Cupcake made and frosted by Girlfriend
Crazy Cake. I’m sure you’ve heard of it. It’s also called Wacky Cake, or Cockeyed Cake. This is the chocolate cake that is made without eggs or dairy. It’s a recipe from Depression-era America when butter and eggs were hard to get and expensive. And in my case, it’s also made without gluten. It uses vinegar to help the leaveners raise the cake. It’s a great basic cake–moist, nice crumb, tasty. I discovered a recipe for this cake 20 years ago (it’s kind of scary to be throwing that many years around), adapted it to gluten-free, and have made it frequently over the years.
This cake is on my mind these days because Girlfriend just had a birthday. For school events I like to bring this so all of the kids can have a treat–in my daughter’s class we have her (peanut and soy allergic), someone who is gf, dairy-free and egg-free, and a kid who is corn-free. This means that these three kids are often left out of celebrations in the class. Not by me, though. Also, in our house, we have a policy of providing food that all guests can eat. What’s the point of socializing when people are left out? So, Crazy Cake is what I make for for many of these events. It comes out well every time! It warms my heart to provide a treat that everyone can eat.
One thing that’s great about this cake is that you can make it as a cake or as cupcakes. Both turn out terrific! And this recipe is so dang easy, you can make it often.
Before you make this cake, please keep a few things in mind. Since this is a very simple recipe, any changes can affect the resulting baked item in a major way. So, if you use a flour mix that is not my flour mix, it could change the results. If you use no xanthan gum, you will come out with a crumbly and flat result. If you don’t use all of the oil it will be dry. If you don’t add both of the leaveners, it won’t rise well. If you use Dutch process cocoa, it might not rise as well as it would with non-Dutch process cocoa. This is because Dutch process cocoa has had the acid taken out of it and acid it part of the thing that helps the cake rise. Please follow the recipe exactly the first time before commenting that it doesn’t work.
Crazy Cake, Gluten-Free
-makes 1- 8 inch square cake or 12 cupcakes (I think it should also make a fine 8 inch round cake)
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups (215 g) Jeanne’s Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Mix
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened non-Dutch process cocoa, sifted
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp aluminum-free double-acting baking powder
6 tablespoons neutral-flavored oil, (I use rice bran oil)
1 tablespoon apple cider or white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup (240 ml) cold water (or coffee or milk)
Optional: Chocolate Frosting, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Soy-Free
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups (170g) confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar)
2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa (not the Dutch-process kind)
pinch of salt
2 heaping tablespoon non-hydrogenated margarine (I use soy-free Spectrum) or shortening
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tablespoons water (or milk or coffee)–use a bit more if needed
Sift dry ingredients into a medium bowl . Mix in margarine, vanilla extract, and 1 TBL water. Beat until combined and smooth. This is enough to thinly frost an 8″x8″ cake or 12 cupcakes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
To Make the Cake:
In your 8 in square baking pan, stir together all dry ingredients.
Make three depressions (“wells”) in the dry ingredients, 2 small and 1 large.
Pour your oil into the biggest well, and the vanilla and vinegar into the 2 smaller wells.
Pour 1 C cold water over all. Mix well and smooth top.
To Make Cupcakes
Mix all in a large bowl, using the same order and process of the instructions above, and spoon into greased or lined cupcake tins.
Bake 8-inch square cake for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees F, or until tester comes out clean. Bake cupcakes for 30 minutes, or until tester comes out clean. For both, remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
Enjoy!
Note: If you use a different gluten-free flour mix, alter the amount of or eliminate the xanthan gum or use a different gluten-replacer, use dairy-free or egg-free substitutes, or change any other ingredients in this recipe, your results may not match my results.
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Your answer shows that you don’t read people’s comments in full.I kept on saying that I did used a flour very similar to yours in the beginning (the only difference was one starchy flour over the other,that is it) and one less tb of oil.Also,this recipe is pretty much the same on every blog,which made me think that we don’t really know for sure who invented it.The second time I used the namaste brand.
