Page Reader AI | Chocolate cake recipe with no butter or eggs

Chocolate cake recipe with no butter or eggs

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Origin and Description

This recipe for a 'Depression cake' is a rich, dense, almost fudgey chocolate cake that doesn't require butter or eggs. It's said to be an uplifting recipe despite its origins during the Great Depression in America.

Ingredients

The ingredients include plain flour, sugar (light brown recommended), cocoa powder, salt, bicarbonate of soda, vanilla extract, vinegar, brandy (or whisky substitute), oil, and water.

Substitutions

Cocoa powder can be replaced with hot chocolate powder and less sugar.
Baking powder can substitute for bicarbonate of soda, omitting the vinegar.
Brandy or whisky can be substituted, or omitted altogether.

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas 4.
Prepare a 20cm x 20cm square or 20-22cm round cake tin.
Sift dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa, salt, bicarbonate of soda) into a bowl.
Mix wet ingredients (vanilla, vinegar, alcohol, oil, water) and combine with dry ingredients until smooth.
Bake for 30-35 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Cool, then decorate.

This recipe originates in America in the Great Depression, and is known as 'Depression cake', although it’s really a very uplifting cake - dense, rich and almost fudgey. Double the quantities and bake two layers in 20cm or 22cm round tins to make a great lockdown birthday cake.

Prep time: 15 minutes | Cooking time: 40 minutes

SERVES

Eight

INGREDIENTS

180g plain flour
200g sugar (any will do but light brown gives the fudgiest result)
50g cocoa powder
½ tsp salt
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp vinegar (cider, wine or white vinegar)
1 tbsp brandy
75ml mild-flavoured oil (such as sunflower or vegetable oil)
220ml water

SWAPS

No cocoa? Use 200g hot chocolate powder (not instant hot chocolate) and just 50g sugar.
No bicarb? Use 2 tsp baking powder and leave out the vinegar.
No brandy? A bit of booze makes it more chocolatey, so whisky will work fine - or just leave it out.

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas 4.
Line the base and grease the sides of a tin 20cmx20cm square or a round one 20-22cm in diameter (this is not a fussy cake).
Once the oven is hot, sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, salt and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl.
Mix together the vanilla extract, vinegar, brandy (or whisky), oil and water, and stir into the flour mix. Beat until smooth then pour into the prepared tin.
Bake for 30-35 minutes until a skewer pushed into the middle comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the tin then turn out onto a rack to finish cooling. Decorate with melted chocolate, chocolate buttercream or fudge icing.