting it. Moist and delicious! Now I'm thinking, "Do cakes REALLY need butter and eggs?"
Just a wonderful recipe. My Gramma used to bake this, she was a teenager in the Depression and had to make do with what she had in the pantry. When she made it years later for us, she taught me how to make it. We did add more cocoa to and a bit less oil. How anyone can mess this up or come out with a "bad" cake is beyond my understanding!
Excellent cake, though I did just pour all the ingredients together in a bowl and mix it like you would a traditional cake (without all the wells separating ingredients etc) -- and it was very good. Didn't use frosting of any sort, ate it plain and it was very similar to a brownie-taste -- just in a lighter fluffier cake format. VERY good.
This cake is amazing. I have made it many times and every single time it's a big hit. This is the family cake now. Every occasion I am asked to make this cake. I do mix it up in my mixer because there can be lumps if I don't, but the idea is that this cake is that simple that you could do it all in one bowl (just mix it really well!). I have made it into cupcakes, round cake and the 9x13. I don't know how anyone gets a bad result, but my guess would be that they don't measure correctly or there is error in the baking process. I watch my cakes as they bake and as soon as the testing pick comes out clean I pull them out. This cake is always moist, always chocolately, and always super delicious. Make this cake! It's also great for food allergy concerns since there is no egg or dairy!
We baked this cake together, and loved how easy it was to make! (we are not the most experienced chefs)...We decorated it with chocolate icing and Smarties:)I think the two of us ate the whole thing by ourselves..Thanks!
i've been using this recipe for quite a while now and i *love* it! it's my go-to recipe for a quick and easy vegan treat. and the ingredients are staples! yum!
An excellent recipe to use when company is suddenly coming over. You don't even need eggs and all the ingredients are readily available saving you a shopping trip. Tastes even better the next day when flavours blend.
It's a good thing this cake had no eggs and butter because I had to eat it all. My kids refused to eat it. It was too bland even if I added chocolate chips and walnuts. The recipe sounded too good to be true.
I made this for a Thanksgiving dinner I was going to. Since we didn't have any eggs and couldn't go to the market to get some, this recipe was really a godsend. Not only that, it tastes just as good as any normal chocolate cake! I'm definately baking this again.
This chocolate cake was excellent. I made it for my son on his birthday and was a big hit. Try this with the coffee frosting and double both recipes and you will have a beautiful birthday cake.
