Crazy Cake!

I love this cake because it’s so easy and simple to make and it is also great if you need to substitute! You can make it right in the pan and you would never know it when you eat the final product! Another thing I love about this cake is the ingredients. Whether you’re vegan, dairy free, egg free or just don’t have a lot of ingredients this cake is perfect for you! Regardless if you are vegan or have restrictions, it’s a super delicious cake! I found this recipe in one of my favorite cookbooks, “How to Bake Everything”, by Mark Bittman (you can get it Here). This recipe was also very popular during the Great Depression when ingredients were scarce! Crazy cake is the ultimate base cake where you can add your own creativity. For example, you could create a chocolate coffee crazy cake, a cinnamon crazy cake or even a vanilla crazy cake. The options are (pretty much) endless! This recipe that I made includes a raspberry compote, but you could make it a blueberry compote a strawberry compote, or maybe a blackberry compote. Again, another place to be creative. Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!

Supplies

Cake Ingredients:

2 cups flour
⅓ cup cocoa powder
1 ½ cups sugar
2 tsp baking soda
¾ tsp salt
½ cup vegetable oil
1 tbsp distilled white vinegar
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

Raspberry compote Ingredients:

2 Tbsp water
2 cups raspberries (fresh or frozen)
2 tbsp sugar
Zest of 2 lemons
Juice of 1 and a half lemons

Step 1: Step 1: Preheat Oven and Whisk Dry Ingredients

Preheat your oven to 350°F . Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder,sugar,baking powder,and salt in a large bowl.

Step 2: Step 2: Make the Holes, Fill Them and Stir

Make three small holes in the flour mixture. Pour the oil in the first, vinegar in the second, and vanilla in the third. Next pour one and a half cups cold water over everything and whisk to combine.

Step 3: Step 3: Bake the Cake

Pour everything into a loaf pan (don't grease the pan with butter if you’re making a vegan cake or if you don’t have any! If you want to grease the pan you can pour a thin layer of vegetable oil to coat it. ) and bake at 350°F for about 50-60 mins. Let the cake cool before serving. Store in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Step 4: Step 4: Make the Compote

Place all the ingredients into the bowl. Stir to combine on medium low heat. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. At the end you should have a thick compote with all the seeds in it. If you're not a big fan of raspberry seeds you can always strain the sauce. Use on top of crazy cake. Store in the fridge for up to 7 days.