Tender, and chocolatey with a perfect crumb, not only does this wacky cake recipe call for a simple list of ingredients, but the batter for this 8×8 chocolate cake recipe mixes up entirely in the pan – that’s just how easy it is!

I make this cake all the time. It’s my kid’s fave! Though I’ve iced it in the photos you see here, oftentimes I leave it unfrosted with only a dusting of powdered sugar and/or serve it up with a dollop of whipped cream.

This simple chocolate cake is so good with a cup of coffee or tea, or for a easy dessert after dinner.

Table of Contents

• What is Wacky Cake and Why is it Called That?!
• The Story Behind the Recipe
• Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Wacky Cake Recipe
• Ingredients
• Recipe Variations & Substitutions
• How to Make Wacky Cake
• Frosting Ideas for Chocolate Wacky Cake
• More Chocolate Cake Recipes

• Jump to the Full, Printable Recipe

What is Wacky Cake and Why is it Called That?!

Wacky Cake is an American classic that dates back at least 100 years. Some claim it originated around the time of World War I, others say it took off during the Great Depression or even World War II.

What most can agree on is that it came about during times when eggs, butter, and milk were in short supply or simply not available, so traditional cake recipes weren’t possible. And this inventive chocolate wacky cake was born! (learn more about the origin of Wacky Cake here.)

The Story Behind the Recipe

Like many of you, I’m sure, I grew up on this cake. My mom called it “Crazy Cake,” and it pains the nostalgic side of me to not call it the same thing. But in the interest of inclusive language, I’m going with the other popular name: Wacky Cake. It’s also sometimes called Depression Cake. Whether you call it crazy cake, wacky cake, or depression cake, it’s a chocolate cake that’s easy and delicious!

My mom made this cake at least once per month. She served up the big fluffy squares with a generous dollop of Cool Whip, which is a serving suggestion I highly recommend. (Another cake recipe I recently published is this delicious vintage hazelnut cake that my Mom used to make and serve with Cool Whip, too. It was a staple in our house!)

But it’s excellent with a light layer of chocolate buttercream, too.

Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Wacky Cake Recipe

It’s super easy to make. Like ridiculously easy! The batter for this simple chocolate cake recipe mixes together right in the pan. It doesn’t get easier than that.

It’s delicious. Chocolatey, tender, moist. Everything you want in a chocolate cake from scratch recipe.

It’s dairy-free and vegan. It wasn’t designed for the vegan diet, but it is one of those awesome recipes that’s happily vegan just as it is.

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour – bleached or unbleached both work well.
• Sugar – plain old granulated.
• Baking soda – the leavener in our wacky cake, the baking soda reacts with the vinegar to make the cake rise.
• Salt – I like to use fine-grain sea salt for baking. Table salt works, too.
• Cocoa powder – I use plain ol’ Hershey’s unsweetened cocoa powder for chocolate wacky cake
• Canola oil – for a moist, melt-in-your-mouth cake. Vegetable oil works, too.
• Vinegar – I use white vinegar, but apple cider vinegar will work, too. Don’t leave this out or substitute! It’s a strong acid that reacts with the other ingredients to help the cake rise, and is crucial to the success of this recipe.
• Pure vanilla extract – for sweet vanilla flavor.
• Water – not usually considered an official ingredient, but crucial to the formation of wacky cake batter.

Recipe Variations & Substitutions

• Enhance the chocolate flavor by replacing the water with a cup of strong brewed coffee.
• To make it a vanilla wacky cake, omit the cocoa powder and double the vanilla extract.
• Go frosting-less – it’s still delicious! I provide a recipe for small-batch chocolate frosting with this wacky cake recipe for a chocolate frosted wacky cake, but you can omit the frosting and dust with powdered sugar and/or serve with whipped cream. Or, if you’re all about the frosting, scroll down for a bunch of suggestions.

How to Make Wacky Cake

If you’ve never made chocolate depression cake, a.k.a. wacky cake, prepare to be amazed! It’s just a matter of mixing the dry ingredients together, making indentations and pouring in the wet ingredients, mixing it all together, and baking it.

1. Add the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, and salt to an 8×8 pan. You don’t even need to grease the pan first.

2. Mix the dry ingredients together with a whisk, and create three indentations. I like to make a larger indentation for the oil, which, if you want to channel your inner child, naturally creates a happy face! Score!

3. Then, pour the vanilla extract into one small indent, the vinegar into another, and the canola oil into the large indent.

4. Pour the water over the top.

5. Stir until combined. I like to use a flat whisk so I can really get into the corners, but a plastic spatula works great, too.

