This is a great chocolate cake to make on a boat because it is made with only a few ingredients. The cake, itself, does not need milk, eggs or butter. Some people call it Depression Cake because it was thought to have been invented during the depression when many ingredients were scarce. Others call it Wacky Cake because who would believe that these ingredients would make such a delicious cake! The cake is good without icing, but the frosting takes it up a level. However, the frosting does require a few more ingredients including butter. You could give it a try both, with and without frosting, and decide for yourself.
Let’s eat some yummy chocolate wacky cake!
Ingredients for Cake
- 1½ cups flour
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup water
Ingredients for Frosting
- 3 tablespoons of butter, softened
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup powdered sugar (or known as icing sugar in the island sometimes)
- 3 tablespoons whole milk, or heavy cream
Instructions for Cake
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Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8×8-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
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In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda. Stir to combine.
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Add vanilla, vinegar, oil, and water to the dry ingredients and stir using a spatula or whisk until ingredients are fully combined.
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Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes.
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When an inserted toothpick is removed with a few crumbs (not clean!) the cake is done. Do not overcook. The cake will be moist!
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Let the cake cool while you prepare the frosting.
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With a hand-held mixer, combine softened butter, cocoa, honey, vanilla and powdered sugar.
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Turn mixer on low and let it combine ingredients for about 30 seconds.
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Slowly add milk, one tablespoon at a time, until you reach desired consistency. (I only needed 1 tablespoon of milk and it was almost too much)
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Spread frosting over the cooled cake.
I found that the honey added a nice texture to the frosting, but I almost didn’t need a whole tablespoon of milk. So be careful when adding milk. Except for using only one tablespoon of milk, I followed this recipe exactly as I Am Baker presented it. So please see her page for more information regarding this fun cake recipe.
