by Mary Neumann · 35 Comments
Looking for a ridiculously easy, budget friendly, delicious cake you can make from scratch using ingredients right from your pantry? Try Crazy Cakes – No eggs, milk or butter, you don’t even need a bowl!
VANILLA CRAZY CAKE (NO EGGS, MILK, BUTTER OR BOWLS)
CRAZY CAKE, also known as Wacky Cake & Depression Cake – Yes, you can make cake with No Eggs, Milk, Butter, Bowls or Mixers! This cake is super moist and delicious. Go-to recipe for egg/dairy allergies. Great activity to do with kids. Recipe dates back to the Great Depression. It’s darn good cake!
Since my post for Chocolate Crazy Cake almost 8 years ago, people have been crazy for CRAZY CAKES!! Be sure to check out all my new ORIGINAL flavors for this Depression Era favorite.
Here is my daughter’s Vanilla Crazy Cake topped with a rich, wonderful chocolate ganache. The ganache contains dairy, but I shared a link below for a dairy-free frosting option for those with allergies or on vegan diets. Our youngest has an egg allergy, so this is a cake the entire family can enjoy.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE VANILLA CRAZY CAKE
All-purpose flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, pure vanilla extract, vegetable oil (or canola), white vinegar (or apple cider vinegar) and water. That’s all you need!
HOW TO MAKE VANILLA CRAZY CAKE (NO EGGS, MILK OR BUTTER)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8×8 square baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
Mix first 4 dry ingredients in a greased 8″ square baking pan. Make 3 depressions in dry ingredients – two small, one larger (see #3 in photo below). Pour vinegar in one depression, vanilla in the other and the vegetable oil in third larger depression. Pour water over all. Mix well until smooth. Bake on middle rack of the oven for 35 minutes. Check with toothpick to make sure it comes out clean. Cool. Top with your favorite frosting.
PINNABLE IMAGE
VANILLA CRAZY CAKE (NO EGGS, MILK OR BUTTER)
(Recipe Updated 2020)
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Cups flour+3 Tablespoons (all-purpose)
- 1 Cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 5 Tablespoons vegetable oil (or canola oil)
- 1 Cup water
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 8×8 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
Mix first 4 dry ingredients in a greased 8″ square baking pan. Make 3 depressions in dry ingredients – two small, one larger (see #3 in photo below). Pour vinegar in one depression, vanilla in the other, and the vegetable oil in the third larger depression. Pour water over all. Mix well until smooth. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 35 minutes. Check with toothpick to make sure it comes out clean. Cool. Top with your favorite frosting. Enjoy!
Chocolate Ganache (This recipe is for a 9×13 cake – I doubled the cake recipe)
- 1 1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions
Place heavy cream in a medium size bowl and microwave on high for 1 minute or until it begins to bubble/boil. When it starts to boil, remove from microwave, add chocolate chips and allow to sit and start to melt (about 1 1/2 minutes). When ready, mix well until chocolate is silky smooth. If it’s not smooth, it may need another 20 to 30 seconds in the microwave – do not boil. Mix until silky smooth. Once ready, add vanilla mix well and allow to sit for a few minutes then mix again and pour over cake and spread evenly. Allow ganache to set a few hours before serving.
More Frosting Recipes
- For a great easy chocolate frosting (my favorite) head over toTHE YUMMY LIFE,for aONE MINUTE FROSTING recipe!
- For adairy free frosting recipe, head over toOh She Glowsfor a simple2-ingredient chocolate fudge frosting recipe!
- Great Chocolate Peanut Butter Frostingrecipe from The Beating Hearth!
- Vegan Fluffy Buttercream frosting
- Vanilla Buttercream Frosting(contains dairy)
TIPS
For a stronger vanilla taste, you could add a 1/2 teaspoon more of vanilla, for a total of 2 1/2 teaspoons.
You can double this recipe, just use a 9×13 baking pan.
You can also mix the batter in a bowl for neater, easier mixing. Be sure to follow the directions the same way – mixing the dry ingredients, then making the depressions for the wet ingredients. Don’t forget to grease your pan.
Although I have not used Gluten Free flour mixes for this recipe, many people have and said the cake turns out wonderful! “Yes, it is yummy and very moist. It even works with gf flour mixes!”
Thanks for stopping by!
Cheers!
More dairy free cake
- Crazy Carrot Cake (No Eggs, No Milk, No Butter!)
- Chocolate Crazy Cake (No Eggs, Milk, Butter or Bowls)
- Best Salad Ever (My Most Requested Salad Recipe)
Dinner Made Easy with Slow Cooker
Tried-and-true recipes to make cooking in your slow cooker simply & delicious!
Reader Interactions
Comments
Lisa Swasey
Thanks for the 8×8 version of the cake. I am not a vanilla fan, so I used orange juice instead of water. It is delicious orange cake. I frost it with a lemon frosting. Yum!
Reply
Monica
Mary,
Which of the two Vanilla Crazy Cake Recipes is the 2020 Updated version? One states to use 1.5 cups of flour and the other states 1.5 cups + 3 Tbsp. You stated that this cake is not light, but is rather dense. That is the texture I am after.
Reply
Mary Neumann
Hi Monica,
For more dense cake, add the extra 3 Tablespoons of flour. The updated version just uses 1 1/2 cups.
Happy baking!!Reply
Monica
Thank you so much Mary.
Reply
Ronak Mehta
Baked this cake for my birthday and it was an absolute hit! So moist and tasty. Thank you for doing what you do
Reply
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