SINCE THEN (after I tried this recipe) I stopped using all the unhealthy flours,as I want my kids healthy and strong.People with celiac,or any other allergy tend to have an unhealthy gut.Replacing gluten with starchy flours,xanthan gum,or eggs with egg replacers are not healthy for your already sick gut.
Your recipes on this blog are free by choice,as this happens with every blogger out there. Also,it is your choice to answers or not the comments.When I left my comment first time I was looking for help.
I see people using your recipe with totally different flour blends,oil…and the cake turns to he a success.I used pretty much the same recipe and nothing.There are people who seemed to use your ingredients and recipe ,and the cake turned to be a disaster.
Have a great day !!!
Anneliz: I will respond to your comment in the spirit of teaching, even though you are being quite unpleasant. I did read your comments in full. They are confusing and scattered and you seem to be referring to my recipe some of the time, someone else’s recipe some of the time, and just general baking some of the time. Further, you seem to expect me to understand what you mean vs. what you actually write.
One thing I need to make perfectly clear: my recipes are well tested and they work when the directions are followed and the ingredients used are the ones I call for. Changing anything will affect the success of any recipe.
I just spent some time looking at the recipe that you state that you are using (on the KWA site) and are comparing to my version. Several issues need to be addressed.
First and foremost: my adaptation of the Depression-era recipe and their adaptation of the recipe are different. You need to follow one or the other completely before you decide one or the other doesn’t work. Following the KWA recipe (or parts of it) and also following parts of mine (or not parts of mine) and then complaining here that things aren’t working is crazy-making. The recipes are not the same. Please, please let yourself understand this. Otherwise, you are going to drive yourself crazy as well drive me crazy. Pick one or the other and stick with it as you experiment with flours, pans, and ingredients.
-The flour recipe that is provided for the KWA recipe is almost all starch (tapioca starch, arrowroot starch, potato starch)–which really doesn’t work for most recipes. It will result in a gummy baked item. Also, it has no xanthan gum. Again, xanthan gum is a gluten-replacer. No gluten or gluten-repacer=flat, crumbly, yucky cake. Not using a gluten-replacer in my recipes will create yucky results. No amount of magic or desire on your part will change that. Period.
That said, if their flour mix(es) do work for their versions of the recipe, that’s great–but it won’t work for most of my recipes. There seem to be other recommendations that include a bean flour mix (which will taste funky and also behave differently) and a random one with sorghum flour. And none of them has a gluten-replacer. Therefore, they are very, very different from my flour recipe. The chemistry is completely different and each one will behave differently. Also, the Namaste brand (which you mention) is not like my flour mix, either. Finally, sprouted flours are a different thing altogether–they behave more like vegetables in a baking recipe, not like grains (which most baking recipes call for). So for you to say that you used a flour mix that is “similar” to my mix seems to be incorrect (based on what you’ve told me). In each of these cases the flour mix you have used is extremely different from my mix.
Side note: some people may use a different flour mix in my recipes with success. That’s great. But that doesn’t guarantee that the different flour mix you use will be a success. Each flour mix is different and behaves differently.
-The recipe that you cite (again, on KWA) is different from mine in distinct and important ways. It has less oil. It has no baking powder. Both of these things will affect the results. The baking powder in my version helps the cake to rise. If you didn’t use baking powder, then the recipe will turn out differently. You mention that the cake turned out flat. The lack of baking powder will do this–especially with all of the different flour mixes you seem to be using, along with the lack of gluten-replacer (like xanthan gum). No gluten-replacer means that there is nothing for the leavener to push against to make the cake rise, so it turns out flat. Also, the type of baking powder used is important–I call for “double-acting, aluminum-free” baking powder. Anything different will behave differently and will probably have a metallic taste. Also, baking powder and baking soda are different things. See my post on Baking Powder for more information.
