Chocolate Crazy Cake

This is a Yummy, Rich, Moist, Delectable, Non-dairy, Non-egg Chocolate Cake! From Scratch and quick too!

The fact that this combination of ingredients can turn out so yummy is just plain crazy!

My Mom gave me this recipe. When I was single I enjoyed this wonderful cake so often that I had the recipe memorized. I'd just get home and whip it up without ever pulling out the recipe. It's just a simple, easy, yummy cake!

Leavening gone crazy...

Vinegar ... Vinegar?! When was the last time you saw vinegar in a cake recipe? That is one of the reasons this is a crazy cake. Baking soda is used as the leavening agent and needs an acid to activate. The vinegar is added to get the reaction going.. and it does a fine job! The baking soda and vinegar react to produce carbon dioxide bubbles that make the cake light. There is no residual vinegar taste.

None of the ingredients require refrigeration so there are no special storage requirements and the cake can be baked virtually anywhere.

By the way, this baking soda and vinegar reaction is the same used for Science Fair Volcano lava eruptions! Who knew it would make such a delicious cake!

Step 1: Ingredients

Ingredients:

1-1/2 Cup All-Purpose Flour

1 Cup White Granulated Sugar

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 teaspoon Salt

3 Tablespoon Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

6 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1 Cup Cold Water

1 Tablespoon Distilled White Vinegar

Powdered Sugar, enough to garnish

Step 2: Utensils

Utensils:

Cake Pan, 8 inch square or 9 inch round

Spatula

Whisk

2 mixing bowls (~8 cup capacity)

1 Cup measuring cup

1 Tablespoon measuring spoon

1 teaspoon measuring spoon

1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon

Fine Strainer

Hot Pads

Cooling Rack

Knife

Pancake turner

Timer

Oven

Step 3: Combine Dry Ingredients

Combine all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix thoroughly. I like to use a whisk.

I ended up with some clumps of cocoa, so sifting might be nice, but the cake turned out OK without going to the trouble. :-)

Step 4: Combine All Liquid Ingredients

Combine all liquid ingredients in a bowl and mix.

Step 5: Add Liquid Ingredients to the Dry Ingredients

Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredient bowl and mix.

The vinegar and baking soda will start to react and create carbon dioxide bubbles. Do not over mix as you will start popping the bubbles and the cake will come out flat rather than light.

Step 6: Pour Into Baking Pan

Pour the combined mixture into an 8 x 8 inch square or 9 inch round pan.

No need to prepare the pan in any way (no flouring needed) unless you want to turn out the completed cake in one piece. Then you will have to grease and flour the pan to get it out.

Step 7: < Alternate Super Fast Prep Method >

Alternate Prep Method

Instead of combining all the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another use the fast method:

1. Mix all dry ingredients in the cake pan.

2. Make 3 wells in the dry ingredients

3. Pour the Oil into one well, the Vanilla into the second, and the Vinegar into the last.

(I don't know if these 'wells' in the dry ingredients are really necessary - Probably just something passed on from generation to generation with no real purpose... be daring and skip it and just dump everything in the pan to get to the finish line even faster).

4. Pour the 1 cup of water over all of it and mix.

5. Now you get back to the regular recipe and bake....

(Now wasn't that faster? This is the "I need a piece of chocolate cake NOW!" method! :-)

Step 8: Bake at 350F for 30 Minutes

Place the pan with cake batter into a 350 degree F oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes.

You can verify that the cake is done when a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Step 9: Remove From Oven and Cool

Use hotpads to remove cake from oven and place on a cooling rack. Cool to serving temperature.

This is the hardest part....... Cool........Cool....... Cool....... That's cool enough ....EAT !

Step 10: Serve Warm

Carefully cut cake into individual pieces and using pancake turner place on serving plates.

Place some powdered sugar in the strainer and while holding the strainer over the cake tap the strainer to lightly dust the cake top with powdered sugar.

Serve!

For those not concerned about dairy, it is wonderful served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Enjoy!!!