Wacky cake DSC8987

Apple wacky cake

Recently, I was perusing my photocopies of old family recipes in search of inspiration. I was hoping to find a casserole since it’s officially turn-on-the-oven weather, but instead I came across something even better: a delightful dessert called wacky cake.

I remember when my grandmother had given me that recipe. We had spent the afternoon in her dining room at the farm with boxes and books of her recipe cards strewn about the table. With each recipe she saw, a story followed—both long and short. And when she found this one, she was thrilled as she had forgotten about it. “Oh, wacky cake!” she said. “I used to make this with your mom and uncles. This is the best cake. It’s a keeper!”

Wacky cake is so named because if you look at the recipe you’ll scratch your head when confronted by the absence of eggs, butter, and milk. (At least that is my theory, if you have a better explanation, please, by all means share!)

Apple wacky cake | Homesick Texan

Likewise, the method of mixing is surprisingly simple: you just throw all the dry ingredients together in the baking pan and then make three holes to add the remaining liquid ingredients. The reaction of the vinegar with the baking soda makes the batter bubble and froth and provides all the leavening this cake needs.

Some say the recipe came about in the Great Depression, while others contend it came about during World War II, but no matter—this recipe is made for tight times with its lack of expensive ingredients. And yet it’s also vegan, which makes it appealing for those who prefer to avoid or cannot consume dairy.

I was dubious about how the cake would taste, but this is a rich cake,  spongy and soft. The original recipe called for cocoa, but I thought it would be interesting to make a wacky apple cake. This was also moist with a hint of spice and the crunch of nuts. And in keeping with the simplicity of the recipe, I decided to forgo icing it and instead just sprinkled the top with powdered sugar.

Apple wacky cake | Homesick Texan

Because of both its ease of use and its science-experiment nature, this is a terrific recipe to make with kids. My grandmother recalled making it with my uncle Austin when he was a boy (though he almost put in a cup of baking soda once instead of a teaspoon, which could have been very interesting!) It works well as a quick evening dessert, and a warm slice goes well with a cup of coffee on a chilly fall morning.

I’m glad I now know about wacky cake, which—if you think about it—isn’t very wacky at all!

Print
4.75 from 16 votes

Apple wacky cake

Cook Time 1 hour
Author Lisa Fain

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 5 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 cup cold water
  • 1 cup diced Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • Powdered sugar, for serving

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  • Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a an un-greased 8×8 square or a 9-inch round baking pan. You can also use a 9-inch cast-iron skillet.
  • Poke 3 holes into the flour mixture. In the first hole, pour the vinegar. In the second hole, pour the vanilla. In the third hole, pour the oil.
  • Pour the water into the pan and stir the batter until well blended. Stir in the apples and pecans.
  • Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean. Sprinkle the top with powdered sugar before serving.

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91 Comments

  1. Just made this for the first time – needed a cake for a vegan friend. It is amazing!!! Thank you so much.

  2. txcharley says:

    Just ran across this post and had to share a favorite memory of this cake. My kids and I used to make this all the time – they LOVED to mix it up. One time, we were cutting the cake and found something in the bottom of the pan that wouldn't cut. Not having any idea what in the world it was, we unearthed the fork that my sone had used to mix it. The fork had fallen in and he didn't say anything – just left it in there to be baked along with the cake!!! Of course, we just ate around the fork and put it into the dishwasher when we got it loose!!

    My "kids" are not 39 and 40 and we still laugh about that special cake!

  3. Crazy Radishes says:

    Hi Lisa! I first grabbed this recipe when you first posted it years ago and have been making it faithfully since then. It is absolutely fantastic, so easy! And I can't believe how rich it tastes. I use it as the base of my German Chocolate Cake recipe. I've blogged about it and credited you with a link, I hope that is all right with you. If you don't with me to write it up please let me know and I will remove it.
    Blog entry here: http://bit.ly/fPtxvV

  4. Lisa Fain says:

    Crazy Radishes–it looks great!

  5. Christie, Describe Happy says:

    Just made this, so yummy! I can't wait to tweak it a bit and play with ways to use other flavors. Like someone else said, I bet it's great with pumpkin too! Thanks for sharing!