6. And then, it’s time to bake your wacky cake! Bake just until the middle is set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Frosting Ideas for Chocolate Wacky Cake

Really, the sky’s the limit for how you want to frost this simple moist chocolate cake recipe. I’ve provided a recipe for chocolate frosting, and that’s what’s photographed here. But you should make it your own! Here are a few ideas:

• Vanilla buttercream
• Cream cheese frosting
• Peanut butter icing
• Nutella buttercream frosting (especially good!)
• Strawberry buttercream (and garnish with strawberries!)
• My mom used to serve up plain squares of this 8×8 chocolate cake recipe with a big dollop of Cool Whip. Highly recommend! Whipped cream or vegan whipping cream are great too.

More Chocolate Cake Recipes

We love chocolate cake here in the Kitchen Treaty house! Here are my other recipes:

• Dairy-Free Chocolate Cake – this is a deep, dark Devil’s food cake recipe with layers and lots of chocolate frosting. Dairy free and entirely vegan!
• American Flag Sheet Cake – the base of this sheet cake recipe is actually based on chocolate wacky cake! Finished off with a vanilla buttercream and a berry flag.
• Chocolate Mint Mug Cake – for when a chocolate craving hits and you need a single-serving cake – NOW!
• Deep Dark Hot Fudge Pudding Cake – Another one my mom used to make. So good with ice cream!

Print

Chocolate Wacky Cake Recipe

Moist and chocolatey with a tender crumb, this delicious and simple 8×8 chocolate cake recipe defies the laws of baking with NO eggs and NO butter or milk! Plus, the batter mixes up right in the pan. 🤯

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword 8×8 chocolate cake recipe, crazy cake, depression cake, simple chocolate cake, simple moist chocolate cake recipe, wacky cake, wacky cake recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 39 minutes minutes

Servings 9 pieces

Calories 348kcal

Author Kare

Equipment

• 1 8" x 8" baking pan

Ingredients

For the chocolate wacky cake:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 192g
• 1 cup granulated sugar 201g
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 25g
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
• 1/3 cup canola oil 72g; can substitute vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar can substitute apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup water 240g

For the chocolate frosting:

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter 58g; room temperature
• 1 cup powdered sugar 115g
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 35g
• 1-2 tablespoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

To make the cake:

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 degrees Celsius).
• To an 8-inch by 8-inch baking pan, add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Use a rubber spatula or whisk to combine the ingredients.
• With a spatula or wooden spoon, create three impressions in the flour mixture. I like to make one a bit bigger to contain the oil when we pour it in.
• Add the oil to the larger impression, the vinegar to another impression, and the vanilla to the third impression.
• Pour the water over the top.
• Use a whisk or rubber spatula to mix the batter together, taking care to scrape the flour in from the corners of the pan. Stir just until combined.
• Bake for 25-35 minutes, until the top springs back when you touch it and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Place on a wire rack and let cool to room temperature. Leave plain, sift some powdered sugar over the top, or frost with the chocolate frosting recipe provided here or another favorite frosting.

To make the frosting:

• Place the butter in a medium mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer, whip the butter until light and creamy, about 2 minutes.
• Add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon milk, and vanilla extract.
• Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high speed and beat until lightened in color and creamy, 1-2 more minutes. Add up to one more tablespoon of milk until the frosting is spreadable.
• If the frosting seems too thin to spread, add a little more powdered sugar until it's the consistency you like. If it seems too thick, splash in more milk, a teaspoon at a time, and mix until your desired consistency.
• Frost the cake after it has completely cooled to room temperature. You can use a butter knife, spatula, or I love using an offset spatula for the easiest application.

Notes

Nutrition calculation is for cake only, without frosting or toppings. Nutrition is based on one square of cake when cut into nine squares. 

Vegan option:

The cake recipe as written is vegan and dairy-free, but the buttercream frosting needs a couple simple swaps to keep this a vegan recipe. To make it vegan, swap in a vegan butter and plant-based milk. 

Storage:

As written, wacky cake with chocolate frosting will keep at room temperature, covered, for about 4 days. If you use a cream cheese frosting or another frosting that needs refrigeration, I suggest storing it in the fridge. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1piece | Calories: 348kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 256mg | Potassium: 113mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 36g | Vitamin A: 160IU | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 2mg

The post Chocolate Wacky Cake Recipe appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

Table of Contents

• The Story Behind the Recipe
• What is Devil’s Food?
• About This Recipe
• Dairy-Free Chocolate Cake Ingredients
• How to Make this Two-Layer Chocolate Cake
• Equipment Note
• More Dairy-Free Cake Recipes

• Jump straight to the full, printable recipe
• I’m just here for the comments!

The Story Behind the Recipe

Originally, when I was brainstorming recipes for Halloween season, I wanted to create a devil’s food cake recipe – a deep dark chocolate cake – that had big red marzipan devil horns. Because Halloween! And Devil’s food! And maybe someday, I’ll give that a whirl, and if I do, I’ll be sure to share it here.

