Apple Cider Crazy Cake – (a.k.a. Wacky Cake) is a Depression Era cake that has no eggs, no milk and no butter – you don’t even need a bowl or mixer! One of the easiest, budget-friendly Fall cakes made with pantry staples in under an hour! This cake is super moist and absolutely delicious. It tastes like a cake version of an apple cider doughnut right from the apple orchard!
Apple Cider Crazy Wacky Cake – A Delicious, Budget-Friendly, Easy Fall Dessert
Apple Cider Crazy Cake is a fantastic new twist on the classic Depression Era recipe. This cake is flavorful and moist, topped with an easy apple cider glaze then sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. Apple cider and spices add a delicious fall flavor to this cherished cake, making it a perfect dessert for the season. Bonus, your home will smell amazing! This wonderful cake is made with simple ingredients that are probably already in your pantry…all you need is apple cider. Add this one to your fall baking list!
History of Crazy Cake
Crazy Cake, also known as Wacky Cake or Depression Cake, originated during the Great Depression, when ingredients like eggs, milk and butter were hard to come by. The original cake most people know and grew up on is chocolate. Over the years I have created a bunch of new crazy cake flavors, adapting them from the cherished vintage cake recipe.
Crazy Cake – Allergy Friendly, Vegan Cakes
Another reason to fall in love with Crazy Cakes/Wacky Cakes, they are allergy-friendly and happen to be vegan. They are perfect for family and friends on restricted diets. But you don’t have to be vegan or have an allergy to be a fan of these wonderful cakes…you will never miss the dairy and eggs!
TIPS FOR MAKING CRAZY CAKE FROM SCRATCH
- If you don’t want to mix the batter in a bowl, you can also combine all the ingredients right in the baking dish!
- This cake is very versatile – you can top the cake with warm caramel sauce, favorite frosting, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a dusting of powdered sugar or dollop of whipped cream.
- This cake is wonderful served while still warm, but also tasty at room temperature.
- Fantastic served with a warm or cold cup of apple cider.
- Crazy Cakes can also be made with Gluten Free mixes! Many people have commented they have made this cake with Gluten Free mixes, and it’s wonderful
- This can also be made into cupcakes!
- More cake flavors have been added since this post! Check out the whole list HERE!
FREQUENTLY ASKED CRAZY CAKE QUESTIONS:
It’s called Crazy Cake (aka, Wacky Cake) because it doesn’t require eggs, milk, butter, mixers or bowls, which is kinda crazy for making a cake. The original name, Depression Cake, originated during the Great Depression, when ingredients like butter, eggs, and milk were scarce.
Yes! So many people have used gluten-free mixes with great success with this cake, and my other crazy cake flavors.
Vinegar is part of the leavening process. The vinegar reacts with the baking soda, which is what makes the cake rise. You do not taste a hint of the vinegar in the finished cake!
Yes! Simply use a 9×13 baking pan.
Ingredients Needed To Make Apple Cider Crazy Cake (See Recipe Card Below for Full Recipe)
- all-purpose flour
- granulated sugar
- light brown sugar
- ground cinnamon
- ground nutmeg
- baking soda
- salt
- vegetable oil (or canola oil)
- apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar)
- pure vanilla extract
- powdered sugar
- apple cider
HOW TO MAKE APPLE CIDER CRAZY CAKE
This is the EASIEST cake to make – it takes just minutes to prepare!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and then spray an 8″x 8″ baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
Mix the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt) in a large bowl or right in the baking pan.
Next, make 3 depressions in dry ingredients – two small, one larger. Add the vinegar in one depression, vanilla in the other, and the vegetable oil in the third larger depression. Last, pour apple cider over top. Mix well until smooth, then pour into baking dish.
Bake on the middle rack of the oven for approximately 35–40 minutes. Check the center of cake with a toothpick to make sure it comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then top with apple cider glaze and cinnamon sugar.
While the cake is baking, mix the cinnamon and sugar topping in a small bowl and set aside.
Apple Cider Glaze & Cinnamon Sugar Toppings:
For the glaze – In a small bowl, add powdered sugar, then add 2 tablespoons of apple cider. Using a small whisk, combined the glaze, whisking until smooth. Add a small amount of additional apple cider, if needed, to reach the desired glaze consistency.
