Wacky Cake Recipe: Easy and Vegan-Friendly
Discover the magic of Wacky Cake Recipe: an easy, one-pan, vegan dessert made with pantry staples. No eggs, no dairy—just rich, chocolatey goodness!
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar (make sure to use organic or certified vegan sugar)
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Wet ingredients
- 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar (this is totally safe, no alcohol is in it)
- 1 teaspoon alcohol-free vanilla flavoring
- 1 cup water
Topping
- Confectioner’s sugar (also called powdered sugar, just make sure it’s vegan)
Instructions
- Grab your square baking pan. Nope, you don’t need to grease it. Wild, right? We’re mixing everything right in the pan. Toss in the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Now whisk it all together until it looks like chocolatey sand. Super easy.
- Let’s get wacky. Make three little holes in the dry mix, one big and two small. Seriously, just poke them with your fingers. I always feel like I’m digging for treasure when I do this.
- Pour the vegetable oil into the big hole. Then pour the vinegar into one of the small holes. In the other small hole, add the alcohol-free vanilla flavoring. It might look like a bit of a mess right now, but that’s part of the fun.
- Now pour the cup of water all over everything. Yep, right over the whole thing. Stir it all up with a spoon or spatula until you see just a few streaks of flour. Don’t overmix. I always stop mixing when I think, hmmm, maybe I should stir a little more. That’s your sign to stop.
- Pop the pan into your oven. Bake at 350°F, which is about 175°C, for 20 to 25 minutes. Go chill while the cake does its magic.
- When you think it’s ready, poke a toothpick in the center. If it comes out with a few moist crumbs, you nailed it. If it comes out with wet batter, bake it a bit longer. Don’t worry, you’ll get it.
- Let the cake cool completely. I know, waiting is the hardest part, but trust me, if you try to take it out too soon, it might fall apart. I’ve totally made that mistake before.
- Once it’s cool, carefully flip the cake out of the pan. If it sticks a little, no biggie, just call it rustic. Dust the top with a little confectioner’s sugar if you like. You can skip this part, but it does make it look super cute.
- Slice it up and enjoy! This cake is soft, chocolatey, and has no eggs or butter. Pretty awesome, right? It always makes me happy to make something so good with such simple stuff.