Vanilla Crazy Cake Original Recipe (a.k.a. Wacky Cake) is a Depression Era cake that has no eggs, no milk, no butter and no bowls! One of the easiest, budget friendly vanilla cakes you can make! You won’t believe how delicious this cake is!
A Depression Era Cake
You’ll be so surprised how moist this cake is without eggs, milk and butter! I adapted this awesome vanilla cake back in 2013, from the Original Chocolate Crazy Cake. The original chocolate cake was created during the Great Depression, when eggs, milk and butter were very hard to come by. 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 bowl or mixer. Genius! And because this cake is egg and dairy free, it’s a great recipe for people with egg and dairy allergies.
Original Date For Recipe March 12, 2013 – Updated March, 7, 2023.
TIPS FOR MAKING CRAZY CAKE
- 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 in to a greased 8-inch square baking dish.
- 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.
- This can also be made into cupcakes!
- More cake flavors have been added since this post! Check out the whole list HERE! There are mug cake versions too!
- For a great dairy-free buttercream frosting, The Minimalist Baker has a great vegan recipe!
- For a fantastic quick and easy Buttercream Frosting, check out a great one from Sprinkles Cupcakes, a favorite go-to.
My sister made these adorable Vanilla Crazy Cake Cupcakes for her son’s class. Crazy Cake is a great go-to recipe for little ones with egg, milk and dairy allergies.
FREQUENTLY ASKED 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!
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR FULL RECIPE)
- all-purpose flour
- granulated sugar
- baking soda
- salt
- white vinegar
- pure vanilla extract
- canola oil
- water
- plus your favorite frosting or dusting of powdered sugar
How To Make Crazy Cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. then spray an 8″ square baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Mix the first 4 dry ingredients in a greased 8″ square baking pan. Next, make 3 depressions in dry ingredients – two small, one larger. Pour vinegar in one of the smaller depressions, vanilla extract in the other small depression and the canola oil in the third larger depression. Pour water over all. Mix well until smooth.
NOTE – For a neater cake pan, you can mix the batter in a bowl, then pour it into a prepared baking pan.
When ready, place in the oven on the middle rack and bake for 35 minutes. Check with toothpick to make sure it comes out clean. Cool. When the cake is completely cooled, top with your favorite frosting, or simply dust with powdered sugar. Enjoy!
Note: Because oven baking times will vary, be sure to check your cake to make sure you do not over bake.
CRAVING MORE CRAZY CAKE RECIPES?
If you enjoy this Vanilla Crazy Cake, be sure to try my New Strawberry Crazy Cake, made with fresh strawberries!
Vanilla Crazy Cake (No Eggs, No Milk, No Butter!)
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract *see recipe notes below
- 5 Tablespoons canola oil or vegetable oil
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8-inch square pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Mix first 4 dry ingredients in the prepared pan (flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.)
- Make 3 depressions in the dry ingredients – two small, one larger.
- Pour vinegar in one of the smaller depressions. Pour the vanilla extract in the other smaller depression and the canola oil in the third, larger depression.
- Pour water over all. Mix well until smooth.
- Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 35 minutes. Check with toothpick to make sure it comes out clean.
- Cool completely before frosting (if using). You can also just sprinkle with a dusting of powdered sugar.
Notes
- Adding a 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract in place of vanilla extract is a wonderful addition. Use 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla plus 1/2 teaspoon almond extract.
- This cake is wonderful with a simple dusting of powdered sugar, or top with your favorite frosting.
- 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 in to a greased 8-inch square baking dish.
- You can sub canola oil with vegetable oil.
- You can sub white vinegar with apple cider vinegar.
- Use the batter to make Crazy Cake Cup Cakes!
- Double the recipe using a 9×13 baking dish or make a Two-Layer Crazy Cake.
SUZIE YEE
May I know what flour to use for the vegan vanilla cake?
Thank you
marysweetlittlebluebird
Hi Suzie! All-purpose flour.
Valkyrie
I made a half batch of the vanilla batter and a half batch of the original chocolate (separate bowls), and swirled them in the pan for a marble cake. Amazing! It needed a few extra minutes though in the oven though.
