This wacky cake is a family favorite. The recipe has been around since the Great Depression. Make it and you’ll see why!

Wacky cake with Egyptian frosting: A cake recipe that dates back to the Great Depression.

I have probably made hundreds of cakes in my life. And this is the first one I think of, the one I always keep going back to. It’s a family favorite that we have been making over and over for generations.

Sunday night get-togethers with my grandparents and aunt and uncle often feature a wacky cake.

My mom and grandma used to top it with what they called Egyptian frosting, a sour cream-based sauce with raisins, topped with unsweetened chocolate. (Scroll down to the bottom of this post for the Egyptian frosting recipe my family makes.) The Egyptian frosting recipe likely comes from the 1956 Betty Crocker cookbook.

Wacky cake with Egyptian frosting: Click through for both vintage recipes!

Wacky cake is a staple at church potlucks.

It’s an unfussy crowd-pleaser that doesn’t take a lot of time or cost a lot of money. In fact, the entire recipe costs less than $1.50 to make.

Wacky cake: The classic, no-frills recipe. This cake is eggless.

Why Is It Called Wacky Cake?

My best guess is because it’s egg-less. The recipe dates back to the Depression era, when supplies were tight. It calls for mostly basic kitchen staples that you probably have stocked in your kitchen.

Vintage recipe card: Wacky cake recipe

Why I Love This Cake

I’m not exaggerating when I say this is one of the best, fool-proof chocolate cake recipes out there. Looking at the list of ingredients, this may be hard to imagine. It’s egg-less and calls for vinegar. There’s nothing fancy about it.

But you’ll have to trust me on this.

Wacky cake recipe

The end result is an extremely moist and dense chocolate cake. This may very well become your go-to chocolate cake recipe. But you could also try:

Wacky cake recipe

Wacky Cake

Yield: 16 pieces
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

This recipe is easily halved. Just use an 8 x 8-inch or 9 x 9-inch cake pan. Otherwise, for the entire recipe printed below, use a standard 9 x 13-inch cake pan.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 3/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
  • 2 cups cold water
  • 3 tablespoons white vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 9 x 13-inch cake pan.
  2. Combine dry ingredients into a bowl and make a well. Mix liquid ingredients together and pour into the well. Stir together until batter is smooth.
  3. Bake cake for 35 minutes, or until center is set.

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Wacky cake with Egyptian frosting: Click through for both vintage recipes!

Egyptian Frosting

Yield: Enough frosting for one full cake
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder

Instructions

  1. Prepare a double boiler. Place sour cream, sugar, eggs, and raisins in upper pot. Turn on heat to medium high until water comes to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until frosting begins to thicken. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
  2. Spread cooled frosting on cooled cake.
  3. Melt butter and cocoa powder and mix until smooth. Drizzle over the frosting and place in refrigerator to set.

Did you like this recipe?

Please give it a 5-star review on the recipe card above!