This week I am sharing another Crazy Cake recipe, Lemon Crazy Cake – no eggs, milk or butter.
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 Pinetrest!
I still cannot believe the amount of visits for these cakes since my first share of the Chocolate Crazy Cake last month. I absolutely love reading all the stories and comments shared on this Depression era recipe. Crazy Cake, also known as Wacky Cake, Vinegar & Oil Cake, Depression Cake and many more names, is loved by so many. I am thrilled that people who lost this recipe, found it again. And I am so happy people stumbled on this recipe for family and friends that suffer from egg and dairy allergies. Everyone should be able eat real cake!You can learn more about the cake here, in my first post for Chocolate Crazy Cake. Since first posting the Chocolate Crazy Cake, I’ve added new flavors and a few mug cake versions too – you can check them all out by clicking the photo below:
Today I finally made a Lemon Crazy Cake. It only took two attempts to get it perfect! The first try, I used fresh lemon juice in the water…it tasted delicious, was super moist, but was a little flat in the center. The second try I added lemon zest and lemon extract….ding, ding, ding, ding…winner!!!
Pinnable Image
Lemon Crazy/Wacky Cake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Cups flour + 3 Tablespoons (all-purpose)
- 1 Cup white sugar
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp. white vinegar
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. pure lemon extract
- 5 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1 Cup water
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.Mix first 5 dry ingredients in a greased 8″ square baking pan, starting with the flour first. Mix well. Make 3 depressions in dry ingredients – two small, one larger (see #3 in photo below). Pour vinegar in one depression, vanilla and lemon extracts 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 ( I used vanilla for this lemon cake), or dust with powdered sugar. Enjoy!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.Mix first 5 dry ingredients in a greased 8″ square baking pan, starting with the flour first. Mix well. Make 3 depressions in dry ingredients – two small, one larger (see #3 in photo below). Pour vinegar in one depression, vanilla and lemon extracts 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 ( I used vanilla for this lemon cake), or dust with powdered sugar. Enjoy!
Frosting Recipes
Vegan Fluffy Buttercream frosting
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting (contains dairy)
Tips
You can double this recipe, just use a 9×13 baking pan.
You can add more lemon zest for a stronger lemon taste, or use lemon frosting or a lemon glaze.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!”
Vegan Fluffy Buttercream frosting
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting (contains dairy)
Tips
You can double this recipe, just use a 9×13 baking pan.
You can add more lemon zest for a stronger lemon taste, or use lemon frosting or a lemon glaze.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!
On my blog you will find my favorite recipes along with tried and trues from cherished cookbooks and admired sites and magazines.
Can I use lemon juice instead of lemon extract?
Hi Carmen, I tried the cake using lemon juice and was not successful.
Can it be made with gluten free flour?
Can we use a sugar substitue for half of the sugar in the recipe?
Hi Arlene, I have never used sugar substitute with my crazy cakes,but others have with success. I am not able to tell you how the taste turns out. I found this recipe for for Chocolate Wacky Cake using Splenda – http://www.vickisfoodies.com/uploads/7/0/1/5/7015067/chocolate_wacky_cake.pdf
It might be worth a try!
Hi, looking forward to trying this. I make the deserts for my bible study group. We have several diabetics and I reduce sugar wherever I can . will using Splenda work?
My cake is not rising. Twice. And I followed the instructions exactly. Tastes great but no rise. Any ideas? I’ll be making it regardless 😋
I make chocolate depression cake. I got the recipe from another site (the recipe is basically identical except it calls for 6 Tbsp oil instead of 5). I had the same problem with the cake not rising. I began sifting my flour and i also waited till the oven was at correct temp before i added the vinegar. It was the last ingredient i added before i put in the oven. OH! also i was slightly generous with baking soda and vinegar. When I measured them i added probably 1 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1 1/2 Tbsp vinegar. Now i get amazing rise! It also helps to use an oven thermometer to make sure the temp is exact. That can also affect rise. I love depression cakes! i dont make any other cake for my family 🙂
I have grown up on this recipe. My mother called it the poor mans cake. She has always replaced the water ingredient with cold coffee and it makes it so rich and moist. I actually have never tried it with water. I love reading comments on any twists on recipes. Just thought I would throw that one out there.
Thank you,
Courtney D
This was awesome- have been making chocolate Wacky Cake since i was a kid. Needed something dairy-free for my nephews girlfriend. Served it with roasted strawberries and dairy free whipped topping. Will make it again.
Hello! Could I use Apple Cider Vinegar in place of the ‘white vinegar’?
Hi Kayla – Yes! 🙂
I gave tried all your beautiful delicious cakes. I have run out of eggs too many times and try to substitute it but now don’t have too since l found your recipe over a year ago. Thanks see you on your next invention.
This cake is soooo good i added lemon zest and finely very finely chopped fresh rosemary to the powdered sugar icing, I think next time will add a bit to the cake.
