This chocolate cake recipe originates from the Great Depression, when such things as eggs and milk were scarce. Unlike most chocolate cake recipes, it calls for neither! Also known as a Crazy Cake or Wacky Cake, this egg and milk free einkorn chocolate cake is perfect for those with allergies!
I’ll never forget the first time I made this cake. It was August of 2014 and my husband’s birthday was coming up that Sunday. He came into the kitchen the day before his birthday to ask for a chocolate cake.
Sure, no problem! Usually I make this vanilla cake with buttercream, but hey, you want chocolate then you’re getting chocolate!
I told him “Absolutely!” and went to the fridge to gather the ingredients. Only one problem… I of course had zero milk on hand, and not a single egg in the house!
This wouldn’t have been such an issue if we were able to drink pasteurized milk, but we can’t. And since the raw dairy we frequent is a 2 hour round trip, I had to go in search of a no milk chocolate cake recipe.
RELATED: How to freeze milk
Chocolate Wacky Cake
After what seemed an eternity, I finally found it. The Holy Grail, as it were… I had to wade through quite a few recipes on Pinterest before finding this gem – A Depression Era Dark Chocolate Cake.
I was so excited to see that not only was it milk-free, it was also free of eggs and butter!! Talk about a cheap cake! After looking at the ingredients I did end up opting to use butter instead of vegetable oil. But you can use oil or coconut oil if you prefer.
Armed with this new recipe, I took another look at my kitchen and found that I had all the ingredients on hand and was able to whip this together in just 30 minutes, including the icing!
With the recipe calling for Apple Cider Vinegar, I was a little worried that it wouldn’t be as tasty as if I had just made a regular ol’ chocolate cake… However, my worries were for nothing! This is honestly, THE. BEST. Chocolate. Cake. I’ve EVER HAD!
It’s incredibly moist and unbelievably chocolaty!! Plus, it ended up being SUPER CHEAP! Which, on our budget is a big deal.
All totaled this cake cost a whopping $4.00! Talk about savings, and with all real ingredients too! Try it today, I bet you have all the ingredients… and it’s ready in only 30 minutes! You WILL NOT be disappointed!
Check out this video for an overview, and then print the recipe below that!
Einkorn Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 3 cups Einkorn flour (or any wheat)
- 2 cups cane sugar
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 6 Tbs cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 cups salted butter melted
- 2 tsp homemade vanilla extract
- 2 cups room temperature water
- 2 Tbs apple cider vinegar
For the Icing
- 3 1/2 cups organic powdered sugar (I used the kind that doesn't have cornstarch)
- 1 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup salted butter
- 1 tsp homemade vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup water
Instructions
For the Cake
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans.
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In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, cocoa powder, and baking soda, stirring to mix well.
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Add melted butter, vanilla, and lukewarm water. Mix until well combined.
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Add apple cider vinegar, stirring well to make sure there are no lumps in the batter.
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Pour batter into cake pans and bake at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
For the Icing
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Combine powdered sugar and cocoa powder in a large mixing bowl.
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Add vanilla extract and butter.
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Gradually add water, stirring well to combine until icing reaches the right consistency for spreading.
To Combine
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Allow cake layers to cook completely before removing from the pans.
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Stack one on top of the other (I didn't add an icing layer between the two cakes, but you definitely could... I just forgot!).
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Pour the icing on top and spread as normal.
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If the icing has "set up" a bit before you get it on the cake, just stir well and it will be fine!
Recipe Notes
You can sub coconut oil for any butter in the recipe.
Oh, what a delight ! Who can resist that wonderful looking cake ?! I MUST try it !
Thank you for the recipe and beautiful pictures.
Thanks Paula! I hope you do try it, it’s amazing!! Thanks for stopping by!
This recipe is very similar to an old war time (WW2) recipe. We both have some gluten issues (not severe) and use einkorn flour only. Thanks for this recipe!
Yes! You’re right! I found a depression era recipe and modified it a bit. I love it!
I’m so glad you found einkorn flour for your family. It has been so amazing for mine! I hope you check out some of the other einkorn recipes I have on here. Thanks for stopping by!
Did you use salted or unsalted butter? Thanks!
Great question! I always use salted. I’ll add that in there! Thanks!
is it baking soda or powder? ive never seen a reference to aluminum free soda so wanted to clarify. thanks!
Ha Keri! You’re right! It’s baking soda 😂 I’ll take out the other reference, thanks for catching it!!
Oh yum! I am going to try this with cassava flour and see how it does and will let you know!
Sounds delicious! Yes, let us know how it goes!
So exited to try this recipe but don’t have einkorn flour – can I substitute with all purpose? Thanks much
Hi D, yes absolutely! Enjoy!
This vegan cake lover thanks you!
You’re so welcome! You’re going to LOVE this cake!! <3
I love old recipes, and this is perfect for my daughter with dairy allergies (and my nephew with an egg allergy!
This looks amazing! Can you make it with regular flour instead of Einkorn?
Hi Chrissie!
Yes, you can make it with any wheat without changing the ratios! Enjoy! <3
Victoria
I’ve got some Einkorn wheat in my freezer that I was trying to decide what to do with—this recipe is perfect! Thank you!!
Oh Joy, you are going to LOVE it!! If you haven’t tried einkorn yet, this is definitely the recipe to try first <3
All of a sudden I feel the need to eat some chocolate cake. I am drooling over here. 🙂
When subbing oil for butter, would I use a 1:1 ratio?
Hi Kaydee! I would start with about 3/4 the amount of butter in oil and then work from there for the right consistency! Enjoy!
Oh, unless you’re talking about coconut oil, then it would be 1:1 🙂
Decided to make this cake for our 4th of July cookout and it did not disappoint despite the substitutions I made. I am going to be mentioning you and your fabulous blog tonight when I publish my post on it! Thanks for the recipe!
I mentioned you and your recipe in my blog post for the 4th of July! Happy 4th to you and your family!
https://lifeinthehood.org/2018/07/03/great-depression-chocolate-cake-recipe-an-easy-4th-of-july-treat/
Hi Hillary! I’m so glad you liked it! We LOVE it here for sure! <3 Enjoy your holiday!