FOOD NEWS
The Depression-Era Vegan Vinegar Cake You Should Be Aware Of
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Charmingly strange and surprisingly ingenious Great Depression-era recipes are gaining traction on social media, and Wacky Cake is one dish of interest that lives up to its name.
Wacky Cake contains no milk, eggs, or butter, which were outside the budget of most Americans during the Depression. This chocolate treat uses vinegar as its leavening agent.
Eggs usually help cakes rise, but baking soda and vinegar are also effective and were cheaper back in the 1930s. Additionally, oil replaces both butter and milk for a moist cake.
Wacky Cake is also a one-pan dessert: You pour the ingredients into a cake pan and mix before baking. Affordable and easy, this treat has made a comeback many times in history.
Wacky Cake may have originated during World War I. After its peak in the Depression, it became popular again in the face of World War II rationing, then again in the 60s and 70s.
To make Wacky Cake, you'd heat the oven to 350 F and mix together flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt directly inside a 8 x 11 baking pan.
Then, with your finger or a spoon, create three divots in the dry mixture and pour vegetable oil into one divot, vanilla extract in the second, and white vinegar in the third.
A cup of water is poured over the whole thing, the batter is whisked together, and the cake is baked for 30 to 35 minutes. It can be served plain or with chocolate frosting.