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Whacky Vegan Chocolate Cake
February 16th, 2009 Madhuram Posted in Cakes, Food Blog Events, Vegan Baking | 
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This chocolate cake recipe has been around for decades. It’s also called the Whacky cake or the Depression cake. But let me tell you, the taste and texture of the cake is definitely not whacky or depressing. It’s unbelievably moist and tastes like any regular chocolate cake especially with the frosting. At first I didn’t tell my husband that the cake has vinegar in it, so he was not able to tell any difference. He liked the cake very much even after I told about the secret ingredient. But since I knew about the vinegar I was able to feel a very very very mild smell/taste. I guess it’s psychological. I have to stress here again that when eaten with the frosting this chocolate cake is so delicious. This vegan chocolate cake recipe is definitely a keeper. I’m already thinking of the variations I can make each time.
I was wondering what to do for the frosting without the sugar because all the recipes I had called for confectioner’s sugar. I had a few packs of instant pudding mixes and thought how it would be for a frosting. I googled and found that pudding mix frosting is very common. Luckily I had the Cool Whip topping which is required for the frosting. Even though I was skeptical, I had to proceed with it anyway because I had no other go. Surprisingly it did turn out good. So the frosting is not vegan.
Yield: One 8 or 9 inch cake or 8 cupcakes.
2 Stir together all the dry ingredients (flour to cocoa powder) and create a well in the center.
3 To the well add all the wet ingredients one by one. Mix until just combined. Don’t overmix. It’s ok to have some lumps.
4 Pour the batter in the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Mine was done by 24 minutes. If baking cupcakes, check around 13-15th minute.
5 Cool completely on a wire rack. I left it for an hour.
6 To remove the cake from the pan, run a sharp knife around the inside of the pan to loosen the cake.
7 Cool completely before frosting. Actually frosting is not even necessary for this moist cake. You may simply dust with confectioner’s sugar and top with fresh raspberries.
Procedure:
1 Pour milk into a large bowl. Add the pudding mix. Beat until fluffy for 2 minutes.
2 Blend in the thawed Cool Whip thoroughly.
3 Frost the cake/cupcakes and refrigerate it at least for 3-4 hours before serving.
My Notes:
1 This frosting is not very sweet, but it was perfect with the cake and for us. We don’t like overly sweet cakes and frosting.
2 This measurement will be right for a 13×9 inch cake or a layer cake. I had at least a cup of frosting left over, which I intend to serve in ice cream cones for my son.
1. Egg Replacement Event – Vinegar hosted by me.
2. Just for You hosted by Alka. I made this cake for Valentine’s day for my husband.
3. My Favorite Things – Heart Shaped Food hosted by Bindiya.
4. Cook and Create with Luv for Luv hosted by Priyanka.
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September 20th, 2009 at 5:33 am
I love this recipe. It is always a hit with people!
September 14th, 2009 at 6:18 am
[...] didn’t bake much in the past 2 weeks but for the vegan chocolate cake for my mother-in-law’s birthday (she came with us) and Shilpa’s eggless date cake. The [...]
September 14th, 2009 at 4:14 am
Hi Madhuram,
i was baking the cake but it seems that i had to keep increasing the baking time as the center was still wet. was it because my baking tin was too small?
I have baked this cake a number of times and have not had any difficulty at all. This cake comes out well in an 8 or 9-inch cake pan (any shape though) and as cupcakes too. So I too am assuming that the pan size you have used is the culprit. Also if you keep opening the oven door a couple of times while the cake is still baking, it lets cool air inside and disturbs the baking process.
September 7th, 2009 at 6:26 am
my mom used safola oil instead of canola. The cake was awesome! I thank u for publishing this wonderful recipe.
My family and friends loved it. . .
You’re welcome Cakelover.
July 31st, 2009 at 1:18 am
Hi Madhuram,
I bake my egg-free chocolate cake using condensed milk. Although the result is good each time, its a little dry for my liking. When I saw your oh-so dark n delicious cake, I thought why not give this a try. I’ve always been skeptical about using oil instead of butter. And vinegar! I could never think of it. But I did try this one and it turned out to be delectably moist. Thanks a zillion of bringing me out of my comfort zone and getting thumbs-up from family! I used distilled vinegar to see if vinegar works at all. Next time around, I’ll make sure to use apple cider (read it somewhere in your blog). Thank you.
Nilambara
You’re most welcome Nilambara. Yes, apple cider vinegar is a better alternative to the regular distilled white vinegar.
July 16th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
hey thanks for the post, the cake turned out to be yummy and so nice. it tuk me 20 mins to prepare it.. I have now made it more than 5 times for my friends. a big thank you for sharing this recipe. Could you post recipe for eggless tiramisu and cheesecake?
You’re welcome Madhuri. I’ll look for some recipes for tiramisu and cheesecake.
July 10th, 2009 at 10:55 am
hi madhuram…
thanks to her …I tried this out !! but I didnt hv cocoa so instead used bournvita 
still it turned out yummy…I should say it was a huge success …..But only thing I wanted to chk..my cake was little sticky while consuming 
but still was soft, tasty & by all means like any other choco cake 
thanks …
awesome !! it was good for a vegan cake …it was the day b4 our anniversary …I was wondering what sweet to make when I my kid suggested a cake …
Wow Varsha, you are trying a lot of recipes from my blog. So special thanks to you too. I’m guessing that the stickiness is because of Bournvita. See unsweetened cocoa powder does not have sugar in it whereas Bournvita does, maybe that’s secreting excess moisture and making it sticky. This is just my wild guess because the cake I baked was unbelievably soft and fluffy.
July 3rd, 2009 at 6:28 pm
Hi Madhuram, can we substitute some of the oil with unsweetened applesauce?
Sure you could Parijata. The cake will not be little dense.
June 8th, 2009 at 3:12 am
Madhu, thank you so much for this wonderful vegan cake.
You’re welcome Karthi.
May 28th, 2009 at 3:59 pm
Looks great. Was this for a round cake pan or a square one?
I used a heart shape pan.