BBQChick
Very shocked at how moist this cake is, highly recommended. This will be made a lot 🙂
BBQChick
I was shocked at how good this cake is, very moist. I did the chocolate peanut butter frosting. Highly recommended.
Kris
I remember my mom making these all of the time when I was a child. Thank you for reminding me of the crazy cake! I grew up on the chocolate version and had no idea nor had I ever thought about adapting new flavors to it. I made the chocolate version last week and am on to try the vanilla one. They are by far the most moist cake I have ever made. Going to try the 7 minute fluffy frosting on it because that is one of the frostings my mom used most on this cake. Yum!
Anonymous
Can't wait to try these. I'm going to try a rum version. I think the reason for making the indentations and mixing it the way it calls for has to do with the reaction between the baking soda and the vinegar which is the only leavening in this recipe.
stephanie carlisle
I have made this cake twice in the past week. About to make a 3rd one. It is very moist and delicious!
MeMyself AndI
Could I use canola oil? I haven't used vegetable oil in forever. We recently had bake sale at work for breast cancer and someone made zucchini bread with walnuts, although delicious, I tasted the thickness of the vegetable oil. @M.Anaya, I'm guessing if you mix it in a bowl, then you could pour it into the tins/mold.
marysweetlittlebluebird
Hi! Yes you can use canola oil, I have used canola many times and it turns out wonderful! And yes, you can pour it into tins, just be sure to grease and flour pans!
Ashlee Ridlon
Thank you!!! I have been searching for a vanilla cake recipe for my daughter's first birthday. She has fpies and cannot have eggs or dairy. So this is so awesome!
M.Anaya
Has anyone tried this recipe for cupcakes? The chocolate or vanilla.
Anonymous
could you use self rising flour instead of plain, leaving out the baking soda and salt ?
Anonymous
I am new to baking…looking out for easy foolproof recipes ….can u tell me how to mix the ingtedients…..by handbeater or just spatula…and for how long…waiting for ur reply…thanku!
Crystal Boughen
Would love to know which Gluten Free flour, is best. Please advise. Thank you, love your page.
.
Can you make this in a bundt? If so, what would you suggest for the cooking times? Thanks!!!
Anonymous
finally no eggs yay…l have and allergy to eggs and every cake has eggs tysm for sharing xoxo
Anonymous
Or, you can omit the cocoa (double recipe) and add a couple packages of the instant oatmeal with fruit and cream.
You end up with a fruity/oatmeal cake that is wonderful.
Lynn
I'm so thrilled to find this recipe! My mom used to have an old cookbook of Depression-era recipes, all kinds of cakes and breads with no milk or butter or eggs. The book was falling apart and I cut out a couple of pages and threw the rest of the book away. Boy, was I sorry I did that after I had my son who's allergic to dairy. This looks delicious.
Christina
Oh my goodness! I found your recipe while searching for what to do when I ran out of eggs to use with my Betty Crocker cake mix… Headed back to the kitchen now to ditch the box mix and make this one instead!! Thank you so much for sharing- this is great!
Sara Crissman
Hi there!.
Is there any way to make this cake without Vinegar?
Mary
Hi Sara!
Some people have said they used Lemon Juice instead of vinegar and it worked great. I haven't tried lemon juice, but if I do, I'll be sure to stop by and let you know if it worked!
Corny
I've developed a Banana Cake using Chocolate Crazy Cake as a basis:
CONNIE’S BANANA CAKE
DAIRY FREE LIKE ORIGINAL CHOCOLATE CRAZY CAKE
AND SPICE SNACK CAKE
RECIPE CREATED BY CONNIE WAID (DAUGHTER OF LUCY STEVENS)
FEB.2,2013
WHEN THE NEED AROSE TO PROVIDE A DESSERT
AND I FOUND MYSELF SHORT OF MILK AND EGGS BUT HAVING
4 NICELY OVER RIPE BANANAS
FOR 9X13 INCH PAN
3 CUPS FLOUR
2 TEASPOONS BAKING SODA
1-1/2 CUPS SUGAR
1 TEASPOON SALT
1/2 CUP QUICK OATS
2/3 CUP COOKING OIL
2 TABLESPOONS VINEGAR
1-1/2 CUPS MASHED RIPE BANANA
1 TEASPOON VANILLA
1-1/2 CUPS COLD WATER
(I REDUCED THE AMOUNT OF WATER CALLED FOR IN THE “ORIGINAL CHOCOLATE CRAZY CAKE” AND THE “SPICE SNACK CAKE” AND ADDED 1/2 CUP QUICK OATS TO MAKE UP FOR THE ADDITION OF THE MOIST BANANAS, BATTER SEEMED NOT TOO THICK OR TOO THIN.)