-You seemed to have used a different pan than I called for (or at least one of the times you used a different pan–again, I can’t quite keep it straight what you did what time). Using a larger pan (9 inches vs. 8 inches) or a round pan vs. a square pan will change the baking time. The difference in baking time will probably be about 10 minutes–a 9 inch pan requires less baking time than an 8 inch pan due to the density of the batter–the batter will be more dense in an 8 inch pan and therefore requires more baking time. That said, a round pan takes longer to bake than a square pan.
-In your previous comments, you talk about how you followed the KWA recipe “to a T.” That doesn’t mean anything here. You need to follow my recipe to a “T” in order to understand what went wrong with my recipe. Their recipe and my recipe are based on the same original recipe, but they are quite different when it comes to details. Cherry-picking things from each recipe and then complaining about my recipe doesn’t really help you or me understand what is going wrong. You claim that you “used pretty much the same recipe” and things didn’t work. You didn’t use pretty much the same recipe. And things didn’t turn out. That is due to your choices to use different ingredients and a different pan.
-I don’t call for egg replacers. This recipe has no eggs–so there are no eggs to replace. I’m guessing you are talking in general, but you mention it several times on your comment on this recipe–making it seem like you are somehow trying to substitute for eggs in this recipe.
-I have never claimed to be a “healthy” baker. To be honest, I don’t really think there is such thing as “healthy” baking. I state that I am a baker trained in classic baking techniques who happens to be gluten-free. My priorities are taste and texture. I am upfront about that. I have also put a lot of time, research, and effort into knowing the chemistry of baking and I develop recipes that work well and taste and feel good. Those are my priorities. I don’t eat cakes and cookies for my health. I eat them for a treat. And I eat them sparingly. I don’t use sprouted flour or egg-replacers. I do use xanthan gum. Xanthan gum is just fine for people who can tolerate it–I recommend that you don’t believe the uninformed statements that are floating around on various blogs that it is universally bad for everyone. I’ve done my research and have spoken with food scientists in great depth about xanthan gum–I am guessing I know more about it that most people do. There is a lot of wacky info out there about xanthan gum–and a lot of it is just plain wrong. I can eat it with no problem, I like how it behaves in my baking, so I use it. If you don’t want to use it–that doesn’t make me or my recipes wrong, it just means that my recipes aren’t right for you. That said, not using any kind of gluten-replacer in gluten-free baking is a recipe for disastrous outcomes. Read my post on Gluten-Replacersbefore you argue this point.
It sounds like you don’t want to (or can’t) use the flours and other ingredients I call for in my recipes. That’s fine. But you are overlaying this conversation with the concept that somehow I am doing something wrong by using the flours and ingredients you don’t want to use. Your choices are your choices. My choices are my choices. This is my blog, so my choices are reflected here. But using your choices in my recipes won’t work well.
What I don’t understand is your insistence on coming to my blog, not following my recipes or following them halfway or following someone else’s recipe or whatever, leaving disjointed, rambling, and unclear comments, and then getting angry and unpleasant when things don’t turn out like you want them to even after I’ve explained to you why they don’t work. If you don’t want to follow my recipes, to listen to my answers or my advice, then I think it’s best for you to go somewhere else for your recipes.
I’m new to gf baking with a child with multiple allergies. I made your flour blend (using potato flour instead of the sweet white rice flour). I used that in your crazy cake recipe and the result looked like cake but stuck to the roof of my mouth and was a bit grainy. I’m a competent baker using normal wheat flour so not sure whether this is normal for gf baking…
Jenny: The graininess is due to the grind of the flours you use. If you find graininess to be an issue, I would recommend that you look for flours that are listed as “super fine.” Authentic Foods sells these online. As far as the cake sticking to the roof of your mouth–I’m not sure what that means. Can you tell me more?