While the cake is still warm, top evenly with the glaze and then sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the top. This cake is delicious served warm and also at room temperature.
MORE CRAZY CAKE RECIPES TO TRY
Apple Cider Crazy Cake – No Eggs, No Milk, No Butter!
Ingredients
DRY INGREDIENTS
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
WET INGREDIENTS
- 5 Tablespoons vegetable oil or canola oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
- 1 cup apple cider
Apple Cider Glaze Topping
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 Tablespoons apple cider
Cinnamon Sugar Topping
- 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 ½ Teaspoons ground cinnamon (can use up to 2 tsp cinnamon)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8"x 8" baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- Mix the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt) in a large bowl (or right in the prepared baking dish) – until well blended.
- Make 3 depressions in dry ingredients – two small, one larger. Add the vinegar in one depression, vanilla in the other, and the vegetable oil in the third larger depression. Pour the apple cider over top. Mix well until smooth. *I use a fork or small whisk to mix. Pour batter into baking pan.
- Bake on the middle rack of the oven for approximately 35–40 minutes.
- Check the center of cake with a toothpick to make sure it comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then top with apple cider glaze and cinnamon sugar.
Apple Cider Glaze & Cinnamon Sugar Topping
- While the cake is baking, mix the cinnamon and sugar topping in a small bowl.
- For the glaze – In a small bowl, add powdered sugar, then add 2 tablespoons of apple cider. Using a small whisk, combined the glaze, whisking until smooth. Add a small amount of additional apple cider as needed, to reach the desired glaze consistency.
- While the cake is still warm, top evenly with the glaze and then sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the top. This cake is delicious served warm and at room temperature.
- Store in refrigerator tightly covered up to 4 days
Notes
- This cake is wonderful served with a warm or cold cup of apple cider!
- Make sure your baking soda and vinegar are not expired – they are what make the cake rise.
- This cake is very versatile – you can also top this wonderful cake with warm caramel sauce, your favorite frosting (vanilla, buttercream, cinnamon), a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a dusting of powdered sugar or dollop of whipped cream.
- You can use vegetable oil or canola oil.
- You can use apple cider vinegar or white vinegar.
- This cake can be doubled, use a 9×13 baking pan.
RuthC
This cake is absolutely delicious. I had a lot of spiced cider left over from Thanksgiving. I reduced 2 cups down to the 1 required in the recipe for more intense flavor (and to use up the cider). Other than that I followed the recipe to the letter. I think it is my new favorite breakfast/snack cake!
Mary Neumann
So great to hear, Ruth! Thank you so much for sharing.
If you loved this one, you should try these cakes too:
Banana Bread Crazy Cake: https://sweetlittlebluebird.com/banana-bread-crazy-cake/
Fresh Apple Crazy Cake: https://sweetlittlebluebird.com/fresh-apple-crazy-cake/
Gingerbread Crazy Cake: https://sweetlittlebluebird.com/gingerbread-crazy-cake-no-eggs-no-milk-no-butter/
Lemon Blueberry Crazy Cake: https://sweetlittlebluebird.com/lemon-blueberry-crazy-cake/
You can see all my Crazy Cakes I have to date here: https://sweetlittlebluebird.com/crazy-cakes/
Happy Holidays and Happy Baking!
dayna
can you use a bunt pan?
kim flowers
Double the recipe and it was Fabulous! Cut it in squares and piped cream cheese frosting on it!!! So Delicious this is definitely a keeper.
Sue
Asking if you can put Apple Pieces in this cake ? Thanks in advance 🙂
Mary Neumann
Yes, you sure can, Sue!
Heidi W.
This was delicious! My husband has just been diagnosed with Celiac disease and this is one of the first recipes I’ve made subbing gluten free flour. It was a hit and has helped him feel less deprived. Thank you!
Mary Neumann
So great to read, Heidi! Please be sure out all of my Crazy Cake Favors (I’ll be adding more). Chocolate, Vanilla, Gingerbread, Pumpkin, Blueberry Lemon,Carrot, Snikerdoodle and more! You can see them all here: https://sweetlittlebluebird.com/crazy-cakes/
Colorado
Truly the best cake for autumn! Might even be the best thing I’ve ever baked. Delicious and my apartment smells amazing!
