Tag Archives: depression cake

Anti – Depression Chocolate Cake (aka out of everything cake)

Posted in Desserts, Gift from the Kitchen, Make Ahead, Party Dishes by

Ok, so first off this name is a little tongue-in-cheek, as this cake has no actual mental health/medicinal/curative properties, but did come from a recipe for a cake written during the Depression. It is also sometimes called wacky or crazy cake.

I tried it during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, when eggs, butter and icing sugar were not available in stores in my area.

For a cake with no eggs, butter or milk and an icing without icing sugar, it is pretty amazing! However to the base recipe I’ve added some flavourings that I think are needed to “spice things up” with such a frugal cake. The two choices I suggest are either *ancho chili powder (sometimes labelled as “Mexican chili/chilie powder” – do NOT use Chili powder which is a spice blend including garlic and cumin- the closest alternative would be cayenne pepper) or almond extract, in addition to the vanilla extract to add another layer of flavour complexity.  I also made an icing/ganache/glaze thing with chocolate chips and regular sugar that worked out quite well despite going against everything a professional chef would tell you to try.

 Pandemic Friendly Chocolate Cake

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon of almond extract OR Ancho Chili powder *
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon white vinegar
  • 1/3 cup vegetable/grape seed/ neutral oil
  • 1 cup water

FROSTING

  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder or 1/2 cup of chocolate chips
  • 1 cup of granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  1. Combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda in a large mixing bowl. 
  2. In a separate bowl, combine vanilla, vinegar, either the almond extract or chili powder, oil and water. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until no lumps remain.
  3. Pour batter into a greased or parchment lined 8×8 square pan or round cake pan.
  4. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. 
  5. Let cake cool completely before frosting if you are using icing sugar and looking for a traditional type buttercream frosting, or do it warm for a glaze type frosting that drips off like in the photo. Or skip the icing.

ICING

  1. Melt butter in a small saucepan (or in the microwave using a microwave safe dish). Stir in cocoa powder, mixture will form a thick paste. If using chocolate chips/pieces, melt for 15 second intervals until melted.
  2. Stir in the sugar while warm until it is no longer grainy.
  3. Pour over cake and resist eating it all to yourself !