13 wacky cake recipes

This egg-free, dairy-free chocolate wacky cake uses applesauce and vinegar for a moist, tender crumb. A Depression-era classic that mixes right in the pan and bakes in under 30 minutes.

Wacky cake (Depression-era chocolate cake) made with no eggs, no milk, no butter. Vinegar and baking soda lift it to fluffy chocolate perfection in one pan.

Wacky cake, a Depression-era chocolate cake made with no eggs, no butter, and no milk. Vinegar and baking soda provide the rise, and cocoa powder delivers deep chocolate flavor from pantry staples.

Whacky cakes are the Depression-era chocolate classic reworked for a pizzelle iron: no eggs, no butter, no milk. Vinegar and baking soda do the lift. Vegan, fast, kid-friendly.

Dad's best brownies are vegan wacky-cake-style brownies with no eggs, no butter, no dairy. Vinegar plus baking soda creates the rise. Loaded with chopped walnuts. Naturally egg-free and dairy-free.

Vegan brownies built on the Depression-era wacky cake method: no eggs, no butter, no milk. Vinegar and baking soda do the lifting for a fudgy, chewy chocolate brownie that mixes in one bowl.

Crazy cake (also called wacky cake or depression cake) needs no eggs, no milk, no butter. Mixed straight in the pan with vinegar for chemistry-class lift. A Depression-era favorite.

Crazy cake, also known as wacky cake, is an egg-free and dairy-free chocolate sheet cake made with vinegar and oil. Depression-era one-pan recipe that bakes in 35 minutes.

Mix-in-the-pan chocolate fudge cake with no eggs, no milk, no butter. Poke three holes, pour, stir, and bake. The original depression-era wacky cake that still delivers.

Wacky cake style chocolate layer cake made with no eggs, butter, or milk. A pantry-staple Depression-era recipe with deep cocoa flavor and a tender, fudgy crumb that's accidentally vegan.

Microwave chocolate cherry upside-down cake bakes in 12 minutes flat. A dairy-free wacky cake batter swirled with cherry pie filling, inverted onto a plate for a glossy ruby topping.

A no-egg, no-butter, no-milk chocolate cake you can mix right in the pan. Eight pantry staples, 40 minutes, and zero cleanup headaches. The classic "wacky cake" that's been saving dessert since the Depression era.

Chocolate raspberry cream torte: a light chocolate wacky cake layered four high with raspberry jam and pink raspberry cream filling. An impressive-looking dessert made with pantry staples and no eggs.