Super-easy chocolate cake (that only makes one mixing bowl dirty)
When I read: super-easy chocolate cake, I start wagging my tail. Especially when I then read: almost no washing up. Minimal fuss, maximum cake. Let’s get started!
In the surreal period after 9/11, American food editor Elizabeth Barbone baked this cake for the first time. In such a strange time, baking a chocolate cake that truly cannot fail is exactly what people like Elizabeth (and me too) need. It’s no wonder that during the current coronavirus crisis, which also brings a great deal of uncertainty, she dug up the recipe again. She shared her recipe, tips and tricks in online magazine The Kitchen; I converted the recipe to our European grams and millimetres – and of course tested it. It’s a dirty job, but…
What is Wacky Cake?
Elizabeth’s cake is a so-called Wacky Cake, a recipe from the 1930s or 1940s. Why wacky? The cake contains no eggs or dairy, and apparently such a vegan cake was quite unusual at the time. The baking soda and vinegar make the cake light and soft.
What does it taste like?
Honestly: it tastes a little like brownies from a packet, but the result was certainly not disappointing. Pour plenty of caramel sauce over it, add a scoop of ice cream on the side… nothing wrong with that.
How to make Wacky Cake
- Preheat the oven to 175 degrees.
- Mix the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt together. Add the coffee, vinegar and vanilla. Stir quickly with a spoon (you can also use a mixer, but you don’t have to).
- Add the nuts, chocolate chips or dried fruit. Use no more than half a cup, otherwise the cake will not rise properly! Set some pieces aside to sprinkle over the top.
- Pour the batter into the baking tin, place it in the oven and bake for approximately 25 minutes. Test with a skewer to see whether it is done.
- Allow the cake to cool completely, then dust with icing sugar (or decorate with melted chocolate or icing).
- You can keep the cake at room temperature for three days, but why would you? Eat it!
