I made this cake yesterday and was pleasantly surprised with how well it turned out. Plus it’s super easy and fast to prepare. Cakes like these, which don’t require eggs or milk or butter, stem from the Great Depression days when people came up with creative ways to “use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.”
Going without and being creative with food wasn’t a new mentality in the 1930’s, though. In the U.S.during the Great War, food posters like this one were popular. Going without niceties like meat or sugar or wheat was a way to help with the war effort. In England, sugar was even rationed up until 1920!
Have you tried one of these egg-less cakes?
Depression Era Chocolate Cake*
1 1/2 cups flour
3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
5 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup water
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix dry ingredients in a 8×8 baking dish. Make three depressions in mixture – two small, one large. Pour vinegar in one small depression, vanilla in the other small depression, and the vegetable oil in the largest. Pour the water over everything, then mix until batter is smooth.
Bake for 30 – 35 mins and let cool. Then frost and enjoy!
*For different flavors of this cake, as well as a gluten free version, check out this post from The Sweet Little Bluebird blog.
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Thank you for posting this!! I can use this recipe for Willow. Not sure she'll know what to think eating a chocolate cake!!!
Can't wait to hear if she likes it! 🙂 I think they've got a vanilla version, too.
It's one of our favorite cakes!
Wow! Interesting history behind this cake. I'm definitely going to make it! Thanks, Stacy!
Terri – Now it's one of mine, too. 🙂
Jessica – Enjoy! It tastes even better the second day, if you leave it out of the fridge overnight.
thank you for sharing! I'm always looking for dairy-free recipes. Love that this is something my great-grandparents and grandparents probably ate.
Heather – Thanks for stopping by! I love chocolate cake, but it's even better with a little history behind it, right? 🙂
My godmother gave me a agreat recipe for applesauce cake that doesn't use milk or eggs. (It's really tasty, too!) It was one of her grandmother's recipes. I didn't realize eggless recipes were inspired by the Great Depression and WWI, although that makes sense.