Description
Chocolate Depression Cake celebrates resourceful baking from challenging economic times with minimal ingredients. Rich chocolate flavor emerges from simple pantry staples, letting home bakers create a delicious dessert you’ll want to savor slice by slice.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients:
- 1.5 cups (360 ml) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (200 g) sugar
- ⅓ cup (35 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Liquid Ingredients:
- 1 cup (240 ml) water
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping:
- Chocolate frosting of your choice
- Rainbow sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and thoroughly coat a 13×9-inch (33×23 centimeters) baking pan with a light layer of cooking spray or vegetable oil.
- Gather all dry ingredients directly into the prepared pan: measure flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt.
- Use a whisk or fork to distribute the dry ingredients evenly, ensuring no clumps remain and creating a uniform base.
- Create three strategic indentations in the dry mixture: two smaller wells on opposite sides and one larger central well.
- Precisely pour white vinegar and pure vanilla extract into the smaller wells, then add vegetable oil to the larger central well.
- Gradually pour room temperature water across the entire surface of the dry ingredients.
- Vigorously whisk all components together, moving in circular motions until the batter transforms into a smooth, consistent chocolate mixture with no visible dry patches.
- Transfer the pan to the preheated oven and bake for 32-37 minutes, rotating midway to ensure even heat distribution.
- Test cake doneness by inserting a clean toothpick into the center – it should emerge with minimal to no batter clinging to it.
- Remove from oven and allow the cake to cool completely at room temperature for approximately 60-75 minutes before applying preferred chocolate frosting.
Notes
- Budget-friendly baking becomes a delightful adventure with this resourceful depression-era cake recipe.
- Wartime scarcity inspired this ingenious dessert that skips traditional dairy and egg ingredients.
- Surprisingly moist and rich chocolate cake emerges from pantry staples during challenging economic times.
- Simple mixing method eliminates complicated steps, making baking accessible for novice home cooks.
- Economic constraints transformed baking by creating a delicious treat with minimal resources.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 12
- Calories: 220 kcal
- Sugar: 24g
- Sodium: 150mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 34g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: <1g
- Cholesterol: 0mg