Chocolate Depression Cake (Egg and Dairy-Free)
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Featuring no , , or eggs, this decadent chocolate depression cake recipe is magically both deliciously fudgy yet fluffy, like a devil’s food cake made from scratch.
Friends, today I have something you need in your life: chocolate depression cake. It’s something that is ridiculously simple to make and decadently delicious.
Now, you’re probably wondering why it’s called a depression cake? Well, recipes like this grew in popularity during hard times in our history like The Great Depression, when ingredients for typical cakes grew scarce. This particular depression cake recipe uses simple and doesn’t need any butter, milk, or even eggs! It is kind of the dairy-free fluffy cake version of my Mama’s Chocolate Cobbler. It’s also known as a Crazy Cake or Wacky Cake, as a cake without butter is definitely a Wacky Cake, right?
Don’t let the simple ingredients fool ya into thinking this is a run-of-the-mill cake, though! With a deeply rich and fudgy and fluffy texture, it is similar to a moist devil’s food cake. We like it without icing as a great snack cake, but you can add in some simple frosting to make it a dessert worthy of any table. Just note that the frosting does include dairy. If you arent in the mood for chocolate check out some of my other cake recipes like Fresh Strawberry Cake With Cream Cheese Icing, Easy Pineapple Upside-Down Cake, or Grandmama’s Coconut Cake With No-Fail Seven Minute Frosting
Recipe Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Sugar
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Cinnamon
- Vanilla extract
- Vegetable oil (I regularly use refined coconut oil, which doesn’t have a coconut flavor).
- Vinegar
- Water
Helpful Kitchen Tools
Stir together all of your dry ingredients first.
Once your dry ingredients are mixed together, add in all of your wet ingredients.
Give that a stir until well combined.
Pour into a greased 8×8 baking dish.
This batter is heavenly!
Bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Can you smell it? I sure can. Wish you were here!
Look at that crazy beautiful !
I just topped the cooled cake with a can of frosting, but you can whip up a homemade frosting, glaze, or sprinkle a little confectioner’s sugar over the top.
Look at this pretty little slice of chocolate depression cake, just waiting for you to eat it!
There ya go!
YUM!
Storage
- Store cake leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Freeze slices of the frosted or unfrosted chocolate cake for up to 3 months.
Recipe Notes
- Now, y’all know I’m all about dumping it all in a bowl and going for it. But in this recipe, make sure you pay attention. If you stir all your dry ingredients together first, your batter comes together as smooth as can be in no time at all.
- As mentioned, you can serve this in lots of different ways. Simply sprinkle a slice with powdered sugar, serve with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or top with icing. You will find a recipe for vanilla icing here or homemade creamy chocolate frosting here.
- To make this cake recipe into cupcakes, pour the chocolate cake batter into a lined muffin tin. Fill each cup about 3/4 full and bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 350.
- To make this chocolate depression cake gluten-free, simply use gluten-free all-purpose flour.
You may also like these chocolate recipes:
Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars
Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix – So good!
Chocolate Pound Cake with Fudge Glaze
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8-inch baking dish with a non-stick cooking spray.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Add in the vinegar, vanilla, oil, and water, and stir until well combined. Pour the cake batter into the baking dish.1 teaspoon vinegar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1/3 cup vegetable oil, 1 cup water
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Eat the chocolate cake warm or cool completely and frost, if desired.
Nutrition
This post featured on Meal Plan Monday.
Hi Christy,
I just made this cake. It’s so easy and tastes great!
I have your Sweetness cookbook, and the Lotsa Crumb Cake is a hit every time I make it! Recipes from this cookbook usually are.
Thank you! for all your great recipes and stories.
Made this during the quarantine! Perfect!
I am so glad you liked it Sharon, thank you so much for giving it a try!!
Can you taste the cinnamon or does it enhance the chocolate some how?
You can taste it a little. It helps to deepen the chocolate flavor.
I had some leftover Marshmallow frosting and didn’t want to waste it, so I thought I would try your cake. It was so easy and so good. My husband loves it. Every time he takes a bite, he says “This is really good”. I love all your simple recipes and I love that you show the products in your pictures. It makes it easier when trying to find something at the store.
Thank you so much for trying it Linnie!! I am so glad to hear it was a hit!
This cake was sooo easy and so delicious I don’t think I’ll ever use a box cake mix again! I made 1 minute chocolate icing to go on top and my family devoured it! Thank you for this wonderful recipe! It will be baked many more times in my house. 🙂
Thank you for giving it a try Sharon!! I am so glad y’all liked it!!
I’ve been making a cake similar to this for a number of years for my granddaughter who has multiple food allergies. Your recipe is a little different, so I decided to try it and we all declared it a winner! It is more moist than the recipe I’ve been using, plus the cinnamon gives it a little extra boost of flavor. Thank you Christy!
Oh my goodness, thank you so much Ang. I am so glad y’all liked it!!
You’re right – we do need chocolate right now! Sometimes I like to top my chocolate with a big squirt of whipped cream instead of frosting. Loved all your chocolate recipes the other day, too.