Add to: Recipe Box | Grocery List | Meal PlannerRecipe submitted by Olena e-mail address:
opiase@PO-BOX.McGill.caSuper Moist Chocolate CakeIngredients (use vegan versions): 1.5 cups of all purpose flour (can substitute with wholewheat flour)
3 tablespoons of sifted good quality cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup white or brown sugar
0.5 teaspoon salt (optional)
5 tablespoons canola oil (can substitute with any veg.oil or even olive oil)
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup cold water
Directions:By far the most surprisingly deeelightful cake. This recipe is great for adults and for kids ages 3 and up.
1. Put your flour into mixing bowl, add cocoa, baking soda, vegan sugar and salt and mix well.
2. Make three deep holes in the dry mixture. Into one, pour the oil, into the next, pour the vinegar into the next, pour the vanilla.
3. Pour the water into the bowl, over all of this--- making a great big mess.
4. Mix the wet and dry ingredients together until there aren't any more lumps and pour into a 9 inch by 9 inch baking pan, two inches deep, it doesn't even have to be greased.
5. Bake at 350 degress Fahrenheit for about half an hour, test with a fork.
Enjoy this delicious cake. You will be surprised at its moistness and richness!!!!! It can be cooled and iced with your choice of icing or can be enjoyed on its own. The batter can also be used to make cupcakes!!
TIP OF THE DAY: for an instant cake, have the premeasured, premixed dry ingredients at hand, then simply add the wet ingredients when you want a fresh treat! It makes a great birthday cake! Hey, it even freezes well!
Makes: 1 9x9 cake, Preparation time: 15 minutes, Cooking time: 30 minutes
I got the same recipe from my Grandma years and years ago -- she called it a Crazy Cake. They are wonderful, and are altogether too easy to make!
Archived comment by: heather
I've got this same recipe too, but I know it as wacky cake. It is the best! One can also add chopped nuts, choc chips, raisins or other bits of dried fruit. For a mocha cake, replace water with coffee. I am also working on other variations.
kara@napc.comArchived comment by: kara
Really really good! Is there a way to turn this into a spice cake or a plain vanilla-type one?
Archived comment by: anupama
For all those who cannot or don't want to eat chocolate or cocoa: this cake works EXTREMELY well with carob!!! Just substitute the same amount of it for the cocoa powder. Györgyi
Archived comment by: györgyi
A really nice cake, especially after its been left for a day. I did have some trouble with sticking to the pan, howe'ver, even after greasing it.
Archived comment by: claire
I made this and the whole wheat flour-soy milk chocolate cake for my youth groups spaghetti dinner. I preferred the other cake, but my dad and sister liked this one. It was thin, but it didn't burn like the other and it baked in 25 minutes, too.
Archived comment by: amelia
This cake is so awesome.It was so easy to prepare.I added half a mashed banana to the recipe and it was sooooo moist. Great recipe
Archived comment by: jahnel
This is an amazingly wonderful cake. I've played around with it. I made it in different sizes / quantities and made it into a layer cake. I threw in a bunch of chocolate chips before baking, which made it even yummier. Finally, I used a layered, chocolate chip laden version in 3 teirs as my WEDDING CAKE. I decorated it with the help of my then fiance, now husband, and everyone loved it. (By the way, only 2 people there aside from me were vegan.)
Archived comment by: kathleen
Okay we have this super strict Montessori School that is NO SUGAR tolearance. On any cake is the vegan sugar a must? If so may I replace with Honey warmed to congel efficently? Help I've got to get this done by Thursday! I need rehersal time. I also need a frosting. Yikes!
Archived comment by: leslie
This cake sounds amazing. I am going to try it as cupcakes for a childs birthday party. Has anyone done this? How did it go?
Archived comment by: kate
I substituted soy milk for the water and doubled the recipe to make a wonderful two layer birthday cake, using round cake pans that are a little deeper than normal. I used a nonstick spray that has oil and flour in it, and I did not have any trouble with the cake sticking. This is great recipe!!! The cake was very rich and moist indeed.
Archived comment by: hannah
Does anyone know why this recipe says for adults or kids ages 3 and up? How come kids under 3 can't have it? Just curious... ~~Donna
Archived comment by: nicknatsmom
this cake is the shit! every non-vegan that has tasted it loved it, even my dad who thinks ive gone to far with by being a vegan. thank you, thank you, thank you.
Archived comment by: annica
Merry Meet, Sepherina here - This cake was fantastic! Its easy to make, was very moist, and I topped it with the chocolate frosting (sarahs) recommending in one of the comments (and gets my vote too). It was great! This just became a permenant recipe in my collection!
