Wacky Cake

By Trish Hall

Updated April 6, 2023

Total Time
50 minutes
Rating
4(66)
Comments
Read comments

This dense, moist cake is a great baking project for children. Cooking with kids requires having a lot of tolerance for mess and a willingness to slow down the process.

Featured in: A Child Wants to Cook? Lead the Way if You Can, and Quickly

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Ingredients

  • 3cups all-purpose flour
  • 2cups sugar
  • ½cup cocoa
  • 2teaspoons baking soda
  • 1teaspoon salt
  • 2teaspoons vinegar
  • 2teaspoons vanilla
  • ⅔cup vegetable oil
  • 2cups cold water
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)

363 calories; 13 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 59 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 34 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 285 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

  2. Step 2

    In a 9-by-13-inch cake pan, mix all dry ingredients. Smooth them out and make three holes. Put the vinegar in one hole, the vanilla in another and the oil in the third. Then cover the whole thing with the water. Mix it all up with a fork until the lumps are gone.

  3. Step 3

    Bake 40 or 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. When the cake is cool, frost with butter frosting (recipe below).

Ratings

4 out of 5
66 user ratings
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Comments

Judy

This is simply a double recipe for the Cockeyed Cake in Peg Bracken's 1960 classic, The I Hate to Cook Book. I, then my children, now my grandchildren, have been making it for the past fifty years. Readers should be alerted to let this cake sit overnight, if possible; the ingredients need time to become acquainted. It is scrumptious on the second and third days, preferably with a simple topping of melted butter, brown sugar, cream and chopped nuts.

KC

I just told my husband about my favorite school cafeteria lunch dessert--Wacky Cake. I still think about it after ? years (i was in school in the 60s and 70s). So I decided to see if there was actually a Wacky Cake recipe and...voila!!!!! I'm so happy to have found it. I'm making it this weekend and it will be topped with powdered sugar--just like I remember it. I may eat the whole thing, its that good. Although I will save a piece for hubby. Thanks cooking@nytimes!!!!

sf cook

Found this hard to get out of the pan. Stuck on the bottom despite using a non-stick cake pan and a sheet pan under it. Less gimmick, more functionality would be better.

Louise

This was one of my favorite "comfort desserts" as a child. My mom would bake it for our large family because it didn't require eggs or butter, and was quick and easy. I'm so happy to have found this recipe.

Neesy

I made this cake this weekend. However it came out really dry? Any ideas what I did wrong?

dotsie

My mom learned this from her Mom and made it when I was a baby and I’m 68 now. Always called it “Wacky Cake” and always topped it off with buttercream frosting. My sister the vegan has perfected it, as she has all of her adapted cakes. But this one is vegan from the start. It is great!

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