I’m in the UK and went for the finest I could find. They were made by a popular gf baking brand though (Dove’s). It seems to dissolve in my mouth and sticks to surfaces rather than just eating it. There is a slight metallic aftertaste which I suspect is slightly too much raising agent…my toddler has just demolished a piece of it so maybe it is just because I am used to normal baking…
Jenny: Ah, OK. The texture you’re describing is due to the abundance of starch. I think using potato flour in the mix instead of the sweet rice flour adds just enough added starch that it causes things to be more sticky than they would normally be. Also, the metallic aftertaste is probably due to the baking powder if you’re using one that contains sodium aluminum sulfate (SAS). If you can find it, I recommend getting a baking powder that is aluminum free. See my post on Baking Powder for more info. Also, since you’re in the UK, please let me know what gluten-free baking powder you’re using–I will add it to my chart. Thanks!
I used a regular supermarket GF baking blend flour… the texture was somewhere between a VERY hard boiled egg, and a chewy toffee haha at least the kids don’t mind! One real issue with your recipe though – not enough cocoa. I strongly dislike weak flavourless chocolate baked goods, I prefer rich and fudgey, so added an extra Tbsp of cocoa as I often do when I see recipes lacking in the goodness of the cocoa. It was still weak and poorly flavoured, if I was experimenting further with this I’d double the cocoa at least, amd tweak liquids to make it work. Good effort though! I do remember making the original crazy cake once amd having the same blandness issues so I guess it’s a recipe made for different tastebuds than mine.
Kat: This is an adaptation of a Depression era cake–which is why it has no eggs or butter. It’s not meant to be rich and fudge-y. It’s meant to be a basic, frill-free cake, not full of deep, chocolatey flavor. I have many, many recipes on the site that are full of chocolately, fudge-y flavor. If that’s what you want, why did you pick this one, of all of the recipes, to add different ingredients to and then criticize? Not that I don’t relish your praise for a “good effort.” Making substitutions, especially with the flour mix, often means a major change in the texture and the taste. Also, it’s not necessarily “poorly flavored,” it’s not to your taste. There is a huge difference between the two.
Also, did you measure by weight? If so, that probably threw things off–if you make substitutions (including changing the flour mix) and use weight to measure, things often don’t turn out. I recommend that you use volume (cup) measurements if you make any changes. But, at the end of the day, substitutions change the chemistry and therefore the outcome of the recipe.
The texture was good (not crumbly or weird) though they got really dry. They were crispy on the outside and soft inside. I think there is too much leavener maybe. They tasted noticeably gluten free though I covered them in lots of cherries and whipped cream which hid the dryness and taste. Will try another recipe next time unfortunately.
Amanda: Hm. I’m not sure why they would be overly dry. Did you follow all of the directions exactly and use the exact ingredients I called for, including my flour mix?
Thank you. Made these cupcakes for my stepsons who normally get a bit left out of the holiday desert table or get boxed ‘enjoy life cookies’. These were a mega hit. I used espresso vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar and Pamela’s GF all purpose ‘flour’, also coconut oil. All the subs were to avoid a trip to the store but even with the subs the cupcakes were very good. I might add a bit extra coconut oil next time so they are moist enough to forego frosting.
Kristine: Yay! I’m so glad!
I just wanted to say thanks for the recipe–this worked great for us with a different (but similar) gf blend. My batter was pretty runny but the cupcakes are not gooey at all (well after they were done, at least LOL). To me there is NO reason to ever dump cake out–you can always turn the crumbs into cake balls, or make trifle, or something with them. Just a thought!
LS: Yay!
made these tonight and they were scrumptious and so easy to make. I was ecstatic when I saw how puffy they were after baking for 18 mins. wow! my eyeballs were about to pop out. never have I seen baked goods that are gluten and egg free puff up so much. unfortunately, they kind of deflated a little bite after 5 more mins of baking and the center started to sink in. stopped the oven at 30 mins and took them out to cool. they were still a little puffy. there is a small indentation in the center. nothing a little frosting couldn’t cover up. but I would love it if the final state was what they looked like at 18 mins. what can I do to make it so? maybe a few tbsp less water? thanks!
