Wacky Cake

July 7, 2020

The first cake I learned to bake with my mother felt like playing; making holes in the flour mixture and adding wet ingredients. I had to practice patience as I slowly stirred it all together, ensuring all ingredients were incorporated. Making this cake might have seemed like child’s play, but the result was a sophisticated and memorable chocolate cake.

I passed along the shared baking experience and recipe to my children and grandchildren. Sometimes we joke that the name of it, Wacky Cake, couldn’t be more accurate for our family. Also known as Cockeyed Cake, the recipe flourished during World War II, when more traditional cake ingredients became scarce. But when you place that first forkful into your mouth, the idea of scarcity doesn’t enter your mind. The rich, dense chocolate cake nurtures your palette and your spirit.

In my tap-dancing-as-fast-as-I-can season of life, I baked a Wacky Cake and forgot the baking soda. Of all the ingredients, this was one of the smallest in volume, yet without it, the cake never rose to its full potential. It didn’t look or taste the same.

Life in a pandemic has resurrected the simple, yet essential things, like baking soda in a cake. For a variety of reasons, we stopped savoring them, which changed the flavor of our lives. If we are lucky enough to be sequestered at home, we no longer feel the intensity of over-commitment. We’re returning to the basics. We’ve increased awareness of how rich and important those minor ingredients are and how much they contribute to our recipe of life. Conversations over tea. Cooking a meal together. Jigsaw puzzles spread across the dining room table. And baking a Wacky Cake.

1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
3 heaping tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup cold water

Mix dry ingredients together in 8-inch baking pan. Make three holes and put vinegar, vanilla and oil in separate holes. Pour water over all and slowly stir with a fork. You can use a spatula to scrape dry ingredients from corners and the bottom. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Cake is done when tester comes out clean.

Linda McKenney is a Story Teller, Writer and Actor, bringing historical women to life. She has an alter ego at Susanbanthony.live.