Can you put your cakes and dinners in the freezer for later use.
absolutely 👍 😊
I was checking out your wonderful cakes . You mentioned at the end of the lemon cake that you can double the recipe just use a 9 x 13 pan. So what size pan does the original recipe call for..?
Could you reduce the amount of sugar? Can the vinegar be substituted with anything else?
Thanks so much for your help. Looking forward to try your cakes.
Mary Szlaga
I’ve been looking for a vegan cake recipe for my daughter because she has multiple food allergies and one if them are dairy and eggs which are the main ingredients for baking. I have made her a boxed one before but they are not good. Just last month I found this recipe and it’s my new favorite. I made her chocolate raspberry cake and everyone loves it. Yesterday I made coconut lime cake for my hubby and it is still a hit! Thanks for sharing this recipe.
How did you make the chocolate raspberry cake? Did you put raspberries in the cake mix or just use some for the frosting? Would love to know!
I’ve tried the vanilla, chocolate, and lemon versions of this cake so far. Chocolate was the best (said the chocoholic), but I enjoyed this lemon one too! I think I’ll want to amp up the lemon flavor next time and find a way to minimize the strong flour taste, but it’s a great quick recipe that uses ingredients I always have on hand.
What if I don’t have lemon zest? Can I use a little more extract?
Hi, I just love lemon and can’t wait to make this! However, your recipe says to mix the first 5 ingredients but there are only 4 listed. Is something left out? (My daughter made the chocolate one yesterday and it was deeelicious!!!) Thank you for your help, Teri
Hi Teri, So sorry for the confusion, the lemon zest is with the 5 dry ingredients. Hope you love the cake, the lemon is one of my favorites, along with Carrot, chocolate peanut Butter ( new) and mint!
Happy Baking!
Thank you so much for these lovely and easy recipes. I come from a country where eggs, butter etc are very expensive. So these recipes are just right for us. Thank you once again for sharing those recipes,
Rosemary
My mom and I tried the chocolate flavor just this week. It was WONDERFUL! We made another one the next day for my work, BIG hit. We added a little more water and 1 more Tbsp of oil. Worked out great and was even moister. Thank YOU SO much for this receipt!! We are going to try two other flavors today. I can’t wait!!
I am making this right now…in the oven as I type! I made a few changes to fit what I have on hand….I cut the sugar to 1/2 cup as I wanted to use a Sour Mix that I made with Oranges, Lemons and Limes that I had that were on the verge of not being usable…mixed with a Simple Syrup (so didn’t need the full amount of sugar). I used 1/2 Tbsp. Orange Peel (dry) in place of the Lemon Zest and 1 cup of the Sour Mix instead of any water. If it tastes even 1/2 as good baked as it did before I put it in…Oh My! Gonna put on a glaze of powdered sugar, sour mix, and a bit of lemon extract and lemon juice after it cools just a bit from the oven….no more icing than that.
Carol, you made so many changes it hardly resembles the original recipe. I read reviews to see how the recipe turned out, not how much it was modified.
Laura, this was a rude response. Comment sections are also meant to show the variations and ideas others have from these recipes, not just how it turned out. My best advice, if you don’t have something constructive or nice to say, don’t say anything at all. If you can’t appreciate someone’s comment, move on.
Just made it this afternoon, with some changes because I had the urge for lemon cake NOW!! so…what I did:
1 cup oat flour
1/2 cup + 3 TBS BRM 1:1 gluten-free flour (blue label)
added a little less than 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup sugar (because the other recipe I made from here was super sweet to me)
for liquid: little less than 1/2 cup lemon juice with pulp AND a little more than 1/2 cup of water
1 TBS + 1.5 tsp lemon zest
let sit in bowl and then in pan for a min or two, tap pan a few times to get rid of larger air bubbles
baked at 350 in a 8" round cake tin lined with greased paper, and enough batter left over to make 3 cupcakes (baked for about 15 min)
glazed w mix of 2 TBS icing sugar and about 1 TBS of lemon juice so that it's very tart!! glaze warm cake… enjoy!
Thanks so much for the recipe! And so glad to read the tips from other readers, too.
I have made the chocolate version numerous times – it's perfect when you want a fast homemade treat. Today is the first time to try the lemon version and it's in the oven right now. I swear, if it tastes as good as it smells it might just be good enough to turn this "chocoholic" into a "lemonoholic" lol. What I did to get a tiny bit of a lemon flavor boost is switch out the vinegar with a teaspoon of lemon juice, since it just needs an acid to work properly. I would recommend this cake to anyone, first time baker or long time baker!
I made this cake today. I followed the recipe to a tee OMG !!! delis!! I'm going to try the Lemon cake tomorrow for my husband.. The chocolate was for my sister *smiles* shes a chocolate nut. Thank you so much for recipes
Hi, I don't have lemon extract. Can I replace vinegar with lemon juice instead for the flavour? If yes, how much of the juice will I need? Do I still need to use the vanilla extract if I do that? Thank you so much.