Crazy Chocolate cake

Ever had a craving for a fluffy, rich chocolate cake but had limited ingredients?

Well owning a dessert business means that I can have quite the sweet tooth. Sometimes I am in a pinch to make a cake or really have some late night cravings for chocolate.

Usually, after making cakes for my customers, I am sometimes left with a few key ingredients to bake for myself.

So, I decided to adapt my regular 2-layer six inch chocolate cake recipe to be made WITHOUT eggs, butter and milk!




That's right! Hence the name Crazy Chocolate cake!
These types of recipes were popular during the Great Depression in 1930s because ingredients were few and very limited.

This recipe can make a small 6 inch cake, 12 cupcakes, or 6 cupcakes and a 4 inch cake. It can be served as is or covered in chocolate ganache (my personal favorite) or chocolate buttercream. 

The recipe is as follows:

- 1 cup flour
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp instant coffee (optional)
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp white vinegar

Add flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda and coffee to a bowl. Whisk to combine.

Next add water, oil and vinegar. You can mix the wet ingredient separately first or add directly into the dry mixture.

Whisk until mixture is homogenous. It should look like the image below. Add to 6 inch, 4 inch or cupcake pans and bake at 350 degrees. The cupcakes take about 15 minutes while the cakes take about 30 minutes.

Check to see if the cake is baked by inserting toothpick in the center. If the pick comes out with barely any crumbs or liquid, your cake is done.

My favorite topping for these cakes is chocolate ganache which I usually make using semi-sweet chocolate chips and heavy whipping cream. However, in true budget baker style, you can substitute the whipping cream with milk.

To prepare, just add equal amounts of chocolate and cream/milk into a microwave-safe bowl. If using milk, add a little less since it is more liquid, for example, use 1 cup of chocolate with 1/2 to 3/4 cup milk. Put in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring each time until completely melted.

Let the ganache cool and then spread, pour or pipe onto the cakes and cupcakes.

What is love? A chocolate ganache frosted cupcake 😍💖

Happy Baking!
xx