BLEND ALL TOGETHER WITH ELECTRIC MIXER UNTIL WELL BLENDED. POUR BATTER INTO A GREASED 9X13 INCH PAN. BAKE IN A 350 DEGREE PREHEATED OVEN FOR 30-35 MINUTES. CAKE IS DONE WHEN TOOTHPICK OR THIN BLADED KNIFE INSERTED IN CENTER COMES OUT CLEAN OR WHEN IT SPRINGS BACK WHEN TOUCHED IN CENTER. 16-20 SERVINGS DEPENDING ON NEED AND WHO IS CUTTING.
FROSTING
(Because of the addition of cream cheese, the frosting is not dairy free. I’ve never worked with tofu as a cream cheese substitute. If you try it let me know how it works out.)
1 – 8 OUNCE TUB COOLWHIP
1/2 – OF 8 OUNCE BLOCK OF CREAM CHEESE (4 OUNCES)
1/4 TEASPOON VANILLA (optional)
1-1/2 CUPS POWDERED SUGAR
SOFTEN CREAM CHEESE ON DEFROST FOR 1 MINUTE IN MICROWAVE. BLEND ALL INGREDIENTS WITH ELECTRIC MIXER UNTIL SMOOTH AND WELL BLENDED (NO SUGAR LUMPS OR CLUMPS OF DRY SUGAR REMAIN). SCRAPE FROSTING BACK INTO COOLWHIP BOWL AND CHILL UNTIL CAKE IS WELL COOLED.
FROST CAKE AND SERVE.
marystacks
I just made this banana version. THANKS, Corny!!! I didn't have the oats so i just used an additional 1/2 cup flour, and since I like a strong banana flavor I split the 1 tsp vanilla into 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1/2 tsp banana extract, and by the time I was done mashing I had between 1 1/2 and 2 cups of VERY ripe bananas. My 9×12 pan disappeared somewhere in the direction of my daughters house LOL so I made it in my Bundt pan. I had to take just under a cup of batter out because it would have risen too high and overflowed. (I know my pan well LOL!) so I made a little 6" pan I could nibble JUST A PIECE OF while the bundt finished cooking. Yeah sure! Never gonna happen! The Bundt needed 45-50 minutes to test done – the little pan was perfect at 30. That extra 15 minutes cook time was just enough time for a cold glass of milk and an ENTIRE 6" pan to vanish! sheesh! But girl was it GOOD!!!! Thanks for this cake recipe! No frosting needed with this! 🙂 I knew the choc was delish and even the vanilla one. But this one is YUMMY! And now that spring has sprung a little bit I may just try lemon or orange. 🙂
AmyRose18
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe! they are absolutely delicious. I, like many others here, have a son with milk/dairy allergies. So this will be used generously in our household especially when the holidays creep up. So far we've made the chocolate and vanilla and both came out perfect. you would never guess there is no dairy or eggs! You are doing a great job, thanks again!
AmyRose18
Awesome recipe! Thank you so much for sharing. I, like many others here, have a son with milk allergies so this is very appreciated in my household! so far we've made the chocolate and vanilla. I will be making these for the holidays and birthdays! thanks again!
Anonymous
Thanks for a great easy recipe I didn't have pumpkin spice so have used cinnamon and can report it is super yummy!
Bridget
PS.. I used a metal baking dish, I wonder if I should have used glass like you used?
Suteri .
Hi! This cakes are awsome! My grandpa had a heart attack and now he can't eat anything with milk, butter or eggs, but the doctor let him eat a little bit of sunflower oil. I wanted to make him a father's day cake and tgat's how I found your blog and cooked the vanilla one. I does taste awsome and like real cake! 🙂 I'm so happy. If you agree I love to share this recepies in my blog, I'm from Costa Rica and we don't have depression cakes of any kind. The recepie will be in spanish and I'll add a link so anyone can come here any time! 🙂