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Crazy Carrot Cake – No Eggs, Milk or Butter

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After numerous requests, I finally made a Crazy Carrot Cake and it turned out wonderful. Just like the other Crazy Cakes, this cake contains no eggs, milk or butter, is super moist and absolutely delicious!  

CRAZY CAKE, also known as Wacky Cake & Depression Cake – No Eggs, Milk, Butter, Bowls or Mixers! Super moist and delicious. Go-to recipe for egg/dairy allergies. Great activity to do with kids. Recipe dates back to the Great Depression. It’s darn good cake! 

Read great reviews from people who tried this recipe on Pinterest!

 

Unlike the other Crazy Cakes, you do not need to make depressions for the wet ingredients due to the thickness of the batter with the carrots, walnuts and raisins. This Crazy Cake also works better mixing it in a bowl and then transferring the batter into the baking dish. 
 
 
My daughter declared this her new favorite Crazy Cake flavor, next to chocolate. It’s a new favorite of mine and I hope it becomes a new favorite for you as well.

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Crazy Carrot Cake (No Eggs Milk or Butter) from Sweet Little Bluebird

Crazy Carrot Cake – No eggs, milk or butter

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Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 Cups flour + 3 Tablespoons (all-purpose)
  • 1 Cup sugar (All purpose sugar – Granulated Pure Cane Sugar)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

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  • 3/4 Cup finely grated peeled carrots
  • 1/2 Cup chopped walnuts
  • 1/2 Cup golden raisins

Wet Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 5 Tablespoons Canola oil  (or vegetable)
  • 1 Cup water 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and grease an 8″ baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.  

In a large mixing bowl, mix the first 8 dry ingredients and blend well. Next, add carrots, walnuts and golden raisins – blend well. Last, add the wet ingredients – vinegar, vanilla and oil, then pour the water over top – mix well. Pour in greased baking dish. 

Bake on middle rack of oven for *35 to 45 minutes. Check with toothpick to make sure it comes out clean, remove when ready. Allow to cool and top with your favorite vanilla or cream cheese frosting. Enjoy!


Links to Frosting Recipes
Basic Cream Cheese Frosting recipe from AllRecipes.com
Head here for a VEGAN CREAM CHEESE FROSTING from the Minimalist Baker

 
Note: *Oven baking times may vary, be sure to check your cake to make sure you do not over bake.
 

If you are looking for a Carrot Cake that is not egg and dairy free, try this CRAZY GOOD CARROT CAKE with CREAM CHEESE FROSTING, it’s Crazy good!

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Cheers!

Vanilla Crazy/Wacky Cake with Chocolate Ganache

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We celebrated a big birthday last week, our oldest turned 18! For her birthday she requested three things for her celebration dinner – her favorite Naan Pizza with fresh mozzarella, tomato and basil, my popular “Most Requested” salad and for dessert, Vanilla Crazy Cake with Chocolate Ganache.

 

I have shared the Vanilla Crazy Cake before, but thought it needed to have it’s very own page for the recipe. If you are not familiar with Crazy Cake, here is a brief introduction:

CRAZY CAKE, also known as Wacky Cake & Depression Cake – No Eggs, Milk, Butter, Bowls or Mixers! Super moist and delicious. Go-to recipe for egg/dairy allergies. Great activity to do with kids. Recipe dates back to the Great Depression. It’s darn good cake!

Here is my daughter’s Vanilla Crazy Cake topped with a rich, wonderful chocolate ganache. The ganache contains dairy, but I shared a link below for a dairy-free frosting option  for those with allergies or on vegan diets.  Our youngest has an egg allergy, so this is a cake the entire family can enjoy.

VANILLA CRAZY/WACKY CAKE 

Print Recipe 
Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 Cups flour + 3 Tablespoons (all-purpose)
  • 1 Cup white sugar
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp.  salt
  • 1 tsp. white vinegar
  • 1 1/2 tsp.  pure vanilla extract
  • 5 Tbsp. vegetable oil 
  • 1 Cup water 

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Mix first 4 dry ingredients in a greased 8″ square baking pan.  Make 3 depressions in dry ingredients – two small, one larger (see #3 in photo below). Pour vinegar in one depression, vanilla in the other and the vegetable oil in third larger depression.  Pour water over all.  Mix well until smooth. Bake on middle rack of oven for 35 minutes.  Check with toothpick to make sure it comes out clean.  Cool.  Top with your favorite frosting.  Enjoy!


Chocolate Ganache (This recipe is for a 9×13 cake) 

  • 1 1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions
Place heavy cream in medium size bowl and microwave on high for 1 minute or until it begins to bubble/boil. When it starts to boil, remove from microwave, add chocolate chips and allow to sit and start to melt (about 1 1/2 minutes). When ready, mix well until chocolate is silky smooth.  If it’s not smooth, it may need another 20 to 30 seconds in the microwave – do not boil.   Mix until silky smooth.  Once ready, add vanilla mix well and allow to sit for a few minutes then mix again and pour over cake and spread evenly.   Allow ganache to set a few hours before serving.  

