This crazy chocolate cake recipe is one we’ve been making for years. As in for over 30 years! This is probably the easiest chocolate cake you will ever make and it’s super cheap too.
What exactly is crazy chocolate cake, you ask? Well, it’s a dairy free, egg free cake that you mix right in the pan it’s baked in! Fewer dishes and no special ingredients are always a good thing!
When my siblings and I were little none of us were fans of the traditional frosted birthday cake. One year I begged my mom for one – it was white with blue flowers – and I hated it. Oops, sorry mom.
This exact recipe for crazy chocolate cake was our most common pick for a birthday dessert – it was a cake we actually loved! Angel food cake, Mississippi Mud Pie, and a few other things made an appearance as well.
I think I have only made one other type of chocolate cake in my life and now my non cake loving kids enjoy this too.
Crazy Chocolate Cake Ingredients
- Flour
- Sugar
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Cocoa Powder
- Vanilla extract
- Oil
- Vinegar
- Hot water
Crazy Chocolate Cake Instructions
This cake is so easy! It’s the perfect recipe for your kids to add to their repertoire.
- Sift dry ingredients into a greased 9×13 inch pan. I have made this in both glass and metal pans. You can also make this is a 8 inch square pan by simply cutting all of the ingredients in half (and just watch your bake time). If I’m honest, on occasion I’ve even skipped the sifting step. Don’t tell anyone, just make sure you don’t have any clumps of soda or cocoa.
- Make three holes in the dry ingredients with a spoon. 2 small holes and one a little larger.
- In one hole put the vanilla in another the vinegar and in the largest hole the oil.
- Pour 2 cups of warm water over the entire mixture! (I use water I heated in the microwave because I don’t like using our tap water. If you bake with tap water, you can use hot water right from the tap.)
5. Use a fork to blend the mixture gently but thoroughly.
6. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees. Start checking at 30 minutes. What kind of pan you use and how your oven cooks will make the length very. A toothpick inserted into the middle should come out clean, but don’t overbake!7. Let cake cool and frost with your favorite frosting or one of the following 2 options.
Crazy Chocolate Cake Frosting:
1/2 cup butter, melted
3 heaping tablespoons cocoa powder
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Place above ingredients into a bowl and add milk or half and half until smooth.
Spread on cooled cake.
The other frosting option is the one to use if you are dairy free!
Frosting Option 2:
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- dash of saltStir in water until the desired consistency.
Check out these other desserts:
Crazy Chocolate Cake Recipe
- 3 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder (I use ½ cup)
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- ¾ cup salad oil (or neutral oil of choice)
- 2 cups warm water
- ½ cup butter, melted
- 3 heaping teaspoons cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Milk (or cream or half and half)
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- dash salt
- water
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease a 9x13 inch pan.
- Sift the dry ingredients directly into the pan.
- Make three holes with a spoon. I one hole put vanilla in another vinegar and in the third the oil.
- Pour two cups warm water over the entire mixture and blend gently but thoroughly with a fork.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes (until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.)
- Let cool and frost.
- Combine all ingredients except the milk. Stir and add milk or cream until frosting is smooth and spreadable.
- Combined powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla and salt in a bowl. Stir in water until desired consistency.
