The Great Depression Cake (aka "Crazy Cake)
My
mother-in-law blessed me with a recipe not too long ago (after I
couldn't have any dairy), and the recipe is fantastic. I always looked
at old time recipes and was super curious how all of them had milk and
eggs since such things were considered such a luxury. Well, here you
have it, a cake recipe that dates back to the Great Depression (and war
times) and now used in the Great Recession! I really
haven't found any solid evidence that this indeed is a great depression
cake, but it is at least based off one according to Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depression_cake. It is rather handy that
you can bake in the same bowl you mix, but why on earth grease the pan
if you're just going to put ingredients in there and mix them all up?
The pan isn't greased anymore, is it? Well, it turned out fine, and it
was an amazing treat to have. Walking through the cake isle of Walmart
yesterday was so depressing, I didn't even bother looking at the
ingredients. But with this cake, ahhh, I can live again ;) When things
are taken away from you, all you can do is rise up and make the best of
your situation. It gives you a boost of self confidence too when you get
up and do something instead of just sitting down and crying too.
Granted it can take more work (an hour of cooking instead of hand over
some money and getting it then and there), but it's worth it.
George really had a blast helping too as Emilie snoozed upstairs. It was a bit hard working together after he got the idea he wanted to eat all the dry ingredients, but it was accomplished! The frosting recipe worked excellently too. I used regular sugar instead of powdered sugar (couldn't find any at the time), but it still turned out good, even if a little sugar-grainy. Well, here are the recipes below!
CRAZY CAKE RECIPE (NO EGGS, MILK, BUTTER OR BOWLS)
1 1/2 Cups flour (all-purpose)
3 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Cup sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
----
1 tsp. white vinegar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
5 Tbsp. vegetable oil
----
1 Cup water
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Mix first 5 dry ingredients in a greased 8" square baking pan. Make 3 depressions in dry ingredients - two small, one larger. Pour vinegar in one depression, vanilla 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. Enjoy!
EASY CHOCOLATE FROSTING
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup milk or Almond Milk
2 tablespoons butter (or butter substitute like Earth butter, coconut oil, vegetable oil, etc.)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar
Combine chocolate chips, milk, butter and vanilla in microwave-proof bowl. Microwave on full power for 30-40 seconds. Remove and whisk until chocolate chips melt and mixture is smooth (return to microwave for a few seconds if necessary). Add powdered sugar and continue whisking until smooth.
SPREAD WHILE IT'S WARM. It goes on more smoothly and easily that way. If it cools off and thickens too much before you're ready to use it, just zap it for a few second in the microwave, stir, and spread.
George really had a blast helping too as Emilie snoozed upstairs. It was a bit hard working together after he got the idea he wanted to eat all the dry ingredients, but it was accomplished! The frosting recipe worked excellently too. I used regular sugar instead of powdered sugar (couldn't find any at the time), but it still turned out good, even if a little sugar-grainy. Well, here are the recipes below!
CRAZY CAKE RECIPE (NO EGGS, MILK, BUTTER OR BOWLS)
1 1/2 Cups flour (all-purpose)
3 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Cup sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
----
1 tsp. white vinegar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
5 Tbsp. vegetable oil
----
1 Cup water
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Mix first 5 dry ingredients in a greased 8" square baking pan. Make 3 depressions in dry ingredients - two small, one larger. Pour vinegar in one depression, vanilla 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. Enjoy!
EASY CHOCOLATE FROSTING
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup milk or Almond Milk
2 tablespoons butter (or butter substitute like Earth butter, coconut oil, vegetable oil, etc.)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar
Combine chocolate chips, milk, butter and vanilla in microwave-proof bowl. Microwave on full power for 30-40 seconds. Remove and whisk until chocolate chips melt and mixture is smooth (return to microwave for a few seconds if necessary). Add powdered sugar and continue whisking until smooth.
SPREAD WHILE IT'S WARM. It goes on more smoothly and easily that way. If it cools off and thickens too much before you're ready to use it, just zap it for a few second in the microwave, stir, and spread.
Comments
Post a Comment