Sing: Are you baking at high altitude? If so, you might need to make some adjustments to your baking. Check out my Troubleshooting Baking Problems post for more info. Also, you can play with the baking times. The main problem is that the lack of eggs means there is less structure to the cake. So, I little indentation isn’t horrible.
Not at high altitude. I will play with the baking times. These are so delicious and easy to make. I can live with a little indentation 🙂
Sing: OK, sounds good.
Just made this cake in a 9″ round pan using namaste gf flour and also a homemade flour blend I found on kidswithallergy web.I followed the recipe to a T and came out so gooey.The original recipe calls for 5 tb.The cake made out of the homemade flour blend couldn’t be saved unfortunately (ended up down the drain).I have been baking gf cakes since 2006 with great succes, but recently we found out my son can’t have eggs (dairy r ok) so decided on this cake.What else can be done? Should I try any other flour blends ? I’m not a fan of egg substitutions like energ.I plan on making this cake soon using a 6″ round pan and hopefully I’ll find the culprit by then.Besides being very gooey, it also came out almost flat.Please help.Thank you.
Anneliz: Substitutions will always affect the success of a recipe. So far, I can see that you’ve made at least 2: a different flour blend(s) and a incorrect pan size–two huge changes that will certainly affect a recipe. What other substitutions did you make? Make it with the exact ingredients and pan called for and see how it works. Also, did you use double-acting baking powder? That is important, too. Please look at my Troubleshooting Baking Recipes post for more info.
Yes, I did. I also followed the recipe to a T from the kidswithfoodallergies.org where u could use a 12 muffin pan, an 8×8 pan or a 9″ round pan, and used their flour blend.So, I didn’t change anything. Second time I used the namaste brand.We tried it today, and we just couldn’t eat it.The gooeyness and taste of baking soda was horrible.
Anneliz: I’m not really sure what you’re saying. You keep talking about following someone else’s recipe and using a different pan and a different flour mix from mine. So, I’m not sure how to help you. The Namaste flour blend is quite gritty–and is pretty different from mine. Also, I would recommend checking your oven temperature. Sounds like it is not heating correctly. I recommend that folks get a cheap oven thermometer.
Actually,it is the same recipe with only one minor difference,and that is 1 tb oil less .I also used a flour blend very similar to yours the first time.The cake is called wacky cake,and I believe this recipe doesn’t belong to anyone,as it is pretty much the same recipe,and just named differently .Since then we are using duck eggs for my son as it seems he’s not allergic to them.Also,we gave up on xanthan gum and all other starchy flours,with the exception of arrowroot.Started using only sprouted flours.Works great.
I see that most people comment when asking for help,as I did,and hoping to find what went wrong. I see your replies to these people being a bit rude.Not everybody has all the ingredients you ask for,or not able to find them,so they use what they have on hand and pray for the best.
This allergy free cake is not quite an allergy free cake ,as it has xanthan gum.The depression era did not have this ingredient btw.
Anneliz: The issue is: when you use different ingredients than or subtract ingredients from the ones in the recipe you are throwing off the chemistry of the cake in this incarnation. My flour mix is carefully created–the specific ingredients and ratios of them in the mix are what they are for a reason. Any flour mix other than mine is going to behave differently. Every change you made is a significant change. You need to understand this.
In this case, the xanthan gum is important because it is a gluten-replacer. Gluten-free flours don’t have gluten–that’s what makes them problematic. Therefore, to have a good result you need to add a gluten-replacer. My gluten-replacer of choice is xanthan gum. Also, starches in flour work with the gluten-replacer to hold the baked items together. If you remove the starches and the gluten-replacer, and add sprouted flours–which are quite different from their non-sprouted versions–you have a situation where you have changed the chemistry of the recipe to something that is completely different from the recipe written here. Sprouted flours absorb liquid in a very different manner than do their non-sprounted counterparts. In this situation, the resulting baked item is going to be crumbly, gritty, and flat. Also, I’m not sure where the duck eggs come into this recipe. If you added duck eggs, you are adding a completely new ingredient to the cake which will also change the way it behaves.