But the truth is, this is a devil’s food cake for anytime of year, and devil horns won’t quite translate as well in March as they would in October. So, please imagine the devil-horn cuteness that the season calls for, and then let’s carry on with what is now my favorite dairy-free chocolate cake recipe.

What is Devil’s Food?

Devils Food is simply a rich, deep, dark chocolate cake. I originally called this a vegan devil’s food cake (because it’s vegan too – did I mention that?!) Ultimately, I decided to rename it dairy-free chocolate cake because more people search for those words.

About This Recipe

First, for the chocolate two-layer cake itself, I adapted this devil’s food “Hostess” cupcakes recipe from Isa Chandra Moskowitz. I doubled the recipe and played with the sugar/maple syrup ratio, otherwise, I kept it pretty close to the original. It’s pretty perfect (and I need to try those cupcakes soon). I love how the cake layers are nice and sturdy – who wants to deal with fragile, broken layers when trying to assemble a special cake?! And the dairy-free cake itself is moist with a dense dark chocolate flavor. So good.

For the buttercream, I played with this recipe from Connoisseurus Veg, changing around the measurements here and there and reducing the overall volume so we’d have the perfect amount for this dairy-free chocolate cake.

Dairy-Free Chocolate Cake Ingredients

Chocolate cake:

• Flour: I use all-purpose flour.
• Cocoa powder: A good dose of it! I like the darker stuff for the richest, most decadent chocolate cake.
• Baking powder & baking soda: Typical cake leavening agents. Gotta get that rise!
• Sea salt: Highlights and amplifies the flavor and balances some of the sweetness.
• Soy milk: Plain, unsweetened dairy-free milk please. Oat milk or almond milk would work well, too.
• Canola oil: Key for a moist dairy free cake.
• Sugar: Plain ol’ granulated white sugar.
• Pure maple syrup: Adds moisture and sweetness.
• Apple cider vinegar: A bit of acid helps activate the leavening ingredients, fluffing up the cake a bit.
• Pure vanilla extract: Because vanilla and chocolate are BFFs!

Dairy-free chocolate buttercream frosting:

• Vegan butter: Sometimes vegan butters can taste a little off. I tested this recipe with both Earth Balance and Melt brand vegan butters. The most reliable texture was gained from the Earth Balance, but the flavor is out-of-this-world perfect with the Melt. However, I had problems with some of the Melt batches coming out grainy. I solved that problem by whipping the milk with the butter first as the source recipe calls for, but I just want to put it out there – if you try a different type of vegan butter, your buttercream may turn out a little different. 
• Soy milk: Unsweetened. And again, feel free to sub in another dairy-free milk.
• Dutch-process cocoa powder
• Pure vanilla extract
• Powdered sugar

How to Make this Two-Layer Chocolate Cake

First, make the cake. I like to use my stand mixer to beat together the wet ingredients, mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, and then add the dry ingredients to the wet.

Then, pour the batter into the greased pans. The batter is pretty runny, but trust me – the cake will be phenomenal!

Bake just until the tops spring back when you poke them with your finger, cool a bit, then spring the cake rounds free from their pans and let them cool completely.

Next, it’s frosting time! Blend the ingredients in a mixer until smooth and glossy.

To assemble and frost your dairy free chocolate cake, add some frosting to one of the cake rounds and spread it evenly. Top with the second layer, then proceed with your crumb coat. A crumb coat is simply a thin layer of frosting that holds the crumbs in. I frost the sides first, then the top.

After that, I add the thicker layer of frosting. Swoop and swirl however you like. And your chocolate dairy free cake is complete!

Equipment Note

I like to bake this cake in 8-inch pans so that the finished product is nice and tall. But I’m sure it will work in 9-inch pans, too – they might just be done baking a couple of minutes earlier.

This is one of those winning chocolate cake recipes that might happen to be dairy-free and vegan, but is really delicious for everyone. I’m so excited to now have a reliable, delicious homemade chocolate dairy-free cake recipe in my arsenal that I can pull out for birthdays and special occasions!

I hope you love this recipe as much as we do. If so, please come on back and rate the recipe so others know it’s a keeper too! (And if not, please come back and let me know too – that helps me troubleshoot if there’s anything going wrong with my recipes out there in the wild.)

More Dairy-Free Cake Recipes

• Chocolate Wacky Cake is super easy to make, mixing up right in the pan and using NO eggs and NO dairy! It’s so good.
• Mom’s Hazelnut Cake is a light and fluffy vintage cake that’s sort of a hybrid between nut cake and angel food cake, and it’s naturally dairy-free!
• This dairy-free and vegan pineapple upside down cake is so moist and caramelly!
• These hummingbird cupcakes with their dried pineapple flowers are so special looking and have a dairy-free option.
• If you’re feeling patriotic, this American flag sheet cake is dairy-free and the frosting can be easily made dairy-free/vegan too!
• Mug cakes are the perfect way to get a quick serving of cake in when you’re craving it. This vegan peanut butter mug cake is so good! I love this chocolate mint mug cake too.
• Quick bread is basically cake in loaf form, so I must share this Dairy-Free Banana Bread recipe too. It’s the best!

