Featured Allergy-Free Recipe: Milk-free Egg-free Wacky Cake

Allergy-Free Dessert Recipe: Kathy P's Wacky Cake

Category: Cakes
Recipe Created By: Kathy Przywara

1 1/2  cup  flour (see below for gf options)
3  Tbsp  cocoa powder (optional)
1  cup  sugar
1  tsp  baking soda
1/2  tsp  salt
1  Tbsp  vinegar
5  Tbsp  oil
1  tsp  vanilla
1  cup  water

Preheat oven to 350F.

Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix thoroughly.

Mix wet ingredients in a separate bowl and stir to combine.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until you get a smooth batter. Do not beat.

Pour into greased and floured pan (8" square or 9" round) or 12 cupcakes. Bake in oven until tests done - about 35 minutes for cake, about 20 minutes for cupcakes.

Wacky Cake is a classic recipe from the depression era because of the rationing of butter and eggs. The original recipe I saw mixed it right in the pan. You mix the dry ingredients, make 3 holes and pour the wet ingredients in. You can not screw this up. I even accidentally left out the oil one time and they were still OK - a bit dense, but OK. I've made it in several versions and even gluten-free.

The vinegar cannot be omitted, unless another acid ingredient (see below orange or lemon alternative flavors) is substituted, since the acid is crucial to making this rise.

Flower Wacky Cupcakes
Photo courtesy of Kathy Przywara

Wacky Cupcakes with Star Sugar Cookies
Photo courtesy of Laura Giletti

Vanilla: omit cocoa. Double amount of vanilla.

Spice: omit cocoa. Add 1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice.

Orange: omit cocoa & vinegar. Substitute orange juice for the water.

Lemon: omit cocoa. Substitute lemon juice for vinegar. Some lemon extract can be added.

Gluten Free: Substitute 1 3/4 cups GF Flour Mix for wheat flour. Add 1 tsp xantham gum. Works well with Kathy P's All Purpose Rice Flour Mix.

Others have used the following rice free sorghum blend:
1 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup potato or cornstarch
1/4 cup tapioca starch

If you prefer using bean flours, you can also use:
3/4 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup bean flour (garbanzo)
1/2 cup potato or cornstarch
1/4 cup tapioca starch

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Page last updated 12/30/2008

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