Wacky cake facts for kids
Dry ingredients for a wacky cake
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| Type | Cake |
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| Main ingredients | Flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, vegetable oil, white vinegar, vanilla extract |
Wacky cake, also called crazy cake, Joe cake, and WW II cake, is a spongy, cocoa-based cake. It is unique in that unlike most pastries and desserts, no eggs, butter or milk are used to make the cake batter.
Wacky cake may have been created as the result of rationing during World War II, when milk and eggs were scarce. Active ingredients in wacky cake include flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, vegetable oil, white vinegar, salt and vanilla extract. The eggless batter means that the structure of the cake is entirely supported by gluten, which is strengthened by the acidic vinegar and salt.
Some recipes add brewed coffee as an additional ingredient. The cake may be topped with icing or confectioner's sugar, or even served plain.
The cake is a popular delicacy at bake sales in numerous rural regions of the United States.
Usually served with just a dusting of powdered sugar, or buttercream frosting, there is also a frosting/glaze recipe sometimes found attached that also is made from "ration" ingredients.
