Since a lot of us are trying to cut our grocery bills where possible, I thought there was no better time to reshare this Chocolate Depression Cake recipe (also known as Crazy Cake or Wacky Cake), which was born out of a time when ingredients were in limited supply—The Great Depression. This unique cake is rich and chocolatey without using any eggs, milk, or butter and is made entirely with shelf-stable pantry staples. A cake without butter?? So “wacky,” I know.
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“I love this recipe! It’s so easy to make. It’s very delicious along with the frosting! This is my go-to chocolate cake recipe!”
Becky
Easy Recipe for Chocolate Depression Cake
Butter and eggs usually do some heavy lifting in cake recipes. Butter keeps cakes tender by coating the flour and slowing down gluten development, while eggs help with both leavening and structure. But here’s the magic of this chocolate depression cake: instead of butter, I use a neutral oil (whatever you have on hand works), which can achieve the same effect but with slightly less richness. And instead of eggs, I rely on a combo of vinegar and baking soda. The reaction between the two gives the batter a quick lift, making the cake light and fluffy.
So while this cake doesn’t contain any butter, it’s a damn fine treat when your cabinets are bare. Not to mention, it’s incredibly easy. Anyone can make this cake, and with very little cooking equipment or ingredients. For those two reasons alone, this is a good recipe to keep tucked in your back pocket (or your browser’s bookmarks). Also, it just happens to be vegan! It’s almost like a giant version of my chocolate mug cake if you’ve ever tried that. Anne Byrn’s 1917 apple sauce cake also uses a similar no-egg, no-butter style batter.
Chocolate Depression Cake (No Eggs, Butter, or Milk)
Cost $4.31 recipe / $0.48 serving
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour ($0.27)
- 1 cup granulated sugar ($0.96)
- ½ tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1 tsp baking soda ($0.02)
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder ($0.57)
- ⅓ cup cooking oil ($0.21*)
- 1 Tbsp vinegar ($0.06**)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract ($0.65)
- 1 cup water ($0.00)
Chocolate Icing
- 1.5 cups powdered sugar ($0.48)
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder ($0.42)
- 3 Tbsp water ($0.00)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract ($0.65)
Video
Instructions
Chocolate Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and cocoa powder until well combined.
- Add 1 cup water to a liquid measuring cup, then add the vanilla extract and vinegar to the water.
- Add the oil to the bowl of dry ingredients, followed by the water mixture. Stir until the chocolate cake batter is mostly smooth. Make sure no dry flour remains on the bottom of the bowl.
- Pour the cake batter into an 8×8" or 9×9" baking dish. Transfer the baking dish to the oven and bake the cake for 35 minutes.
Chocolate Icing
- If using the chocolate icing, let the cake cool for at least an hour after baking before adding the icing.
- Wait until the cake is cool, then prepare the icing. Add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla extract to a bowl. Begin adding water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it forms a thick but pourable icing (about 3 Tbsp total). If you let the icing sit, it may begin to dry, but you can add a splash more water to make it moist again.
- Pour the icing over the cooled cake and spread until the cake is evenly covered. Slice the cake into 9 pieces and serve.
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Equipment
- Glass Mixing Bowls
- Measuring Cups Spoons
- Liquid Measuring Cup
- Whisk
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Chocolate Cake with No Butter, No Eggs, and No Milk Step-by-Step Photos
Gather all of your ingredients and preheat your oven to 350ºF.
Make the batter: In a large bowl, add 1.5 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, ½ tsp salt, 1 tsp baking soda, and ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder.
Stir these dry ingredients together until they’re well combined.
Measure 1 cup water in a liquid measuring cup, then add 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1 Tbsp vinegar (any light vinegar, like white vinegar, rice vinegar, or apple cider vinegar).
Add ⅓ cup cooking oil and the water mixture to the dry ingredients.
Stir until a thick cake batter forms. A few lumps are okay, but make sure no dry flour remains on the bottom of the bowl.
Bake: Pour the cake batter into an 8×8 or 9×9 inch baking dish. You don’t need to grease the baking dish as the batter already contains plenty of oil.
Bake the cake in the fully preheated 350ºF oven for 35 minutes. If you plan to make the chocolate icing, cool the cake for at least an hour before making and adding the icing.
Make the icing: Add 1.5 cups powdered sugar, ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa, and 1 tsp vanilla extract to a bowl. Starting with 1 tablespoon water, stir in water until it forms a thick icing (about 3 Tbsp total). The powdered sugar only needs a very small amount of liquid to melt into a thick icing. If you let the icing sit for a bit, it can dry out but can be moistened again by stirring in another splash of water.
Pour the prepared icing over the baked and cooled cake, then spread into an even layer.
Serve: Cut the cake into nine equal pieces, then serve!
It’s also really good with a glass of milk or scoop of ice cream!
Recipe Suggestions & Variations
- Try stirring some chopped walnuts, pecans, or dried fruit into the batter before baking! Around ½ to 1 cup of add-ins should work out well. I also think chocolate chunks or chips would be delicious and would add extra sweetness to this otherwise subtly sweet cake (you probably won’t need the icing if you try this variation).
- Some readers have swapped in cooled coffee (instant dissolved in water or brewed) for the water in this recipe and loved it! It deepens the chocolate flavor without making the cake taste like coffee. If you’ve got a little leftover in the pot, it’s a great way to use it up!