Archived comment by: ltlwch
To make a virtually fat-free version, substitute unsweetened applesauce for the oil. I use one extra tablespoon. It is still super moist and super yummy!!!
Archived comment by: lusciouslovinlibran
Just to answer a question from above, you can make this cake with honey. Just add a little less as honey is sweeter than vegan sugar. Also, you can make this cake a white or spice cake by leaving out the cocoa and adding more vanilla for vanilla cake or your favorite spices. I have done this with good results. I use the recipe from LaLeche Leagues Whole Foods for the Whole Family (a cookbook from my pre-vegetarian days but still is very useful). It is very similar. Jacqueline
Archived comment by: jacqcote
This cake was the BEST chocolate cake I've EVER had. Everyone loved it and my vegetarian friends couldnt believe you could make a CHOCOLATE VEGAN cake. Hehe...they laughed and ate it up. I used a recipe off here for chocolate frosting too, and it was the BOMB! This is DEFINITLY a keeper..thanks!!
Archived comment by: faith_in_Him
this cake turned out rubbery. it was fast to cook and very simple to make, but the taste was quite vegan sugary. i personally didn't like it much, but it was still ok.
Archived comment by: mengyao
wow i made this tonight for my friends birthday, she's vegan, and wow. everyone loved it. it took literally like 5 minutes to put everything together and it was SO yummy
Archived comment by: jena
This is really yummy! It was easy to make and very moist. Everyone loved it, but my boyfriend thought it was a little dry (maybe he was just dehydrated haha).
Archived comment by: glitterMoonGdes
I just made this cake. It turned out absolutely fantastic, but I had to cook it for an hour. After half an hour I could nudge the tray and the whole thing would wobble. Thanks for the great recipe, though!
Archived comment by: hot d**n
Hey. I haven't tried this recipe yet, but I thought I might be able to help with the sugar problem. My stepfather and Mother in Law are both diabetic, and I have made them choc birthday cakes before. They where from a very old cookbook of my Nans, with lots of thrifty recipes. The sugar-free cake subsitiuted jam for the sugar, which I used raspberry diet jam for. This was very nice, and didn't change the flavor much. You could also use orange, or whatever, and if you sandwich two cakes, also use it in between. Remember that it will make the mix more moist though, so lower the other liquid, or bake lower for longer. Hope this helps! Chelle
Archived comment by: mwhita02
This was so good! I received nothing but good feedback despite the fact that I took it out of the pan before it cooled, which caused it to fall apart. Fortunately the people of my house aren't concerned with presentation, just taste, and it was *really* good with frosting. I used lime juice instead of vinegar. Next time I'll wait till its entirely cool before removing it from the cake pan.
Archived comment by: h8forfree
A great cake - I baked it for a bake sale at school and no one wanted to try it when they heard it was vegan but after a little coercion they did and couldnt tell the difference between it and real chocolate cake :~) I also made cupcakes using whole wheat flour instead of unbleached and applesauce instead of oil. The cupcakes taste more like muffins but they re still good. If you substitute applesauce for the canola oil you may want to cut down on the sugar.
Archived comment by: gavin
I am not a cake person, i usually prefer fudgy things and pie. I made this for my boyfriends birthday with german frosting (its in the tried and true section) and my goodness, it was an incredibly combo. I loved it, which says a lot because as i said i don't like cake but this was moist and it was just incredible. I used nestle cocoa for it, which i was skeptical about becuase it wasn't super nice cocoa but it came out incredible!
Archived comment by: xjenx
I exactly followed the recipe and made muffins.But they came out all very dry and didn't taste good at all. :-( I was very disappointed.
Archived comment by: holihola
I made this with coffee instead of water and it turned out excellent. I served it at a little get together with peanut butter frosting and everyone wanted seconds. I just think it needed to be a little chocolatey, so I might add more cocoa powder or choc chips next time. I plan on making this again.
Archived comment by: harpua
Great recipe. I make this frequently, but I substitute soy milk for the oil and water. The cake is still moist, but a bit more healthy that way.
Archived comment by: midori
I've been making a version of this cake for years. No need to create the various holes - I've just always thrown in the wet ingredients together & it comes out great. Last time I made it I added 1/2 cp espresso choc. chips & 1/2 cp of reg choc chips (both by tropical source) & it came out great!
Archived comment by: rbes
OMG, this was soo good! I made it for my husbands BDAY yesterday.. he made me promise not to make him a Vegan cake.. lol.. I poured half a jar of Polaners AllFruit seedless rasberry jam (melted) to glaze the cake and topped with a bit of powdered sugar and fresh raspberries and mint. No one in my family believed it was vegan. Woo-Hoo! Score one for me.
