Wacky Cake

slice of chocolate wacky cake on a plate with a fork

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5 from 2 votes

This chocolate cake couldn't be simpler! No eggs, milk or butter needed!

Prep Time5

Cook Time30

Total Time35

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: slices (one 9x9 pan)

Calories: 257kcal

Author: Heather Perine

Ingredients

For the cake

2 cups (285 g) all-purpose flour
¾ cup (150 g) packed light brown sugar
⅔ cup (55 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup (120 mL) vegetable oil
4 teaspoons vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ⅓ cup (320 mL) water

For the frosting

10 Tablespoons (142 g) unsalted butter softened
1 ¼ cups (142 g) powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 Tablespoons (32 g) unsweetened cocoa powder

Instructions

Make the cake

Place an oven rack in the middle position. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray a 9-inch square nonstick pan with baking spray.
In a medium bow, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, cocoa, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt. 2 cups (285 g) all-purpose flour ¾ cup (150 g) packed light brown sugar ⅔ cup (55 g) unsweetened cocoa powder ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda ½ teaspoon salt
In a second large bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, vanilla and water. ½ cup (120 mL) vegetable oil 4 teaspoons vinegar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 ⅓ cup (320 mL) water
Add the flour mixture to the oil mixture. Stir just until combined. Do not overmix. Pour batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top.
Bake until just firm and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs, 25 to 30 minutes. Place the cake to cool completely on a wire cooling rack.
Once the cake has completely cooled, top with frosting is using.

Make the frosting

In a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter first until light and fluffy on medium-high speed, for about 1 minute. 10 Tablespoons (142 g) unsalted butter
With the mixer on low speed, slowly add in the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time. And then once incorporated, mix on medium-high speed for about 1 to 2 minutes until light and fluffy. 1 ¼ cups (142 g) powdered sugar
With the mixer on low, add the vanilla extract and heavy cream. Mix on low to combine. 1 Tablespoon heavy cream 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Add in the cocoa powder and mix on low speed at first until incorporated. 6 Tablespoons (32 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
Increase the speed to medium-high speed and mix for 8 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
Spread on to cooled cake. Top with sprinkles if using.

Video

Notes

Measure Your Flour Accurately. Nothing will ruin a cake by adding too much flour to your recipe. It's one of the biggest mistakes bakers make. To measure correctly, weighing your ingredients is always best. But if you are measuring by volume (using dry measuring cups) then be sure to spoon the flour into your cup and level it off. Don't pack it down in or you will end up with too much flour which will result in a dense cake. You can read more here about How To Measure Flour
Check your baking soda freshness. Baking soda is what makes the cake rise, but its loses it freshness over time and can expire. Test your baking soda first in a small bowl with a bit of lemon juice or vinegar to see if it bubbles. You can read more here about Baking Powder vs. Baking Soda.
Don't Overmix. I say this often but for good reason. Once the wet ingredients are added to the dry ingredients the flour becomes hydrated. And when this happens a protein, gluten, forms. Now we need some gluten to form because this gives our cake structure. But too much mixing causes too much gluten to form and will result in a very tough cake. So mix just until the last of the flour is mixed in and then stop stirring.
Storage: You can store this cake at room temperature for up to 5 days. Just be sure to cover it well with plastic wrap or foil. If you decide to refrigerate it (because maybe you topped it with whipped cream or cream cheese icing) then be sure to cover it really well so it doesn't dry out.
Icing Your Cake: I topped mine with a 1/2 batch of my EASY Chocolate Buttercream Frosting. Or you could make this chocolate glaze from Epicurious and replace the milk with water.

Nutrition