Print

Devil’s Food Cake

Deep, dark, rich, moist, and luxuriously everything chocolate cake should be – but dairy-free and vegan!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Calories 683kcal

Author Kare

Equipment

• 2 8-inch cake pans Feel free to use 9-inch, your cake will just be shorter and will take less time to bake.

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup dutch process cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
• 2 cups plain unsweetened soy milk
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the frosting:

• 1 cup 2 sticks vegan butter at room temperature (I highly recommend Melt brand; Earth Balance will also work but in my opinion doesn’t taste as good)
• 3-4 tablespoons unsweetened soy milk
• 2/3 cup dutch process cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 4 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans with oil or non-stick spray. Set aside.
• Make the cake. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• Into the bowl of a stand mixer or in another large bowl (to mix with a hand mixer), add the soy milk, oil, sugar, maple syrup, vinegar, and vanilla. Mix on medium speed for two minutes.
• Add half the dry ingredients and mix to blend. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix at medium speed for 1 minute. The batter will be quite runny. Divide the batter between the two cake pans.
• Bake until the top springs back when you poke it and a toothpick inserted into the center comes back clean, 25 – 30 minutes. Remove the cake pans from the oven and place on wire racks to start cooling. After 10 minutes, run a butter knife around the edges of the cakes to loosen them from the side, then invert onto a wire rack, removing the cake pan. Let cake rounds cool completely, 30-45 minutes. To expedite the cooling process, you can place the cakes in the freezer for about 10 minutes for the fridge for 20.
• Meanwhile, make the frosting. In the clean stand mixer bowl affixed with a beater blade (or in a medium mixing bowl if you are using a hand mixer), add the vegan butter. If you’re using the recommended brand (Melt) and it’s room temperature, it should be very very soft. Add 3 tablespoons of the soy milk and beat until as incorporated as possible. Add the cocoa powder and mix until well combined and glossy. Mix in the vanilla extract. Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, beating until incorporated after each addition. Once all the powdered sugar has been added, beat frosting at medium speed for about 1 minute until it has lightened up a bit and is a bit fluffier. If the frosting seems too soft to spread on the cake, add more powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time. If it’s too stiff, add more soy milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the frosting is perfectly spreadable.
• Once the layers are cool, place the first layer on your cake plate. Add about 1/3 of the frosting to the top of the first layer and with a butter knife or offset spatula, smooth to the edges. Top with the second layer. Smooth a thin layer of frosting around the sides of the cake, then add another, thicker layer (the thinner layer first will help hold the crumbs in). Add the remaining frosting to the top of the cake and smooth with the knife or spatula, adding swoops and swirls how you see fit (or smoothing it all out – however you want, it’s your cake!)
• Cut into slices, serve, and enjoy!

Notes

Storage notes

Store lightly covered at room temperature for up to two days. 

Milk substitutes

Unsweetened oat milk or unsweetened almond milk will work, too. 

Gluten-free dairy-free chocolate cake option

I have not made it this way, so please report back if you do and I’ll update the recipe! But I’m confident that a 1-1 gluten-free flour blend will work well in place of the all-purpose flour. 

Source

Cake recipe adapted from Isa Chandra Moskowitz / Buttercream recipe adapted from Connoisseurus Veg

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 683kcal | Carbohydrates: 133g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 420mg | Potassium: 395mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 97g | Vitamin A: 137IU | Calcium: 188mg | Iron: 4mg

The post Dairy-Free Chocolate Cake (Devil’s Food Cake) appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

I started out wanting to create a homemade version of these. We call them “brownie muffins” and they’re a favorite around here. I love that it gets flaxseeds in all their healthy glory into my picky-eater of a kiddo. I ended up at this recipe from The Pastry Affair and, using that as a starting point, went from there.

I’ll be honest, the end result is nothing like the store-bought Chocolate Brownie muffins that I was trying to replicate. These are more tender and cake-y – almost like cupcakes for breakfast (without the frosting) if I’m being honest. But they’ve become a family favorite just as they are, Bridget Jones-style, so I thought it was high time I shared them with y’all!

Do you remember the Life Cereal commercial about Mikey? “He won’t eat it – he hates everything … HE LIKES IT! HEY MIKEY!” Quite honestly, our kid is a bit of a Mikey. An entirely lovable Mikey but a Mikey nonetheless. And she LOVES these tender chocolate oat muffins. Which means, I think, there is likely not anyone in the whole wide world who won’t like them.