Archived comment by: raevenn
I made this for my boyfriends birthday with the following modifications: 1)I used whole wheat flour, 2)I used applesauce instead of oil, 3)I used a cup of sugar-free raspberry preserves instead of sugar, 4) I used rice milk rather than water, 5) I added 1 cup of Sunspire Grain Sweetened Chocolate Chips to the batter, 6)Rather than greasing the pan, I lined my cake pan with Reynolds Release Non-Stick Foil, which worked perfectly, 7)I topped it with fresh raspberries. I actually made two cakes... one as per the recipe exactly, and one as I just described (I was worried the modified one wouldn't turn out well). I have to admit that the one made according to the recipe looked prettier when it came out of the oven, but both my boyfriend and I thought the one with no refined sugar and no oil tasted a LOT better. I think my modified version is a recipe well continue to use for special occasions.
Archived comment by: speltrong
Delicious! I made cupcakes, instead, lowering the bake time to 18 minutes. I've also made this as a cake with the Coconut Pecan Frosting from this site--this combination makes a fabulous German chocolate cake. I subbed applesauce for part of the oil.
Archived comment by: willwolf
I made this cake with a panuche frosting, and it was super moist but even for a non-chocolate fanatic, I have to say it needed more cocoa powder.
Archived comment by: cheerjess
this cake is great.ive been a vegan for five years and every vegan cake recipe i have attemted has never worked out. finally one that has!! everyone in my family (non vegans) loved it, couldnt believe it was vegan! only thing diff to the recipe is it took an hour in the oven.
Archived comment by: yumyum20
Most vegan baked goods have a little vinegar in them, because baking soda needs something acidic to work as a leavener. So don't skip the vinegar even if it sounds wierd! I learned that from Myra Kornfeld, author of The Voluptuous Vegan.
Archived comment by: tesseract
what's the difference between sugar and vegan sugar? what's non vegan about sugar?? And I'm also wondering... does it taste different, like should I put in more/less sugar if I'm using regular sugar?
Archived comment by: kristina_
Kristina- regular sugar is usually ground on animal bone char to make it white, while vegan sugar is not. They don't taste any different in my experiance, but they do smell a little different, but that might just be the brand I get, so they can be used exactly the same as reg. sugar. Hope this helps!
Archived comment by: sveggirl
I also grew up with this cake, we called it wacky cake as well. You actually can mix it right in the pan, save yourself a dirty bowl.
Archived comment by: aBombsgrl
I made two batches of these as cupcakes, some with chocolate chips and others with coffee in place of the water. They only needed to be cooked for 15 minutes as cupcakes. I frosted them with buttercream frosting and topped the coffee ones with a coffee bean each and the chocolate chip ones with vegan chocolate sprinkles. They were a HUGE hit. Only a few people at my party even knew they were vegan, and everyone I told about hte vinegar was totally shocked.
Archived comment by: opheliasuicide
I used coconut oil in lieu of the veggie oil. Much better!
Archived comment by: ewolf
In my church cookbook this is called Screwball Cake, I was going to add it, but I saw this one here already. It gets its name from not having any eggs. My recipe simply is doubled with the same ammt of vinegar. I bake it in two round pans (after grease and flour VERY WELL), let cool out of pan, freeze them briefly, cut each layer in 1/2 to make a 4 layer torte with the folowing awesome frosting...8oz. Cool whip, 2 c. (16 oz container) Imo (or sour cream substitute), 3 c. shredded coconut & 1c. sugar. Decorate with strawberries, kiwi, nectarines, or just a dusting of cocoa. This will knock the socks off of anybody! This is what my mother calls her $100 Chocolate Torte; her non-vegan version sold at a church auction for $100 many years ago.
Archived comment by: annamaye
This is a really easy and delicious cake. I mixed it together and threw it into the oven while everything else was baking... no problem, came out great.
Archived comment by: robxcarlson
I threw some chocolate chips in with mine as well, and it came out great! Next time, I'll try substituting applesauce for the oil and making cupcakes instead...yum!
Archived comment by: moi
I've made this twice and the texture is wonderful (just like regular cake and really fluffy) but the cake is so bland. It doesn't taste like chocolate and its not sweet enough for my taste. I don't know if it is because I'm just used to really sweet cakes or its because this cake doesn't have enough flavor.
Archived comment by: tansy83
i made this the other day and everyone loved it. i made a chocolate glaze that i drizzled on the top. but even without the glaze this cake is soooooo yummy!! thanks for the recipe!
Archived comment by: tina
okay seriously...i wasn't sure about this...wasn't sure how a cake like substance would come out without any eggs...and the batter tasted a bit flowery too me. but this is WONDERFUL!!! was thinking of adding some choco chips to the batter...maybe next time! thanks for this recipe...my friends who look at me like i am crazy when i tell them that i will be vegetarian by 01/01/02 thought this was wonderful too and asked for the recipe!
