Wacky Chocolate Cake

Wacky Chocolate Cake with Butter-cream Icing

The Original Recipe in Cherie's Writing on an Index Card

This is the best chocolate cake recipe on the planet, period end of story. 

Cherie's grandma is credited with introducing this recipe into the family many decades ago and it is the first recipe Cherie made. The recipe doubles easily and makes one cake or 12 cupcakes. 

If you've never had the luxury of enjoying a Wacky Chocolate Cake, do not pass go and do not stop until you locate these easy to find ingredients and make one. This is the definitive cake for entertaining because it's easy to make and almost foolproof.

I've decided to include pictures of both the cake and the cupcakes just to show how simple and remarkably delicious this recipe truly is.

The cupcakes were made by Tara and Cherie for a school party and we appropriately decorated.  

A Wacky Cupcake 

The cake was for a birthday celebration for our friends Hank and Joe who have birthdays close together.  

Two Pigs in a Pod above the Wacky Cake

Have fun making this with your family and get creative with icing colors and other decorations.  We've run the gamut from black and orange for Halloween to a pale blue ocean color with the Little Mermaid swimming on top.  As Emeril would say " it's a food of  love" and that's certainly true for this recipe.

Wacky Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

1 1/2 Cups Flour

3 Tbsp Cocoa Powder

6 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil

1 Tbsp Cider Vinegar

1 Cup Sugar

1 tspn Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Salt

1 Cup Water

Preheat oven to 350

Combine all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir until blended.  

Mix all the wet ingredients in a separate bowl and blend well

Pour all wet ingredients on top of dry ingredients and blend well with a spoon or your favorite spatula

Pour all ingredients into a non-greased baking dish or pan.  9 x13 will work but we prefer a bit deeper pan that's actually 9 1/2" x 9 1/2" which makes a taller moister cake.

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

Just to be sure, insert a wooden toothpick into the center of the cake and if it comes out clean your cake is done, if it seems to be too moist, bake for an additional 5 minutes.  

As I always point out; baking is altitude dependent and we live at 2500 feet above sea level.  Your actual cooking time will vary according to your altitude.

Remove cake from oven when done and allow to cool completely- about an hour or so.

When your cake is cooled you can move on to the icing...

Butter Cream Icing: 

Note from Cherie:  "I truly just throw this icing together...it's blending of all the ingredients and the key is mixing with an electric beater until it looks  right and has a smooth consistency."

Ingredients for Icing

2 cups (roughly) powdered sugar
1/4 cup of softened butter - not margarine!
1/2 tsp. vanilla
a1/4 cup of half and half or milk
Food Coloring if desired

Add  sugar, butter and vanilla in a mixing bowl and add the milk a little at a time while mixing until the consistency is just right.  It usually ends up being around 1/4 of a cup, but it at times more.  Humidity can play a role.  If it's too thick, add a little more milk, too thin - add more powdered sugar.
After the icing is just the thickness that you like, add food coloring.  The icing should be very creamy white, which is nice, but adding color is fun!  We love the Wilton Brand of  Food Colors because they are so vibrant.

The Birthday Boys- Hank and Joe


Happy Wacky Eating!!!