LEMON CRAZY CAKE – THE ORIGINAL RECIPE (a.k.a. Lemon Wacky Cake and Lemon Depression Cake), is a vintage Depression Era cake that has no eggs, no milk, no butter and no bowls! One of the EASIEST, budget friendly lemon cakes you can make! You won’t believe how moist and delicious this cake is, perfect for any occasion!
Lemon Crazy Cake – A Depression Era Recipe
You will be shocked how moist and delicious this cake is with no eggs, no milk and no butter, made right in the pan or in one bowl! I adapted this wonderful Lemon Crazy Cake back in April 2013, from the Original Chocolate Crazy Cake. The original vintage chocolate cake was created during the Great Depression, when eggs, milk and butter were hard to come by. 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! Because this cake is egg and dairy free, it’s a great recipe to have on hand for people with egg and dairy allergies. But you don’t have to have allergies or be vegan to fall in love with this inexpensive and easy to make cake – it’s fantastic!
The Original Post Date for this recipe was on April 9, 2013. Post was updated, March 29, 2023.
Ingredients Needed (see recipe card below for full recipe)
This awesome budget friendly cake is made with pantry staples and one lemon!
- all-purpose flour
- granulated sugar
- baking soda
- salt
- lemon zest
- pure vanilla extract
- pure lemon extract
- white vinegar
- canola oil
- water
- plus your favorite frosting or dusting of powdered sugar
How to Make Delicious Lemon Wacky Cake from Scratch
You are going to love how easy it is to make this Lemon Crazy Cake! You can mix the batter right in the baking pan or use one bowl.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. then spray an 8″ square baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Start out combining the first 5 dry ingredients in a greased 8″ square baking pan – mix well. Next, you need to 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 vegetable oil in the third larger depression. Next, pour water over top. Mix well until smooth.
Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 35 minutes. To be sure the cake is ready, check with a toothpick to make sure it comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Last, top the cake with your favorite frosting (I used vanilla for this lemon cake), or dust with powdered sugar. Enjoy!
NOTE – For a neater cake pan, you can mix the batter in a bowl, then pour it into a prepared baking pan.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FOR LEMON CRAZY CAKE:
Because this cake don’t require eggs, milk or butter, mixers or bowls – which is kinda crazy for cake making!
The cake get its moistness from the oil, and becomes fluffy from the chemical reaction between the vinegar and baking soda.
Vinegar is must in 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.
Yes! Simply use a 9×13 baking pan.
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.
TIPS FOR MAKING CRAZY CAKE
- Because mixing in a pan can be a little tricky and a bit messy, if you want a neater cake pan you can mix the batter in a large bowl, then pour it into a prepared baking pan.
- 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!
- 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 CAKE RECIPES
Lemon Crazy Cake (No Eggs, No Milk, No Butter!)
Ingredients
DRY INGREDIENTS
- 1 ½ cups plus 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon zest from 1 lemon
WET INGREDIENTS
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon pure lemon extract
- 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 the first 5 dry ingredients in a greased 8″ square baking pan, mix well.
- Make 3 depressions in dry ingredients – two small, one larger. Pour vinegar in one depression, vanilla and lemon extracts in the other, 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.
- Top with your favorite frosting (I used vanilla for this lemon cake), or dust with powdered sugar. Enjoy!
Notes
- 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.
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- For a great dairy-free buttercream frosting, The Minimalist Baker has a great vegan recipe!
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- For a fantastic quick and easy Buttercream Frosting, check out a great one from Sprinkles Cupcakes, a favorite go-to.
Anonymous
Made for my wife she love it. I got lots of kisses that day
Carlinda
Made this today and added a Tablespoon of Poppy seeds because who doesnt love poppy and lemon together and it was deelish!! Thank you for all the crazy cake variations 🙂 So, thought I would share mine.
marysweetlittlebluebird
Hi Sindhu,
I have never used an airfryer but I did find this great video and I bet you can make a wonderful Lemon Crazy Cake in your airfryer!
Head here for the video (copy & paste):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmWApOFUnrU
If you have issues with the link, please email me: SweetLittleBluebird@gmail.com.
Let me know how your cake turns out! I have had so many people make crazy cakes in all sorts of ways around the world – even out doors over a fire and all types of ovens and cooking/baking mechanisms. These are pretty universal cakes with universal ingredients which is why I love them so much and like creating new flavors for people to try. These cakes are also easy to adapt and change for dietary needs – perfect recipe for people who suffer from food allergies… everyone should be able to enjoy delicious cake!
Happy Baking!
