Snickerdoodle Crazy Cake (a.k.a. Wacky Cake) is a Depression Era cake that requires no eggs, milk, or butter—you don’t even need a bowl or mixer! It’s one of the easiest, most inexpensive cakes made with pantry staples. This cake is super moist and delicious, loaded with all the flavors of the beloved cinnamon and sugar Snickerdoodle Cookie.
The Original Viral Snickerdoodle Crazy Cake Recipe from Sweet Little Bluebird.
A Depression Era Cake
You are going to fall in love with this super easy, budget friendly Snickerdoodle Cake made with ingredients right from the pantry!
You’ll be so surprised at how moist this cake is, even without eggs, milk, or butter! I adapted this fantastic Snickerdoodle Cake from the Original Chocolate Crazy Cake. The original chocolate cake was created during the Great Depression, when eggs, milk, and butter were scarce. People were incredibly resourceful during those challenging times. It took creativity and baking science to create a cake without eggs or butter—you don’t even need a bowl or mixer. Genius! And because this cake is egg-free and dairy-free, it’s a great recipe for people with egg and dairy allergies.
Read Great Reviews from People Who Tried This Recipe on Pinterest (photos)! More Reviews
Original Post Date, March 2, 2020. Updated, March 30, 2023.
TIPS FOR MAKING CRAZY CAKE FROM SCRATCH
- If you don’t want to mix the batter in the baking dish, you can combine all the ingredients in a bowl, then pour the batter in to a greased 8-inch square baking dish.
- Crazy Cakes can 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!
- Check out my Snickerdoodle Mug Cake version.
- Cream of tartar is optional.
FREQUENTLY ASKED CRAZY CAKE QUESTIONS:
It’s called Crazy Cake (aka, Wacky Cake, Depression Cake) because it doesn’t need any eggs, milk or butter, mixers or bowls, which is kinda crazy for cake making!
Vinegar is 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!
Yes! Just use a 9×13 baking pan.
The cake’s moistness comes from the oil, and it becomes so fluffy because of the chemical reaction between the vinegar and baking soda!
No, cream of tartar is optional. It is used to give the cake the signature tangy taste in snickerdoodle cookies, not as a leavening agent. You still get all the wonderful cinnamon and sugar flavor of the cookies if you leave cream of tartar out. Learn the difference between Snickerdoodle and Sugar Cookies.
Ingredients Needed To Make Snickerdoodle Crazy Cake (See Recipe Card Below for Full Recipe)
Made with pantry staples, this Snickerddoodle Cake is a favorite go-to cake when low on supplies!
- All-purpose flour
- granulated sugar
- light brown sugar
- ground cinnamon
- baking soda
- cream of tartar (optional)
- salt
- vegetable oil (or canola oil)
- apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar)
- pure vanilla extract
- water
HOW TO MAKE SNICKERDOODLE CRAZY CAKE
This is the EASIEST cake to make! Mix everything right in the pan or in one bowl! Snickerdodole Crazy Cake takes minutes to prepare.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8″x 8″ baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
Mix dry ingredients (flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt) in prepared baking dish until well blended. 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. Pour water over all. Mix well until smooth. *I use a fork to mix.
Bake on the middle rack of the oven for approximately 35 minutes. While the cake is baking, mix the cinnamon and sugar for the topping.
When the cake is ready, check the cake with a toothpick to make sure it comes out clean.
While the cake is still warm fresh out of the oven, sprinkle cinnamon sugar evenly over top.
Take this delicious Snickerdoodle Cake to the next level by adding caramel sauce over top. A scoop of vanilla bean ice cream makes a perfect pairing.
MORE PANTRY CAKES AND SNICKERDOODLE RECIPES
Snickerdoodle 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
- 2 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar *optional
- ½ teaspoon salt
WET INGREDIENTS
- 5 tablespoons canola oil or vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
- 1 cup water
CINNAMON SUGAR TOPPING
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8"x 8" baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- Mix dry ingredients (flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt) in 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 water over all. Mix well until smooth. *I use a fork to mix.
- Bake on the middle rack of the oven for approximately 35 minutes.
- While the cake is baking, mix the cinnamon and sugar for the topping.
- Check center of cake with a toothpick to make sure it comes out clean. While the cake is still warm fresh out of the oven, sprinkle cinnamon sugar evenly over top. Allow to cool.
Notes
- *Cream of tartar is not necessary if you do not have it on hand. Cream of tartar is used to give the distinctive tang taste in Snickerdoodle cookies, not as a leavening agent. You still get all the cinnamon and sugar flavor if you leave cream of tartar out.
- Make sure your baking soda and vinegar are fresh – they are what make the cake rise.
- You can top the cake with warm caramel sauce and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
- The cake does not need to be kept refrigerated if it’s not frosted. Cover and it will last 3 days. If it is frosted, it will need to be kept refrigerated. Cover and refrigerate for up to 6 days.
- If you don’t want to mix this in the baking dish, you can combine all the ingredients in a bowl, then pour the batter into a greased 8-inch square baking dish.
- You can use vegetable oil or canola oil
- You can use white vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
Rachel
This is a go to recipe for me. It’s great for when I want dessert but don’t want to go to the store to buy ingredients. The last time I made it I peeled and chopped 2 apples and folded it into the batter before baking. It was really good. This cake isn’t just good for a crazy cake, it’s good in its own right.
Melanie Solis
Truly Amazing it made my whole house smell good. I did make some changes, less sugar only 1 1/2 cup. I added some raisins that I had soaked in rhum. No cream of tartar neither. It came out so fluffy. Thank you for sharing!!!
