RECIPE
CRAZY CAKE (aka DEPRESSION CAKE*)
from Nona Glazer of Portland, OR
Prep time: 15 minutes
Bake: 30-35 minutes
Heat oven:350°
Oil a springform pan and line it with parchment paper or use an 8"X8" cake pan.
Mix these dry ingredients well
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
3 to 6 T cocoa (preferably Dutch processed)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
Make three holes in dry mixture and add:
1 T white vinegar, 1 tsp vanilla, and 6 T salad oil
Pour 1 cup cold water over everything and then stir well.
Bake 30 -- 35 minutes in a 350° oven. Test with cake tester at 30 minutes; cool on a rack briefly; use a sharp knife around the edge of the cake to help to release it from the spring pan. Flip onto plate; remove parchment paper and flip back onto another plate.
Variations: add 2 tablespoons of rum and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, add chopped walnuts or chocolate chips.
*Add cocoa to taste; add a bit more liquid to compensate if adding more than three tablespoons.
Recipe can be doubled or tripled or even quadrupled. Just bake in an appropriate size pan.
I've been baking this cake for over 50 years. I think variations of it can also called "Depression" cake (as in the Great Depression) because it does not use expensive ingredients (that is, no eggs, no butter and no milk).