Sindhu Reji
Hi, i dont have an oven can i bake this in my airfryer? Can u help me with the temperature and timing for this crazy cake
Jennifer
Love this one! Can't cook egg in the house since hubby is deathly allergic, so I've used this lemon-crazy-cake recipe to make cupcakes for my 5 year old … as a test-run for the actual birthday cake! I'm excited to say it's delicious. I've substituted the lemon essence with another 2 tablespoon-full of lemon-zest, so in effect this recipe does well with 3 tablespoons of the zest if you don't have the lemon essence handy 🙂 For the icing I've used a cup of icing sugar, 2 tablespoons coconut oil, table spoon of lemon zest; added water to get the right consistency and turmeric powder to get the yellow colour. Yummy! Thanks so much for the recipe idea.
jmluvs MFD
thanx bernadette i figured so!! lol i made it today and it was ok just not very lemony
jmluvs MFD
will it work without vinegar? lol
bernadette
no! since theres no egg in this cake, you need the vinegar (because it reacts with baking soda) in order for the cake to rise. if you dont have vinegar, you can use another acid like fresh lemon juice 🙂
Diana
I was looking for something to serve with tea to my friends and this is IT! Perfect for "almost Spring" and a lite lunch. Thank you so much.
Helen L
I made the Chocolate Wacky Cake, substituted a sugar replacement for the sugar (my husband is diabetic) and OMG it came out so delicious that it did not last long. Now I'll just have to try the lemon cake. I have a friend with diabetes and loves lemon anything so I will have to make this for him. Keep the recipes coming they are wonderful.
marysweetlittlebluebird
Hi Niyati – Sorry to hear this. If you followed the recipe exactly, the only thing I can think of is that your baking soda may not be fresh. Do you live in high altitude? The cake will still taste wonderful.
Niyati
Hi Mary,
I made this cake for a friend who's allergic to dairy and eggs but I'm not sure what went wrong because the cake barely rose – esp when you compare it to you pictures. It's still cooling so I'm not sure how it tastes but I did follow the recipe properly – do you have an idea what may have happened?
Many thanks in advance,
Niyati
Dil
I totally like these recipes, I've already baked the classic one and it was very good, I'll try the rest soon.
Thank you so very mucho for sharing <3
marysweetlittlebluebird
Anonymous – depending on your oven, bake them at 350 degrees for 15 to 22 minutes.
marysweetlittlebluebird
Bernadette – I did not reduce the vinegar and that was most likely the issue. The cake was still delicious, just a little sunken in in the middle. I'd give it a try!
marysweetlittlebluebird
Hi Gee – Here is a recipe fro Lemon Glaze – just copy and paste this link: http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/lemon-glaze/6aa29b08-da0e-442b-ac25-a2975a72f381
Anonymous
Good morning,
I was looking at your crazy lemon cake & was wondering do you have a recipe for lemon glaze. I would love to make this cake for a small gathering. Looking forward to anyone who cares to respond.
Thank you
Gee
bernadette
Hi, when you used fresh lemon juice in your first attempt, did you reduce the vinegar or increase the baking soda at all? I'm assuming the vinegar is there to react with the baking soda and cause the cake to rise, so I'm wondering if the reason it was a little flat in the center was that the acid/alkaline balance was thrown off… I don't know a ton about food science, though, so I could be totally off base 🙂 Mostly I'm curious because I don't usually have lemon extract on hand, but I have a tree outside and fresh lemon juice most of the year
marysweetlittlebluebird
Cyn – You can try all above…it will still be delicious. The only issue you may have is that the cake may sink a little in the middle, but it will still taste good. And you can use apple cider vinegar. Happy Baking! Please let me know how it turns out!
Cyn McMillan
I don't have Lemon extract but I do have 2 very large lemons, so I have zest but can I use lemon juice and would it be so bad if I used apple cider vinegar instead of white? really am craving this lemon cake now but have no way to the store!!!
Sugar N Spite
I used oat flour and substituted 1/2 cup of vanilla whey protein instead of 1/2 a cup of the flour and it came out AMAZING! THANK you for posting the recipe!! It's SO easy and SO delicious.
Sugar N Spite
I made this cake using oat flour and it came out SPECTACULAR! I also substituted 1/2 a cup of vanilla whey protein powder for 1/2 cup flour. Best recipe EVER and SUPER easy! Thank you for posting this!
Mary H
I have not read all the comments, but…. I am a diabetic and will substitute the sugar with Splenda. I also will not use icing. I am hoping this will be a good cake recipe that does not bring my sugar up!
Tzivia in Breadland
Made this with a lemon glaze yesterday, and I'm honestly a little disappointed. Fizzed a lot initially but didn't really rise in the oven – so it came out kind of flattish. Making it in a larger pan would probably result in an overly dense cake that needed too much baking to be fully baked in the centre. Flavour was kind of "meh." I guess we prefer a richer lemon cake – I'll stick to my classic lemon-curd recipe, even though it takes longer. Thanks for sharing it – I bet this would be great for people who can't have eggs or dairy!
Anonymous
Hi I'm going to make this cake , can I use maple syrup for the sugar? If so how much of it should I use?
dearcat O'Connell
I have been making the Wacky Chocolate cake for more than 70 years. I never knew there was a lemon version but you can bank on it, I will be making it within the next week. I am a chocoholic with lemon coming in a close second.