Lois
Absolutely delicious!!! And oh so easy!!
Mary Neumann
So thrilled you love this new crazy cake, Lois! It turned out so wonderful after just a few attempts…an instant new favorite Crazy Cake flavor! Thanks for stopping back by to leave a review!
Kathi Jarabek
Can you use apple sauce instead of the oil?
Mary Neumann
Hi Kathi,
I have not tried apple sauce with this cake, it might be worth a try.
Karen D.
We’ve loved chocolate crazy cake for years, though we know it as wacky cake. Made this apple cider one (unglazed as that’s the way we like chocolate wacky cake) and while very good, it tasted closer to a nice gingerbread/spice cake to us (even without ginger). It would be excellent with cream cheese frosting! We did use freshly grated nutmeg, which may have been too strong. Suggestions for amping up the apple flavor? Considering subbing applesauce for some or all the oil (have done this successfully with other cakes) and adding some chopped apple next time, perhaps cutting back on the nutmeg a good bit.
Mary Neumann
Hello Karen,
This cake is terrific with the icing and cinnamon sugar topping. If you want a real donut taste, brushing with butter then adding the glaze and sugar takes it to the next level.
I have never used applesauce, but you could easily use your favorite apple pie spices and tweak it to your liking. The fresh grated ginger may be why it leaned more toward a gingerbread cake, which I have on my site, it’s wonderful!
I am in the process of working on a new apple and spice cake – I’ll be sure to drop the link here once I have it posted.
Here is my Gingerbread Crazy Cake Recipe:https://sweetlittlebluebird.com/gingerbread-crazy-cake-no-eggs-no-milk-no-butter/
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Mary Neumann
Karen, here is my new Fresh Apple Crazy Cake recipe! 🙂
https://sweetlittlebluebird.com/fresh-apple-crazy-cake/
Beth
This was the best! My grandson has allergies so I make many of your cakes regularly. This smelled heavenly as it was baking and tasted the same. I will keep making while I have apple cider on hand. I could eat the whole cake but will need to give it away. A perfect fall dessert.
Mary Neumann
Hello Beth, so wonderful to hear, thank you! These cakes are so great for allergies, but you don’t have to have allergies to love them. This new Apple Cider Cake I created is a new personal favorite! I want to bake it just for that amazing smell. 🙂
Marilyn
Does this recipe use Alcoholic Apple Cider?
Mary Neumann
Hello Marilyn – this recipe calls for 1 cup of apple cider (no alcohol). It also calls for 1 Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar or white vinegar.
Marilyn
Thanks, Mary. I’m from New Zealand and cider here is usually an alcoholic drink. I’ll give your recipe a go. If I can’t find non-alcoholic cider, I’ll try a mix of apple juice and mashed up apples,
Heidi W.
If you are unable to find nonalcoholic apple cider, regular apple juice would work fine. 🙂
Lois
No, it uses regular apple cider.
Janet W.
This cake sounds delicious, can this bbe baked in a loaf pan(9x,5”)if so how long do you bake it and what temp.?
Mary Neumann
Hi Janet – Here’s a good resource to bookmark for adjustments: https://theboatgalley.com/changing-pan-size/
You can use a round 8 or 9 inch round cake pan too.
Sue
Made it today! Delish! Why does it need to be refrigerated?
Mary Neumann
Great to hear, Sue! 🙂
Because people use different toppings, storing in the fridge insures freshness no matter what.
Emily
If we follow your recipe for topping (glaze and sugar), does it need to be refrigerated?
Mary Neumann
For this cake, I like to store it in the fridge to maintain its freshness, Emily.
Melanie
Can you use butter instead of the oil?
Mary Neumann
Hi Melanie – You could test it out, it will just slightly change the flavor and texture.
Carol
Can apple juice be used instead of apple cider?
Mary Neumann
Yes, it just won’t have the same intense flavor, but should still be delicious.
Ann
I made this today! We DEVOURED it all after dinner. It’s delicious and easy! Tastes like autumn! Added bonus, house smells amazing!
Mary Neumann
So happy to read, Ann! Smiling eat-to-ear!! Thanks for coming back and leaving a review!!
Virginia
How much baking soda is in recipe?
Mary Neumann
1 teaspoon baking soda, Virginia.