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.
My cakes sunk in the middle. They taste good, but could not get out of pan & middle was gooey. The edges were cooked. Do you know what I did wrong? Thank you!
Hi Barbara! I’m sorry to hear this! It sounds like it either needed a bit more time in the oven, or a bit more flour in the mix.
I would probably add a 1/4-1/2 a cup additional flour and increase the cook time by about 5-7 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Thank you!
Hi Victoria, firstly thank you for advising me with the option to halve the recipe as I was using a microwave oven and could not bake 2 cakes.. My son is allergic to egg white, so tried out this cake without the icing. My hubby and son enjoyed it and already I have a request to bake it again!
If you have any further eggless recipes, please post it. Thank you again.
Hi Victoria, this cake looks delicious. Can I use all purpose flour and regular sugar? This will be my first ever try at making a cake! Looking forward to it!
Hi Taylor! Yes, absolutely! You may need to add an extra 1/4 cup of flour to have the right texture in the finished product. If the mix is super runny, add the extra flour and you should be good to go. Come back and tell me what you thought! Good luck!
Unbelievable! I have been wanting to bake this cake for a few weeks and wasn’t disappointed. Made a two layer cake from the full recipe for my husbands birthday and it came out perfect. Something magical happens when that apple cider vinegar reacts with the baking soda. Somewhere between a cake and a brownie. Will definitely make this again!
Thank you so much Kelly! I’m so glad to hear that!
I’m actually confused about calling it dairy free with the butter. Are you using a dairy free butter?
Hi Gail! In the recipe notes it states that you can use coconut oil for a fully dairy free option. I prefer it with butter, so that’s how the main recipe is written. However, you can use coconut oil and it turns out perfectly and is delicious!
We can just get butter for less here than coconut oil. However, that’s the diary free option and it’s delicious! I hope that helps!