Author: 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.
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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 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (420g) we use einkorn flour
- 2 cups cane sugar
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 6 Tbs cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 cup 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 wholesome brand 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
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, cocoa powder, and baking soda, stirring to mix well.
- Add melted butter, vanilla, and lukewarm water. Mix until well combined.
- Add apple cider vinegar, stirring well to make sure there are no lumps in the batter.
- 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
- Combine powdered sugar and cocoa powder in a large mixing bowl.
- Add vanilla extract and butter.
- Gradually add water, stirring well to combine until icing reaches the right consistency for spreading.
To Combine
- Allow cake layers to cool completely before removing from the pans.
- 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!).
- Pour the icing on top and spread as normal.
- If the icing has "set up" a bit before you get it on the cake, just stir well and it will be fine!
Notes
- You can sub coconut oil for any butter in the recipe.
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!
I looked at the recipe link for the Depression-Era chocolate cake and am wondering if the amount of butter in your cake batter is a typo? The original recipe calls for 12 Tablespoons (3/4 cup) of coconut oil, melted, Your recipe calls for 1-1/2 CUPS of butter, which is 24 tablespoons. That seems like quite a jump! Did you perhaps mean 1-1/2 STICKS of butter? That would be 12 tablespoons and in my mind an equivalent to the oil. However, I don’t cook with coconut oil, so I’m not sure if the ratios are different. Could you advise, please?
Hi Valerie! I just updated this recipe last week with a new system, and I just typed cups instead of sticks! I’ve changed it to 3/4 cup to avoid confusion.
Thanks for letting me know! I have actually made it with 1 1/2 cups of butter and it just makes it incredibly rich and moist… so either way (or any where in between) will be delicious! I hope you try it!
This looks awesome and will try it this week. I did note when reviewing the recipe in the ‘To Combine’ heading, Step 1 Has an error, I believe. It states ‘Allow cake layers to cook completely before removing’ … I am assuming that s/b ‘cool’ completely. Not a biggie, I just noticed it. Thanks for a remarkable looking and sounding cake, It’s so nice to have a recipe that doesn’t require a special trip to the market, everything is in the pantry!
Hi there! Thanks so much for catching that typo! I will change it right now :-) Let me know what you think of it! It’s sure a favorite around here!
Love this recipe- we’re getting back into older recipes lately, and can’t stop ourselves from picking up the older cookbooks at the swap shop.
Cheers for a soon to great dessert for our table:)
Yay! Let me know what you think, this is a fast favorite!
Just wondering if in the frosting recipe is that Really 1 1/4 cups Cocoa Powder ? yet the cake only uses 6 Tablespoons?
Hi Jean! Yes, I use the cocoa to cut down the sugar while still maintaining the structure. You can cut down on cocoa and water, just add both a little at a time until you reach the taste and texture you want.
Enjoy!