Vanilla Wacky Cake Archives - Sweet Little Bluebird

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

For a great easy chocolate frosting (my favorite) head over to THE YUMMY LIFE, for a ONE MINUTE FROSTING recipe!
For a dairy free frosting recipe, head over to Oh She Glows for a simple 2-ingredient chocolate fudge frosting recipe!
Great Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting recipe from The Beating Hearth!
Vegan Fluffy Buttercream frosting
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting (contains dairy)

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!”