Also, all food is an allergen. Every single food on the planet has people who are allergic to it. The reason I say allergen-free is that it is free of many of the common allergens that me and my readers run into on a regular basis that we or our friends and family members cannot eat–gluten, wheat, dairy, eggs, nuts, nightshades, and corn. That said, if it has things you react to, then this is not the recipe for you.
Finally, keep in mind that I have created the recipes and make them available to my readers for free. Also, I answer questions free of charge. And I do my best (and spend a lot of time–again, free of charge) answering questions as thoroughly and as thoughtfully as I can in order to help people understand why things might be going wrong in their baking. I often do some research to help folks with their problems (which takes extra time). In the course of this process, there are times when I tell people that if they don’t use the ingredients I use in the way I use them in a particular recipe, it won’t work because they have changed the recipe. Your changes are fairly radical (totally different flours, no xanthan gum). What you are basically asking me to do in this situation is create a whole new recipe for you that will accommodate the ingredients you want to use because you don’t want to use (or don’t want to bother obtaining) the ingredients I use. Why on earth you then blame me for the failure of the recipe is beyond me.
I will admit that I don’t understand why you are annoyed with me that a recipe I have provided free of charge and that many people in the comments have said they found to work well didn’t work for you after you altered or subtracted the main ingredients. And for you to call me rude is truly aggravating.
At the end of the day, it seems as though my recipes are not what you want. That is fine. But, instead of criticizing them and me, I think it is better for you to find someone who does recipes that use the ingredients you want to use.
Hi! My son is sensitive to rice (and eggs, dairy, gluten) any ideas on how to sub other gluten free flours and starches for the rice flours in your recipe? Thank you in advance!
Sapna: Greetings! Check out my Flour Substitutions post for info on how to substitute other flours.
Thank you Jeanne! I just picked up some potato flour and plan to try this tomorrow! 🙂
Sapna: OK, good!
Hi Jeanee,
I used the rice free GF flour blend you have listed on your flour sub page. I first made the flour blend using 1.25 c sorghum, 1.25 c millet, 1 c potato starch and 1 c potato flour. I added 2 tsp scant of xantham gum to the mix too. I then used 1.5 c of this mixture in the crazy cake recipe and kept the rest of the recipe the same. I found that the batter was thick and I had to spoon it into the cupcake liners. I tried my best to smooth it out but the cake is now baking and I see that it did not even out.
Since I used the rice free GF flour sub blend should I have added more liquid (maybe during the 1 c of water addition)?
Even though they look interesting right now, I think they will taste good and that my little guy will like them. 🙂
Sapna: Hm. Yes, I think you probably would need a bit more water. I don’t think a cup more is necessary, but it should be thick but not stiff.
sapna, any GF flour mix should work fine. I have made this with many different types of mixes (all homemade), and even Spelt flour successfully! It is a very forgiving recipe. The only flours I wouldn’t use are almond and coconut, only because they soak up a lot of liquid and I wouldn’t know how much to use (you usually use less of these flours in recipes because of this). Just make sure you use the gum (xanthan or guar, I use guar because it is so much cheaper). Good luck, and let us know what you used and how it came out. 🙂
Dee: One thing to clarify: Spelt is a form of wheat and is therefore not gluten-free. I just want to make sure everyone keeps this in mind. Also, I don’t think guar gum works as well as xanthan, but if it works well for you–yay!
Yes! Thank you Jeanne for clearing that up. I forgot to mention that. While my son and I do have a problem with hybridized wheat, we can tolerate organic spelt. And yes, guar gum does seem to not work quite as well, but my family doesn’t seem to mind. As long as there’s cake, they are happy, lol. And since I have a large family (9), I would rather save as much money as I can. 😉 Thanks!