Archived comment by: brendajos
This cake was so easy to make and turned out great. I have had serious problems baking vegan cakes in the past, but this cake was awesome...I'll definitely be making it in the future
Archived comment by: sierra
I have made this four times now. Recently I made it at my familys Thanksgiving feast - it was a success! A really good glaze for the top of the cake is to mix confectioners vegan sugar with water and almond estract (just a little bit!) ... glaze should be thin - result is it tastes like a chocolate glazed donut! YUM!!
Archived comment by: guakgirl
this was so easy!! It taste like brownies without eggs but lighter and very moist. I baked this at 350 for 34 mins and cooled in pan. I served it with fresh berries.yumm... made this again with the chocolate frosting recipe that uses corn starch from this site. Fantastic..
Archived comment by: kwan
This turned out really nice and moist. I made it for my birthday, and my family loved it. I added a quarter cup of carob chips, and reduced the sugar by a quarter of a cup, and it turned out great. A wonderful treat for my birthday. Yum!
Archived comment by: niti
I topped this with a glaze made from sugar, water and almond extract and it was FANTASTIC. It tasted exactly like a chocolate glazed cake doughnut, mmmmmm *drool*
Archived comment by: veganosaurus
I used whole wheat pastry flour with this and it was really good. Needless to say, the kids loved it.
Archived comment by: tT
Thankyou for posting this wonderful recipe.My daughter is allergic to eggs and nuts.I have tried numerous recipes for cakes without eggs but none of them was a success.This is an awesome recipe..perfect measurements and perfect results.it was just like a cake should be,even better.The whole family enjoyed it.
Archived comment by: priyanka
I just took this out of the oven and it is soo good. im eating it even thought it is a bit hot. looks just like a cake, light and fluffy, and not overy sweet (i was a bit worried about all that sugar). I'll be making this whenever a chocolate cake is needed!
Archived comment by: baypuppy
This cake is wonderful. I make it for every birthday we have in our family and frost it with the vegan chocolate frosting recipe under frosings. The non-veggies can't believe how good it is.
Archived comment by: brneyedgurl71
This is a dumb question but what brand of cocoa would you suggest? Hot cocoa mix couldnt be used, could it?
Archived comment by: stride4unity
stride4unity-- I wouldn't use hot cocoa mix. Its not baking cocoa, but actually a mixture of cocoa, sugar, and usually milk powder (unless there are vegan hot cocoa mixes out there?) I always use Hersheys baking cocoa. You can find it in the baking aisle. I'm sure there are other brands out there too. Cocoa is not hot chocolate mix, if you were to eat it plain it would be very bitter, but its meant to be used in baking (with additional sugar, obviously).
Archived comment by: veganosaurus
I use ghiradellis chocolate - its more expensive, but its decadent!!
Archived comment by: bstutzma
This reminded me of red velvet cake. I had my very non-veg dad try it and he agreed - which is great because that's his favorite type of cake. My whole family loves it, and they're used to my grandmothers red velvet cake. Its very light as chocolate cakes go, not too sweet or dense, and moist and flavorful. Yum!
Archived comment by: artichaut
I really didn't like these brownies at all. They came out way to soft and reminded me of play dough in texture and smell. I had to overcook them to make them somewhat edible. The flavor was also bad. It tasted too much like flour.
Archived comment by: ambertx90
I made this cake with groundnut oil and it was foul, it tasted more like noodles! Very thick and sticky but it could've been nice using a different oil.
Archived comment by: melauker
I don't know what I did wrong, but I was expecting something chocolatey and gooey and really it was rather dry and tasteless. I was hoping for brownies but it was more cakelike. I still ate all of it!
Archived comment by: little2ant
This is a great cake. Tasted wonderful. I think for next time I am going to try adding walnuts.
Archived comment by: virg1jud2kat3
This was seriously easy. Following the instructions, it turned out more like brownies for me but that may have been because I used a larger square pan a 9x9. It was delicious, held together well and tastes great with a mug of coffee. I'll try with the glaze next time.
Archived comment by: anima
This is a PHENOMENAL recipe! The people that commented that they didn't like it, MUST have done something wrong, because this recipe is superb. This recipe needs to be in everyones collection! I have never found an eggless cake recipe that bakes up so light, fluffy, and genuinely cake-like. No one I baked it for knew the difference. The only thing I did different was I doubled the cocoa. (I like a very chocolately cake!). Thanks for the great recipe.
Archived comment by: neese25
I made this tonight and if rose very high in the oven. Its light, fluffy, moist, and the flavour is excellent. It might be nice to add chocolate chips to the batter.
Archived comment by: veggievulture