I guess they’re sort of grizzly-bear-esque with their rich brown color and the humps on their back? I don’t know, it’s a stretch. But regardless of what you call them, I think you’ll love them!

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The post Grizzly Bear Muffins (Vegan Chocolate Chunk Oat Muffins) appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

And oftentimes, by the time I’ve altered a recipe to be dairy-free, it just makes sense to go all the way and make it 100% plant-based. Not because I have to personally, but because I want to!

But I also want everyone around me – meat-eaters and vegans alike – to love my recipes. So it’s kind of a personal challenge for me to make awesome-tasting vegan recipes for all. 

Take these Vegan Chocolate Crinkle Cookies. All I really needed to do was start with a solid recipe and swap the eggs for a vegan-friendly binder. Okay, so I made a couple other changes, too, but the eggs are the most important. My first choice for vegan baking is usually flax eggs – simply ground flaxseeds (or flax meal) and water mixed together. After the mixture sits for a few minutes, the flaxseed gels, and voila! Instant binder, no eggs needed! 

Because the flax eggs alter the recipe, I also found a needed to make another couple of tweaks in order to achieve those perfect crinkles that we know and love in chocolate crinkle cookies.

First, I added a bit of baking soda just to really help the cookies expand and make those nice big cracks we expect from perfect chocolate crinkle cookies. Second, I roll the cookies in granulated sugar first, before the powdered sugar. The granulated sugar helps soak up some of the excess moisture that the vegan dough has in it. Both of these tips I got from this page – I have no idea who these people are, but I found the info to be incredibly useful!

Oh, and I added a bit more vanilla. Because vanilla.

And boom! Christmas-cookie-platter-worthy chocolate crinkle cookies right here, baby! Honestly, we can’t even tell the difference between these vegan chocolate crinkle cookies and their traditional counterpart. 

They’re sweet, with a bit of crunch on the outside thanks to the sugar, and then soft, fudgy, and almost brownie-like inside. 

The perfect holiday cookie, vegan style. But you don’t have to be a vegan to love ’em – promise!

The post Vegan Chocolate Crinkle Cookies appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

I don’t know exactly what to call it but the symptoms include: 1) Decreased ability to come up with blog-worthy new recipes and 2) Extreme increased ability to tuck under a blanket on the couch with a square of dark chocolate, watch drivel like The Bachelor, and obsess over every single kitchen remodel detail one can possibly imagine.

The good news? The kitchen is almost done! Finally. We have one more set of cabinet doors to paint, then it’s on to the backsplash plus moving back in. I’m pretty sure once the kitchen remodel is complete I’ll regain some of my blogging mojo. It’s looking bee-you-tiful so I am, in fact, planning on more mojo than ever. (Please, oh please come back, mojo!)

Today’s chocolate cherry smoothie recipe is a super simple one, but so, so delicious. It gives me hope for my mojo and low-cal desserts in equal measure, because it tastes like a decadent milkshake.

In actuality, it’s a fruit-sweetened-only smoothie with a surprising little hit of iron. It has a healthy side but still feels indulgent.

(Okay, even more indulgent if you choose to trash it up a bit with coconut whipped cream and a generous drizzle of chocolate syrup. I won’t judge.)

I mean, I’m always looking for great sources of iron, so I guess I’ll just HAVE to enjoy another Black Forest Smoothie, right? The sacrifices for health, you know.

Hope to be back soon. Bear with me!

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We’ve all seen these cakes, right? A staple of Independence Day barbecues everywhere, these cakes feature white frosting with rows of strawberries forming the stripes and blueberries in a square in the upper left.

Right around this time of year, every year, I have a jonesing to make a red, white, and blue dessert. One of these fancy-schmancy American flag cakes is always one of the first things to come to mind, though I never quite get around to it. Because lazy. But this year, I was determined to make it happen.

But because I don’t eat dairy, I wanted to make a version that could easily be made vegan. So I started with a wacky cake base. Wacky cake is that classic depression-era chocolate cake that’s already vegan because it’s made without milk and eggs. (We actually grew up calling it crazy cake, and it was my very favorite dessert. Yummmm … just warm-out-of-the-oven square of crazy cake with a generous dollop of Cool Whip … okay, I’m back.)

When you make this American flag cake, you start with flour, baking soda, cocoa powder, and sugar. Then, make indentations in the dry ingredients and add vinegar, oil, vanilla, and water and stir it all together.

I wanted this cake to be big so there would be room for all those strawberry stripes. So I spread a big ol’ batch of wacky cake batter into a large rimmed baking pan and baked it all up, Texas sheet cake style.

After it cools, we’ve got that buttercream (seen in a big giant pile up there).