More Frosting Recipes


Tips for Baking Cake 
For a stronger vanilla taste, you could add a 1/2 teaspoon more of vanilla for a total of 2 teaspoons.

You can double this recipe, just use a 9×13 baking pan.

You can also mix the batter in a bowl for neater, easier mixing.  Be sure to follow the directions the same way – mixing the dry ingredients then making the depressions for the wet ingredients.  Don’t forget to grease you pan. 
 
Although I have not used Gluten Free flour mixes for this recipe, many people have and said the cake turns out wonderful!  “Yes it is yummy and very moist. It even works with gf flour mixes!”

 

Thanks for stopping by!
Cheers!


Chocolate Crazy Cake (No Eggs, Milk, Butter or Bowls)

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Chocolate Crazy Cake

Crazy cake also known as Wacky Cake & Depression Cake – No Eggs, Milk, Butter, Bowls or Mixers! Super moist and delicious. Go-to recipe for egg/dairy allergies. Great activity to do with kids. Recipe dates back to the Great Depression. It’s darn good cake!

Read rave reviews from people who tried this recipe on Pinterest!

Read more rave reviews.

Chocolate Crazy Cake - Also known as Wacky Cake and Depression Cake

 
 
More cake flavors have been added since this post. Click on the photo below to head to the recipes section for links to all the flavors. There are mug cake versions too!
 
Crazy Cake can be made with Gluten Free mixes! Many people have commented they have made this cake with Gluten Free mixes and it’s wonderful.”Yes it is yummy and very moist. It even works with GF flour mixes!” 

 

For years my youngest one never had a real cake for her birthday. I know there are worse things in life, but no cake – that just stinks. She never had REAL cake until my good friend shared her mom’s Chocolate Crazy Cake (2011)  – also known as Wacky Cake and Depression Cake.

 

Within minutes of my friend sharing the recipe, I whipped up the cake while talking to her on the phone. I could not believe how easy it was to make. No bowls. No mess. I mixed everything right in the baking pan. AWESOME.

When the cake was done, frosted, ready to eat, I could not believe how moist it was. We’ve tried other egg-free recipes and replacements over the years, they were just okay, nothing great. THIS CAKE is crazy good, my daughter and family loved it!

From that day on, it was good-bye to the same old ice cream cake we had EVERY SINGLE birthday….hello yummy REAL chocolate cake with ice cream on top.


 

I did a little research on Crazy and Wacky Cake recipes. These cakes were created during the Great Depression, when eggs, milk and butter were very hard to come by. The cakes are also known as Depression Cakes. Remember my favorite childhood Depression sandwich my grandparents made? People were pretty resourceful during those hard times. It took some creativity and baking science to create a cake without eggs or butter. You don’t even need a mixer. Genius!
 
The LA Times has a great article on Crazy Cake: 

“Mad for crazy cake – It contains no butter or eggs, is a cinch to make and comes out rich, moist and delicious. What’s not to like?“

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Chocolate Crazy Cake - No Eggs, Milk, Butter or Bowls

Read more rave reviews from people who tried this cake on Pinterest! 

 

Chocolate Crazy Cake Recipe (No Eggs, Milk, Butter or Bowls)

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Print Recipe 

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 Cups flour (all-purpose)
  • 3 Tbsp. cocoa (unsweetened)
  • 1 Cup sugar (All purpose sugar – Granulated Pure Cane Sugar)
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp.  salt
  • 1 tsp. white vinegar
  • 1 tsp.  pure vanilla extract
  • 5 Tbsp. vegetable oil
  • 1 Cup water

Directions (picture tutorial below)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.


Mix first 5 dry ingredients in a greased 8″ square baking pan.  Make 3 depressions in dry ingredients – two small, one larger (see #3 in photo below). Pour vinegar in one depression, vanilla in the other and the vegetable oil in third larger depression. Pour water over all. Mix well until smooth.


Bake on middle rack of oven for 35 minutes. Check with toothpick to make sure it comes out clean. Cool. Top with your favorite frosting. Enjoy!

Note: Oven baking times may vary, be sure to check your cake to make sure you do not over bake.

 

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FROSTING RECIPES



TIPS

  • You can double this recipe, just use a 9×13 baking pan.
  • Mix batter in a bowl for neater, easier mixing. Be sure to follow the directions the same way – mixing the dry ingredients then making the depressions for the wet ingredients. Don’t forget to grease your pan. You can also make cupcakes – be sure to adjust baking time.
  • Google Bob’s Red Mill’s Gluten-Free Crazy Cake.
  • Many have shared that this recipe is great served warm or cold with just sprinkling powdered sugar on top.
  • This cake is also a great activity to do with kids.

 

 
Here are some spring cupcakes my sister made using the Vanilla Crazy Cake  recipe, for a birthday party where several kids had severe egg and dairy allergies.


Many people have asked if I have a Crazy Banana Cake recipe. I don’t have one yet, but stay tuned. In the meantime, here is a CRAZY BANANA CAKE with CREAM CHEESE FROSTING recipe that’s not crazy because it’s dairy and egg free (this recipe contains eggs, butter and buttermilk), but crazy because of how it is made… and it’s amazing!

 

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Cheers!

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