Chocolate Great Depression Cake
A soft chocolate cake with swirls of peanut butter frosting—it’s vegan-friendly, easy to make, and so delicious that you wouldn’t even know there’s no eggs or dairy in it!
I came across this recipe a few years ago, and despite being made without eggs or milk, it is one of the easiest and most delicious chocolate cakes you can make! The cake batter comes together in less than ten minutes (and in one bowl, no less), so grab a spatula and get baking!
What is a Great Depression Cake?
More often called “crazy cake” or “wacky cake,” this Depression-era recipe is made with scant ingredients and comes together in one bowl. During the Great Depression, most people couldn’t afford ingredients like eggs and milk to make cakes, so they used ingredients like water and leavened the cake with baking soda and vinegar. Surprisingly, these substitutions give the cake a delightful, plush crumb and a moist, chocolate flavor.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- All-purpose flour. I find all-purpose flour is perfect to use in this recipe; no need to go out and buy cake flour!
- Cocoa powder. Of course, since it’s chocolate cake, we’ll need cocoa.
- Granulated sugar. Sugar will sweeten the cake and give it a soft texture.
- Baking soda. Baking soda will leaven the cake. Make sure you don’t use baking powder—it’s not the same thing!
- Salt. To balance and flavor the cake.
- Vinegar. This one is essential—without vinegar, there will be nothing to react with the baking soda and make the cake rise.
- Vanilla. Vanilla extract will give the cake more flavor.
- Vegetable oil. Oil is best, since it keeps the cake soft and moist.
- Hot water or coffee. Hot water will bloom the cocoa and give it a more intense flavor. Using coffee only adds more complexity and enhances the chocolate!
- Butter. Though I’ve never personally tested it, I think you could substitute butter for vegan butter or maybe even coconut oil for a vegan buttercream.
- Peanut butter. Brands like Jif will do better in this recipe, not organic peanut butter with peanuts and salt as their only ingredients.
- Powdered sugar. This will thicken and sweeten the frosting.
- Milk. Milk will thin the buttercream to a spreadable consistency.
Tips and Tricks:
- Get your cake into the oven fast. The chemical reaction between baking soda and vinegar produces a gas to leaven the cake and make it rise. This occurs immediately after the two ingredients are combined, so be sure to get the batter into the oven quickly. Otherwise, the reaction will have already taken place, and you won’t get as much of a rise out of your cake.
- For the frosting. This may be an unpopular opinion, but I’m not a huge fan of frosting. I feel it can overpower a recipe and make a cake sickeningly sweet, so I opted for a thin layer. If you prefer more frosting, feel free to double the frosting measurements!
Hope you enjoy the recipe—it’s one of my family’s favorites!
Craving some more chocolate peanut butter combos? Check out these recipes!
Chocolate Great Depression Cake
Ingredients
For the cake
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon white or apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 cup hot coffee or water
For the frosting
- ¼ cup butter softened (use vegan butter for a vegan option)
- ½ cup peanut butter* see note
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons milk room temperature (use non-dairy milk for a vegan option)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 350℉. Spray an 8x8 inch pan with nonstick baking spray and set aside.
- In a bowl, mix the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Make three depressions in the dry ingredients, two small and one large. Pour the vegetable oil into the largest depression, vanilla in one small depression, and vinegar in the other. Pour the hot coffee over all the dry ingredients and quickly mix until smooth and there are no lumps.
- Once combined, immediately pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely in the pan.
- To make the frosting, beat the butter and peanut butter in a bowl until smooth. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time, followed by the vanilla and milk. Mix at a medium-high speed until the frosting is light and fluffy. If the buttercream is too thick, add milk a little at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
- Spread the frosting on the cooled cake, decorate however you'd like, and enjoy!
