Wacky cake

Wacky cake

Dry ingredients for a wacky cake
Type	Cake
Main ingredients	Flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, vegetable oil, white vinegar, vanilla extract

Wacky cake, also called crazy cake, lazy cake, Joe cake, wowie cake, and WW II cake,[1] is a spongy, cocoa-based cake.[2][3] It is unique in that unlike many pastries and desserts, no eggs, butter or milk are used to make the cake batter.[2][3][4][5][6]

Active ingredients in wacky cake include flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, vegetable oil, white vinegar, salt and vanilla extract.[2] The eggless batter means that the structure of the cake is entirely supported by gluten, which is strengthened by the acidic vinegar and salt.[7]

Wacky cake is typically prepared by mixing dry ingredients in a baking pan and forming three hollows in the mixture, into which oil, vinegar, and vanilla are poured.[2][5][6] Warm water is then poured over, and the ingredients mixed and baked.[6][8][9]

Some recipes add brewed coffee as an additional ingredient. The cake may be topped with icing or confectioner's sugar, or even served plain.

The cake is a popular delicacy at bake sales in numerous rural regions of the United States. The dessert has also been included in 4-H competitions^[further explanation needed] as well as home economics textbooks after World War II.[10]

History

Wacky cake first gained prominence during the Great Depression, when ingredients such as dairy and eggs were harder to obtain.[2][3][5] Wacky cake later also became popular during rationing during World War II, when milk and eggs were scarce.[5][11]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, wacky cake again became a popular dessert to bake during quarantine.[3]

See also

• Depression cake

References

1. Gray, Melissa (2010). All Cakes Considered. Chronicle Books. ISBN 9781452100135.
2. "Try Wacky Cake, the Depression-Era Recipe Your Grandma Grew Up Loving". Country Living. 2023-05-08. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
3. "No eggs, milk or butter? 'Depression cake' is making a comeback". TODAY.com. 2020-04-21. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
4. Welk-Joerger, Nicole (2020-12-19). "Personal Pan Histories: Wacky Cake". CONTINGENT. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
5. Carli, Kristen (2021-04-15). "Old-Fashioned Wacky Cake Recipe". Mashed. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
6. "Wacky Cake". Southern Living. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
7. Corriher, Shirley (2008). Bakewise: The Hows and Whys of Successful Baking with over 200 Magnificent Recipes. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9781416560838.
8. Byrn, Anne (2016). American Cake. Harmony/Rodale. ISBN 9781623365448.
9. Corriher, Shirley O. (2008). BakeWise. Simon and Schuster. p. 82. ISBN 9781416560838.
10. Veit, Helen Zoe (2013-08-01). Modern Food, Moral Food. University of North Carolina Press. doi:10.5149/9781469607719_veit. ISBN 978-1-4696-0770-2.
11. Bracken, Peg (1960). I Hate to Cook Book. Harcourt Brace. ASIN B001C4NMQW.