- This cake definitely leans more moist and chocolatey than sweet, so if you’re after a sweeter bite, the icing really helps balance that out. You could even poke a few holes in the cake before adding the icing and let it soak in a bit.
Serving Suggestions
I made a super simple dairy-free chocolate icing to top my cake, but be aware that this type of dairy-free icing is super sweet because there is no fat to mellow out the sweetness. If you’re not into super sweet icings, I suggest skipping the icing and just dusting your cake with powdered sugar after it cools (if you do it while the cake is still hot, the powdered sugar will dissolve).
Or, if you’ve got butter on hand, you can go with a more traditional chocolate buttercream. Whipped topping or homemade whipped cream (added after the cake has cooled) would also be yum. And if you’re skipping the icing altogether? A warm slice with a scoop of vanilla ice cream is absolutely divine, as is a side of fresh fruit and homemade fruit dip. 🤤
Storage Instructions
You can store this dairy and egg-free cake at room temperature for up to 3-4 days. I’d keep it in an airtight container to stop it from drying out too quickly. You can also freeze the unfrosted cake for up to 3 months. If you want to add the icing, let your chocolate depression cake thaw and make the icing just before serving.
More Easy Cake Recipes
Our Chocolate Depression Cake recipe was originally published 4/10/20. It was retested, reworked, and republished to be better than ever 6/28/25.
Greetings from Sydney Australia, I’m so looking forward to making this recipe for the first time and when you mention that you can also add in your dried fruit of choice, I’m wondering which dried fruit would you suggest as the best options, at the moment in my pantry raisins, dried currants, dried pears and dates. If none of these are suitable or if there are better options to compliment the chocolate, I’m more than happy to go to the supermarket. Thank you so much. I look forward to hearing back from you soon.😊
Love this recipe! Some changes I made; I doubled the recipe to make 24 cupcakes, for the 2 cups water I subbed 1 cup warm coffee, and 1 cup water, baked at 325 for about 18-19mins for less domed tops for decorating! Thanks so much for such a delicious vegan friendly recipe!
Do you think this cake would work well in cupcake form? I want to make it for my son’s birthday party at school. One of his classmates has an egg allergy, so I thought this cake would be perfect :)
I’ve heard of other people doing it but we haven’t tested it out like that yet! If you try it, just be sure to cut the cook time down!
Substitute cold coffee for the water!!!
I made this for the first time and it didn’t really rise at all – I now have a very flat cake! Is there something I can do to make it rise more next time?
Since this cake exclusively uses vinegar and baking soda for the leavening, you definitely need to make sure your baking soda is fresh to ensure a good rise! It’s also pretty important to bake it right away and not let the batter sit for too long or that chemical reaction will “fizzle out” before baking causing the cake to not rise properly. :)
Thank you for the advice! It probably didn’t help that I used baking powder not baking soda (or bicarbonate of soda as it’s called here in the UK). I do have bicarbonate of soda in the cupboard so will try it with that next time. Thank you again :)
my family loves this cake. I made it for the first time a few weeks ago and already made it 4 times. Reminds me of the chocolate fudge cake from entenmann’s.
Hilda also made a white cake from this recipe. Leaving out the cocoa & bumped up vanilla & added a bit to icing.
I always loved this cake. My mom grew up in the Depression and she made this cake all the time. She called it Funny cake. I don’t remember her putting icing on it tho, just a dusting of powdered sugar. Your icing recipe is fantastic & really adds to the overall flavor. The quick process of making the icing & pouring it on the cake is awesome. And omg, so delicious with vanilla ice cream!!
Great little cake. Making it again today may add some walnuts!
Is this considered vegan and soy free, too? Child’s daycare need very specific kind- vegan, dairy free, eggless, no soy and no nuts/ peanuts or tree nuts.
That’s correct! It’s vegan and soy-free. Ingredients like vanilla extract, cocoa powder, and oils can sometimes be processed on shared equipment with allergens so you might want to double check that yours are labeled soy-free and nut-free first. Other than that you should be good to go!
My son wanted a chocolate cake for his birthday. I wanted something homemade that would not require so many ingredients and steps and this recipe was perfect! Also, it made the PERFECT servings for a small group with 2 servings leftover. Pantry items + easy to follow recipe + minimal cost = 2 thumbs up from me! I will be making this again for the next birthday & swap the chocolate frosting for powdered sugar, whipped cream and fresh fruit. Thanks!
Yes
What size pan should I use as I want to increase the cake servings to 15? 9″X9″ will be too small.
Does 1.67 tablespoon equal to 1 2/3 tablespoon?
If you’re going to increase it I would just double it for 18 servings as it would be too complicated otherwise. You could try it in a 13×9 but we haven’t tested one that big, so I’m not certain on how much extra oven time you’d need. You could also just do it in two 9×9 pans.
Can you swap out applesauce for the oil part? If so how much?
We haven’t tried it with this cake, but generally you should be able to do a 1:1 ratio! I will say, since the cake is also egg-free, it might be missing some fat if you do applesauce as well and no oil. Just something to keep in mind if it comes out on the dry side that way.
Cake was fabulous. My family devoured it.