It’s been dubbed everything from War Cake, Depression Cake, Joe Cake, Dump Cake and Crazy Cake to Wacky Cake.
Whatever the name, it is, as food writer Camilla Saulsbury says, “an incredibly simple cake that can be mixed, baked and served from the same pan or bowl.”
The project came about when the 41-year-old Texas recipe developer was conducting her doctoral dissertation with a focus group on childhood food memories. One participant began waxing poetic about the one-bowl cake her grandmother used to make.
“Wacky cake? Can you tell me more?” asked Saulsbury. “There were smiles and murmurs of ‘oh yes, yes’ followed.”
She was so fascinated that she started to research this culinary phenomenon.
“I discovered that the cake contains neither dairy or eggs and depends on vigorously bubbly reaction between vinegar and baking soda to make it rise,” she explains.
And although it is often considered a Depression-era cake, it probably originated during Second World War rationing when ingredients like milk, butter and eggs were scarce, she says.
Saulsbury became intrigued with the concept and the result is her cookbook “Piece of Cake!” (Robert Rose, $29.95, hardcover).
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There are many pluses for the making of one-bowl cakes, she says.
These include no need to use a number of bowls; it’s unnecessary to separate eggs or alternately add ingredients while simultaneously mixing; cake flour or other fancy flours are not required nor is sifting, and you don’t need to own a heavy-duty stand mixer.
“I think these cakes will complement boxed cake mixes,” says Saulsbury. “However, the commercial ones are still relatively cheap and contain a lot of highly processed ingredients, whereas one-bowl cakes have all natural ingredients.”
“Piece Of Cake” offers readers a multitude of cakes from classic layer cakes and Bundt to old-fashioned and modern innovations.
“I just wanted to make this a go-to book whether the reader wanted a quick dessert or a healthy snack to take to a children’s play group or a fancy celebration,” says Saulsbury.
Here from the book is a “modernized wacky cake” for easier blending. “Just be sure to work quickly when transferring the batter from bowl to pan, as the reaction between the vinegar and baking soda begins immediately. If you wait too long, the cake won’t rise as well,” she advises.
Chocolate Wacky Cake
375 ml (1 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
175 ml (3/4 cup) granulated sugar
50 ml (1/4 cup) unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
3 ml (3/4 tsp) baking soda
2 ml (1/2 tsp) salt
125 ml (1/2 cup) vegetable oil
10 ml (2 tsp) white vinegar
7 ml (1 1/2 tsp) vanilla extract
250 ml (1 cup) water
15 ml (1 tbsp) icing sugar (optional)
Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F). Spray a 20-cm (8-inch) square metal baking pan with non-stick spray and dust with flour.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
Using the end of a wooden spoon, make 1 large and 2 small holes in flour mixture. Add oil to the large hole, vinegar to one of the small holes and vanilla to the other small hole. Pour water over top and stir until just blended.
Immediately pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 27 to 32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let cool completely on a wire rack. If desired, sprinkle icing sugar over top of cooled cake.
Makes 8 servings.
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