Jack
Just wondering why you would recommend a Carmel sauce with butter and dairy for an eggless, milkless, butterless cake?
Mary Neumann
Jack, the cake itself happens to be vegan and is made with pantry staples. When I created this one, it was right before the pandemic and it went viral due to people having limited supplies. The cake can be topped with whatever people like — cinnamon sugar is great and in the recipe card. Caramel topping is just an option. If someone is vegan, they can use a vegan caramel sauce if they wish.
Vegan Caramel Sauce: https://jessicainthekitchen.com/vegan-caramel-sauce/
Mary
This recipe is absolutely perfect. Tender, moist crumb. I did sub 1/2 cup applesauce for the oil and reduced the water to 3/4 cup. Baked 35’. Awesome!! Can’t wait to try other flavors. Keep up the great work.
Peter
I made this “Crazy” cake this morning to have as a breakfast finisher. It smells so good. I substituted Stevia and a tablespoon of molasses for the sugar and brown sugar. I can’t wait for it to cool!
Pamela Wilson
Let me first say that it tastes great. Now I will admit to forgetting the baking soda! It was still great. Dense, heavy and fudge-like in consistency, but really good. I’ll make it properly next time.
Social Engagement
Hello beautiful souls! Pause and find beauty in the simplicity of life. Be grateful for the tiny moments that spark joy.
Connie
I’m vegan so I made this cake for Thanksgiving so I would have a desert. Well it was a huge hit with everyone ~ next time I’ll be doubling the recipe! Thank you
Sharon Hallihan
I made this cake yesterday to potentially take it to a Thanksgiving function. I took it to work for feedback and everyone loved it! So I will make this for the lunch and double the recipe for more people.
Brenda
Super quick & easy to make. Made one and everyone loved it, with the caramel sauce. I just made 2 more and tried the sugar topping (1 batch did. It’s cakes plenty), but I don’t like the sugar topping at all. Will use caramel sauce with from now in, us cake tastes good on its own as well.
Brenda
Oh my goodness, this cake is not only easy to make, smells so good while baking and taste delicious. Highly recommend serving with warm caramel sauce and ice cream. 😋🥰
Samantha
Hi!
Looking for the caramel sauce recipe!?
Thank you! 🙂
Mary Neumann
Samantha, check out this caramel sauce recipe from Tastes Better From Scratch: https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/caramel-sauce/
Samantha
Thank you for this! It was delicious and sooo easy! I didn’t even need to use a sauce pan or many ingredients! It was perfect as I didn’t have a lot of time to make it! 🙂
Carolyn Horn
A neighbor made this, so good! Could you give the recipe for the caramel sauce, please?
Mary Neumann
I use Smucker’s Caramel topping, but you can easily make it from scratch – https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/caramel-sauce/
Kathryne Bishop
Can you use Gluten free flour?
Amber Phillips
Very tasty & easy
Beth
I do not understand the need for the three depressions to add the 3 ingredients that wind up being stirred up into batter. Can someone enlighten me ?
Homeschool Mom
I’m not the author, but I’m familiar with making Crazy Cakes. First, the post does have photos which show the three depressions, so refer to those. Put your dry ingredients into the baking pan as directed. Use a spoon to dig 3 little indents or dips into the dry ingredients as though you are a kid playing in the sand, lol. Pour vinegar into one indent, vanilla into one indent, and vegetable oil into another indent. Continue with the recipe as directed.
Diana
I get how to do the depressions but don’t understand the need? Won’t it all be mixed together as if you didn’t do the depressions? Seems like more work to me!
Cecilia
I don’t understand a need for it either. I’ve made this several times now and have not done the three impressions, just mix the dry together, add the wet, stir it up and bake.
I substitute carbonated water for tap or filtered for extra lightness, 7 up would work well too.
I also use a Gluten Free flour blend because my husband has Celiac.
The cake lasts 48 hours at my house-If we’re lucky! 🤣
Mary Neumann
The depressions are an old depression era trick from the original recipe, to keep everything separate until mixing (vinegar & soda) to get the cake to rise, to be fluffy… without eggs.
Michelle Hoff
When using the Gluten Free flour blend, you use the same amounts? First attempt at making it that way, just want to be sure.
Suzanne
Can this be made ahead of time and either refrigerated or frozen and cooked later, OR cooked completely, then freeze to pull out later to thaw and serve?
Mary B.
Can you double this recipe and bake in a larger pan?
Mary Neumann
Yes – if you double the recipe use a 9×13 baking pan, Mary.
Linda
I have been making Wacky Cake for well over 45 years. The recipe was given to me by a dear friend. I never thought to add different versions of it though. They all sound amazing – now to figure out which one to try first! Thanks for sharing!
Parker
Omg…this is so delicious! You forgot to place a warning: You may eat the entire cake after it cools! Lol..
Thank you for a new vegan go to dessert recipe! Everyone that has tried it, has loved it!
Rebecca Faulconbridge
Could this be .ade with gluten free flour?
April
I’m going to make this. My Husband and Son love snickerdoodles!
Shirley
I have made chocolate crazy cakes for years because of family allergies. Happy to find some more flavour choices. I tried this recipe and it was delicious. I will definitely make this many times. Thank you for sharing.
Dewayne
Can I use milk instead of oil?
KH
I have this cooling for dessert for tonight. Looks & smells amazing. The batter tasted delicious. Can’t wait to try with vanilla bean ice cream & caramel sauce. Gonna be fabulous!
Diane
This is a great cake! Thank you for sharing it with us!
I didn’t have any oil, so used melted & cooled butter. Cake has a tender crumb, light texture, very moist! Delicious and easy to make! Thanks again!