This is where the vegan substitution comes in, if you like – just swap out the butter for Earth Balance sticks, use plant-based milk, adjust the powdered sugar if needed, and there you go. A vegan American flag cake! Because vegans should get to eat flag cake too.

After spreading out and smoothing that glorious layer of buttercream (this one was made with Earth Balance and looks incredible, right? It is!)

Anyway, after smoothing out the buttercream, I like to mark the upper third of the cake. This is where the blueberries will go; strawberry stripes, all around that.

I also like to use my offset spatula to draw “stripe” lines in the cake (bonus: this also helps to smooth out any errors or strawberry-row adjustments you had to make along the way). But the lines are totally optional.

Because it’s made in a shallow sheet pan, this makes a cute, thin little cake. I love it this way – more area on the top means more berries. And the berries + the vanilla buttercream + the moist chocolate cake = deee-eee-eeee-llllicious.

I wasn’t quite sure what to name this thing, by the way. I wanted to pay homage to the wacky cake base, and I was really tempted to call this a Wacky American Flag Cake. We Americans can own our personal wackiness as well as our wacky cake, right? As I was discussing the name with my guy, our 5-year-old piped in.

“Hey, I know what to call it!”

“What?”

“A blertren!”

Um. American Flag Sheet Cake it was. A bit boring, but less potentially offensive overall – and just a bit more descriptive than “blertren.”

Happy Fourth of July!

Oh, and thank you to my gal for her assistance making the cake and thanks to my guy for being willing to model it. 🙂

More Sheet Pan Recipes

• Sheet Pan Tofu & Veggies
• Sheet Pan Vegetarian Breakfast Hash
• Crispy Sheet Pan Gnocchi with Veggies & Sausage

Print

American Flag Sheet Cake

Moist chocolate sheet cake smothered in vanilla buttercream and decorated with berries. This festive flag cake is as cute as it is delicious. The cake itself is already vegan; the buttercream can easily be made vegan too!

Prep Time 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Author Kare

Ingredients

Chocolate wacky cake base:

• 2  cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2  cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/2  teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt or table salt
• 2  teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2  tablespoons white vinegar or cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil or melted coconut oil
• 1 1/2 cups water

Vanilla buttercream:

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature 1 cup) (or Earth Balance buttery sticks for vegan version
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons milk

Berry topping:

• 6 ounces about 1 cup or 1/2 pint fresh blueberries, washed and dried
• 32 ounces about 6 cups, 2 pounds, or 2 1/2 pints fresh strawberries, washed, hulled, halved, and patted dry

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 13″ x 18″ rimmed baking sheet – spray with your favorite non-stick spray or wipe down with a bit of oil.
• In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir with a whisk or a wooden spoon to combine.
• Using the back of a wooden spoon, make three indents in the flour mixture. Into one indent, pour the vanilla. Into the second, pour the vinegar. Into the third, add the oil. Pour the water over the top. Stir well until combined.
• Spread the batter in the baking sheet and, using an offset spatula, spread the batter to the edges of the pan, making it as level as possible. Bake for 14-17 minutes; until the sides have pulled away from the edge a bit and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Pull the cake out of the oven and set on a wire rack to cool completely.
• While the cake cools, make the buttercream frosting. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, whip the butter until smooth. Add a cup of powdered sugar and mix in at low speed. Add remaining powdered sugar, a cup at a time, and mix until smooth. Add the vanilla and the milk. Mix until smooth and an easily spreadable consistency. If too thick, add more milk – just a teaspoon at a time, as it thins out easily. If too thin, add more powdered sugar.
• Once the cake is completely cool, frost it with the buttercream – simply smooth it all over the top in a thin, even layer.
• Now, it’s time to decorate! Visually divide the cake into thirds and, in the top third, fill in with rows of blueberries. Add rows of halved strawberries next; the amount of stripes depends on the size of your strawberries, so just eyeball it, and if you need to adjust the berries, you can use the tip of the offset spatula or the tip of a spoon to create stripes in between the rows of berries.
• Serve as soon as possible; it can be made ahead of time, but the strawberries will probably start to leak after awhile, so keep that in mind.

Notes

Make ahead: You can bake the sheet cake ahead of time (just cover with plastic wrap and keep at room temp until you’re ready to frost). I recommend frosting and adding the berries as close to serving time as possible. The sugar in the frosting brings out some of the juices in the berries, so if it sits for awhile, the strawberries start leaking a bit.

Vegan/dairy-free option:

The cake recipe is already vegan; to make the frosting vegan, use Earth Balance for the butter and almond or soy milk instead of dairy milk.

The post American Flag Sheet Cake appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

The Story Behind the Recipe

I’m not sure there’s anything more December-worthy than a good pepperminty chocolate splurge. But when dairy’s not on the menu, what’s a peppermint mocha lover to do? Enjoy this Vegan Peppermint Mocha Coffee Creamer, that’s what!

Ready to liven up your cuppa joe with some holiday cheer? Come along with me through the seven layers of the candy cane forest …

Sorry, went into Elf mode for a moment there. Let’s move along.

Initially, I envisioned this recipe as a cashew coffee creamer based concoction, using the blender. And that was fairly tasty.

But then I started thinking about how, perhaps, I should start with almost a homemade chocolate syrup situation and then go from there – the heat helps dissolve and distribute the cocoa powder. Adding lite coconut milk gave us, of course, us creamy bliss – and the Vegan Peppermint Mocha Coffee Creamer was so, so easy to make.

How to Make Peppermint Mocha Creamer

Just mix a can of light coconut milk, some pure maple syrup (Grade A to avoid a heavy maple flavor), and good cocoa powder in a small saucepan. Flavor with extracts and helloooo, vegans and dairy-free folk! The holidays are for you too!

Here’s the exact list of ingredients:

• Canned light coconut milk – I go with lite coconut milk instead of full-fat because when it’s refrigerated, it stays liquid instead of the fats solidifying. If you prefer a dairy option, I suggest half and half.
• Pure maple syrup – Grade A which adds a lovely rich sweetness but no maple-y flavor.
• Cocoa powder – Grab the best you can find.
• Pure vanilla extract and peppermint extract – For that holiday feeling.
• Pinch salt – Trust me.

Then, you just add everything except the extracts to a saucepan and simmer, then add extracts and additional sweetener if you like and you are there!

So festive. So delicious. So holiday-y.

Keep scrolling for the full, printable recipe!

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Peppermint Mocha Creamer

Perk up your coffee with this festive non-dairy creamer. Simply made with coconut milk, cocoa powder, pure maple syrup, and extracts, it’s super easy to make. And especially delicious with a candy cane plopped into the mix.

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 24

Calories 22kcal

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 1 can lite coconut milk 15-ounce can
• 3 tablespoons Grade A pure maple syrup plus more if desired; can substitute vegan granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder good quality
• Pinch kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon peppermint extract plus an additional 1/8 teaspoon to taste if you like it extra minty

Instructions

• Set a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the coconut milk, 3 tablespoons maple syrup, cocoa powder, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until just about to start simmering, about 5 minutes (depending on your stove).
• Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla extract and 1/8 teaspoon peppermint extract. Taste and if you’d like it mintier, add an additional 1/8 teaspoon peppermint extract. If you would like your creamer sweeter, add another tablespoon (or five) of pure maple syrup until it’s just right for you.
• Let cool to room temperature then transfer to a sealed container. Keeps, refrigerated, for 4-5 days.
• To serve, add a generous amount to a cup of strong-brewed coffee. If you like, top with coconut whipped cream, a drizzle of chocolate syrup, and/or a candy cane.

Nutrition

Serving: 2tablespoons | Calories: 22kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 14mg | Potassium: 15mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Peppermint Mocha Creamer appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

Iiiits cookie time! It’s the time of year when so many of us bite off more than we can chew. Literally and figuratively. I mean, there are so many cookies to be made this time of year!

In years past, I’ve headed home from the grocery store loaded up with bags of ingredients for no less than eight different types of cookies. And then set out to make all of them inside of one day. Even before I had a kid (and therefore much less leisure time), eight different kinds of cookies were tough to turn out in one day. Let alone one season.

This year, instead of handing out cookie plates with a vast variety of cookies in all shapes and sizes, my labor of love for the season is not quite so laborious. I’m planning to give out mason jars filled with just one delicious variety of cookies: Sparkly Chocolate Snickerdoodles.

Eight of ’em fit perfectly into a wide-mouthed jar. Screw on a jumbo cupcake liner and tie on some kitchen twine and we’re good to go. Who wouldn’t want to receive a jar of chocolate snickerdoodles for Christmas? I’m hoping for no one, because I’ve got a busy week full of mason jars and cinnamon and sugar up my sleeve. Not literally, because that would be uncomfortable and sticky.

Because these cookies are dark, the sugar in the cinnamon-and-sugar coating shimmers and shines. Hence the “sparkly” in the name. Perfect for the season!

Plus, these little suckers are so easy. They’re basically a traditional snickerdoodle recipe with some of the flour swapped out for cocoa powder. Not even “basically” – that’s exactly what they are. I kept everything else the same, down to rolling copiously in cinnamon and sugar before baking.

The result is chewy but a little soft, chocolatey but still clearly snickerdoodles. And crinkly and cracked along the top, just like a good snickerdoodle should be.

Another bonus with these cookies is that they’re great to make with the little ones. My toddler loves forming the dough balls and rolling them in cinnamon and sugar. But they still turn out perfectly round after baking. Win win!

