Wacky Chocolate Cake

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
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Updated on 07/20/21
Wacky Chocolate Cake

The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 25 mins
Total: 30 mins
Servings: 8 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
253 Calories
11g Fat
38g Carbs
2g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 253
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 11g 14%
Saturated Fat 1g 6%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 361mg 16%
Total Carbohydrate 38g 14%
Dietary Fiber 1g 5%
Protein 2g
Calcium 35mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

This easy chocolate cake is a wacky cake because it's made without eggs. It's almost too easy to be true! Briefly mix the ingredients with a spoon, pour the batter into the pan, and bake.

Spread a chocolate or vanilla frosting over the cake and sprinkle it with pecans, if desired, or sift powdered sugar over the cooled cake.

This is an 8-inch cake, the perfect size for most families.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon vinegar
  • 5 tablespoons vegetable oil (neutral flavor, such as corn oil or canola)
  • 1 cup of cold water

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Wacky Chocolate Cake ingredients

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  2. Preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C/Gas 4 and grease and flour an 8-inch square baking pan.

    greased baking pan

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  3. Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk or stir to blend thoroughly.

    Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  4. Make three wells in the flour mixture.

    three wells in the flour mixture in the bowl

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  5. Add the vanilla in one bowl, add the vinegar in another, and in the third the vegetable oil.

    vanilla, vinegar and oil added to the flour mixture in the bowl

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  6. Pour the cold water over the mixture and stir until moistened.

    cake batter in a bowl

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  7. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until it springs back when touched lightly.

    baked wacky cake in a baking pan on a cooling rack

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  8. Frost with chocolate frosting or a favorite icing or glaze. Or sift powdered sugar over the cake.

    Wacky Chocolate Cake in a baking pan

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg