Lemon Blueberry Crazy Cake (a.k.a. Wacky Cake), is a vintage Depression Era cake that has no eggs, no milk and no butter! One of the EASIEST, budget-friendly cakes you can make. Full of tangy lemon flavor, bursting with juicy blueberries, you won’t believe how moist and delicious this cake is!
LEMON BLUEBERRY CRAZY CAKE – A DEPRESSION ERA RECIPE
This moist and delicious lemon blueberry cake is made in ONE BOWL without eggs, milk or butter – you don’t even need a mixer! I adapted this wonderful cake from the cherished Chocolate Crazy Cake. The original vintage chocolate cake was created during the Great Depression, when eggs, milk and butter were hard to come by. Because this cake is egg and dairy-free, it’s a great recipe to have on hand for people with egg and dairy allergies or vegans. But you don’t have to have allergies or be vegan to fall in love with this fantastic, allergy and budget-friendly cake!
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR FULL RECIPE)
This awesome budget friendly cake is made with pantry staples, blueberries and one lemon!
- all-purpose flour
- granulated sugar
- baking soda
- salt
- lemon zest
- fresh blueberries (or frozen, thawed)
- fresh lemon juice (for the glaze topping, optional)
- pure vanilla extract
- pure lemon extract
- apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar)
- canola oil (sub with vegetable or olive oil)
- water
HOW TO MAKE DELICIOUS LEMON BLUEBERRY CAKE FROM SCRATCH
You are going to love how easy it is to make this One Bowl Lemon Blueberry Crazy Cake!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. then spray an 8″ square baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combined the sugar and lemon zest – mix well, making sure the zest is evenly distributed with the sugar, then add the remaining dry ingredients (flour, baking soda and salt), and mix well.
Next, make 3 depressions in the dry ingredients – two small, one larger. Pour vinegar in one depression, vanilla and lemon extracts in the other, and then the oil in the third larger depression.
Next, pour water over top. Mix well until smooth.
Last, add blueberries, gently folding into batter, then pour into prepared baking dish.
Finally, bake on the middle rack of the oven for 35–40 minutes. To be sure the cake is ready, check with a toothpick to make sure it comes out clean. Remove from oven.
Serve warm, fresh out of the oven, or you can allow to cool before serving.
This cake is wonderful served plain, or you can top it with a simple lemon glaze (see glaze recipe in the note section of the recipe card below), your favorite lemon or vanilla frosting, or dust with powdered sugar.
Store in refrigerator tightly covered up to 4 days.
PINNABLE IMAGE
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FOR LEMON BLUEBERRY CRAZY CAKE:
Yes! Make sure they are thawed before adding to the batter.
Because there are no eggs, you want the baking soda and vinegar to combine and react/interact last, right before baking, this is what makes the cake rise. Some people think you don’t need to do this, I always have whenever I make a Crazy Cake. It’s a quick step, and all the crazy cakes I have created over the years have ALWAYS turned out perfect.
Yes, vinegar is a must in a crazy cake recipe, because it’s an important part of the leavening process. The vinegar reacts with the baking soda, which is what makes the cake rise. You don’t taste a hint of the vinegar in the finished cake.
You can use apple cider vinegar and also white vinegar.
For Lemon Blueberry Crazy Cake, you can use canola oil, vegetable oil and olive oil.
Yes! Simply use a 9×13 baking pan.
The cake get its moistness from the oil, and becomes fluffy from the chemical reaction between the vinegar and baking soda.
TIPS FOR MAKING LEMON BLUEBERRY CRAZY CAKE
- You can use fresh or frozen blueberries that have been thawed.
- Crazy Cakes can be made with Gluten Free mixes! Many people have commented they’ve made the cakes with Gluten Free mixes, and they have turned out wonderful.
- This recipe can also be made into cupcakes!
- Check out the full list of Crazy Cake flavors HERE!
- This cake is great plain and can also be topped with a simple lemon glaze, your favorite frosting or dusted with powdered sugar.
- For a great dairy-free buttercream frosting, The Minimalist Baker has a great vegan recipe you will want to add to your recipe box!
- For a fantastic quick and easy Buttercream Frosting, be sure to check out a great one from Sprinkles Cupcakes, a favorite go-to.
MORE DELICIOUS EASY PANTRY CRAZY CAKE RECIPES
One more recipe to check out for my blueberry fan’s – The Country Cook’s Blueberry Butter Swim Biscuits! So easy to make…one of my all-time favorite biscuits!!
Lemon Blueberry Crazy Cake (No Eggs, No Milk, No Butter!)
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
Wet Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar)
- 5 Tablespoons canola oil (or vegetable or olive oil)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon pure lemon extract
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup fresh blueberries (or frozen, thawed)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. then spray an 8″ square baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combined the sugar and lemon zest – mix well, making sure the zest is evenly distributed with the sugar, then add the remaining dry ingredients (flour, baking soda and salt), and mix well.
- Next, make 3 depressions in the dry ingredients – two small, one larger. Pour vinegar in one depression, vanilla and lemon extracts in the other, and the oil in the third larger depression. Next, pour water over top. Mix well until smooth.
- Last, add blueberries, gently folding into batter, then pour into prepared baking dish.
- Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 35–40 minutes. To be sure the cake is ready, check with a toothpick to make sure it comes out clean. Remove from oven.
- Serve warm, fresh out of the oven, or allow to cool.
- This cake is wonderful served plain, topped with a simple lemon glaze (see note section in recipe card for glaze recipe), your favorite lemon or vanilla frosting, or dusted with powdered sugar.
- Store in refrigerator tightly covered up to 4 days.
Notes
Easy Lemon Glaze Recipe
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2–3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Diane LaBarge
why can’t I just mix everything up instead of making 3 wells?
Mary Neumann
Because there are no eggs, you want the baking soda and vinegar to combine and react/interact last, right before baking, this is what makes the cake rise. Some people think you don’t need to do this, I always have whenever I make a Crazy Cake. It’s a quick step, and all the crazy cakes I have created over the years have ALWAYS turned out perfect.