Yup, just one Christmas cookie this year. Simplification is a good thing (and so are Sparkly Chocolate Snickerdoodles).

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Plus, the prep-now-enjoy-later quality that comes along with Crock Pot cooking can’t be denied. Especially for dessert. What could be better than to slap some batter into a slow cooker (and that’s practically what you do with this ridiculously easy recipe), step away, and come back a few hours later to a moist, fudgy, piping-hot cake, just waiting to get all melty with a plop of icy-cold vanilla ice cream by its side?

Bliss, man. Easy bliss.

If summertime brings out your inner lazy cook, this cake is definitely for you. And if it doesn’t, this cake is still definitely for you.

This Slow Cooker Hot Fudge Pudding Cake is a spin on this version, a rich and decadent comfort food classic. It’s so interesting – and a little magic – how this saucy cake comes together. First, you spread a layer of batter. Then, you sprinkle a dry mix of sugar and cocoa powder over the top. Then, you pour hot water over the top and you think to yourself, seriously? This is going to become cake?! And then it bakes and comes out all glorious with a cake layer on top and an incredibly hot fudge sauce layer underneath.

To adapt the recipe for the Crock Pot, I simplified the ingredients list a bit, and then – because Crock Pot recipes take about half the liquid of their traditionally cooked counterparts because steam doesn’t escape as easily – I reduced the amount of hot water in the recipe. The cake is assembled right in the crock, and then it cooks on high for 3-4 hours. And then, voila! Cake on the top, fudge sauce on the bottom.

I think this cake tastes even better adapted for the Crock Pot, because the cake is much more moist than its oven-baked cousin. Slow cooking for the win, yet again!

P.S. The blueberries aren’t a part of the recipe, I just put them on there so the cake would look prettier in pictures. I fear photographing brown blobs. The berries actually tasted pretty good with the chocolate and ice cream, so feel free to do the same if you’re inclined!

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The post Slow Cooker Hot Fudge Pudding Cake appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

Chia seeds. Surely you’ve heard of these little mini wonders, one of the newer super-power foods that everyone is raving about? They can go into all kinds of things and make them awesome. Including this thick, rich, creamy chocolate coconut pudding.

Why Are Chia Seeds So Awesome?!

So what makes them awesome, you ask? Oh, boy. Let me count the ways.

First, they’ve got a terrific amount of protein. And fiber! Lots of good fiber. They’re packed with omega-3s. They’re kind of incredible.

Here’s the crazy-cool thing about chia seeds, though. They absorb up to 10 times their original size in water. When they do so, they form sort of a gelatinous coating. I totally get if you don’t find the words “gelatinous coating” very appetizing, but stick with me here, because this super-cool quality makes for an incredible, ridiculously easy pudding – no corn starch, gelatin, or other thickening ingredient required.

Just coconut milk, flavorings, and those miraculous little chia seeds.

Do they take a little getting used to? Yes, yes they do. But the chia seeds in this pudding make it reminiscent, to me, of tapioca. I always did love tapioca, so this works for me.

So once you’ve embraced the tapioca-esque qualities of this pudding’s texture, there’s a lot of other stuff to love, too. Like how thick, rich, and creamy it is. Like how it’s totally chocolaty, guilt-free bliss. Like how it’s sweetened only with pure maple syrup and a little coconut sprinkled on the top. Like how kid-friendly it is – kids love this stuff, even my super-picky toddler! I mean, I have to top it with star-shaped sprinkles for her, but still. That’s huge.

Three chias for ch-ch-ch-chia seeds!

Sorry.

(Incidentally, if you’re not down with the seed-induced texture of this chia seed pudding, check out Kiersten’s solution. She blended the heck out of hers and created a super-smooth mousse! So smart.)

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Chocolate Chia Pudding with Coconut Milk

This thick, rich, and chocolaty (and vegan!) pudding is practically health food! It feels like a decadent splurge, but really it's made with wholesome, good-for-you ingredients. And it only takes a couple of minutes to make!

Keyword chocolate chia pudding

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Calories 306kcal

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 1 cup canned lite coconut milk
• 1/4 cup good-quality cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup + more for a sweeter pudding if desired
• 1/4 cup chia seeds
• Pinch kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons sweetened flaked coconut

Instructions

• Add the coconut milk, cocoa powder, and maple syrup to a small bowl. With a whisk, beat well, until all of the cocoa powder is incorporated, about 1 minute. Taste and add more maple syrup for a sweeter pudding, if desired.
• Stir in the chia seeds and the salt.
• Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to 2 days. Stir. Scoop into individual bowls or cups and top with sweetened flaked coconut.
• Keeps refrigerated in an airtight container for 2-3 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 306kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Sodium: 132mg | Potassium: 326mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 11IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 160mg | Iron: 3mg

The post Chocolate Chia Pudding with Coconut Milk appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.