Thank you for the recipe! Tried making this the other day and since I have a bit of overripe bananas in my kitchen, I mix some mashed banana with the batter. Came out super moist and delicious! Definitely will make more of this cake 😉
Ivanna: Yay! I’m so glad! And your addition of bananas is awesome!
Thanks for the recipe I’ll be trying it soon. I counseling people with food sensitivities and I follow a dairy free program myself and I’m always looking for yummy recipes. Do you think the cake would taste good with coconut sugar? or date sugar?
Nour: I think it probably would–but I would experiment to see what you think!
This cake was super yummy my entire family loved it. It didn’t rise well though. It was fudge and chewy. Like I said we loved it but I was wondering if there is a recipie that turns out more fluffy. Or maybe I did some thing wrong. We live at about 4,500 ft.
Thanks
Jennifer: This cake won’t rise that high due to the lack of eggs. Also, the fact that you are living at high altitude means that things will rise higher than normal. So, I’m guessing however high it rose is as high as it’s going to get. 🙂
Wow thankyou so much! I’m going to try this Chocolate cake, and do a coat of coconut icing, and on top of that some chocolate butter cream:) This is great, because im constantly trying to find a egg free recipie for my sister, and gluten free for all of us!
Gemma: Yay! I’m so glad!
I’m guessing that there must be a baking-chemistry reason for placing the liquids in the dry ingredient wells. Can you tell me what that is?
Thank you!
Christine: You’re right! You don’t want the baking soda and the vinegar to combine too early and fizz out before leavening the batter. And you don’t want the oil to coat the baking soda or the vinegar and interfere with the reaction. 🙂
Wow -that’s fascinating. Thanks!
Christine: You’re welcome!
Hi, I wanted to comment on this, because I’d wondered the same thing, but I’ve discovered that it doesn’t actually make any difference if you make the wells and pour things in separately or not…you can just mix the dry ingredients then add all the wet ingredients at once and it turns out exactly the same. :^) Just to save you a minute.
Karen: Good point. I think the main reason to do the wells is to minimize the amount of time the baking soda and the vinegar are together before they are actually mixed into the cake. Baking soda has a short working time (it works as soon as it hits an acid). But you’re right–it’s usually just fine without them. 🙂
My Middle School cafeteria had Wacky Cake Wednesdays, which where always very popular. It wasn’t until my father went on a low cholesterol diet that I realized what made the wonderful chocolate cake so wacky! It has been a standard cake for birthday cupcakes to take to school, and now I am baking it for a bake sale at the intermission of the school Musical. I also realized that I can double the recipe and bring some to the church potluck the next day!
Moira: Yay!
We are planning to bake for Valentines day, can you clarify, if the mix is by hand or mixer, it appears one of your readers spoke about how creamy it becomes when beaten. It appears from your pictures you hand mix, sometimes, it doens’t matter,though sometimes, it makes all the difference in baking.
Thank you for offering this recipe, with pictures, such a great help!
Kathy: With this particular cake, I (personally) use a spoon–because it’s meant to be fast and easy. But a mixer would be fine–beat the sugar and oil together first then add the other ingredients.
Wacky chocolate cake is the cake my MIL introduced me to when I got married. We always had it for our birthday cakes (with the white icing). I have been gluten free for over 2 years now. I found this recipe soon after I became gf, and it has been a regular recipe for our family. We especially love the chocolate icing. I love how it gets so creamy when you beat it well. I double this recipe for our large family (Hubby and I, and 7 kids at home). I have been able to reduce the sugar to 1 1/2 cups for a double batch successfully. I am baking one now, with the sugar reduced to 1 1/4 cups (we’ll see how that goes, lol). I bake it in a 9×13 glass pan for 40 minutes. Thank you for a great recipe!
Dee: Yay! I’m so glad!
Thank you for posting this comment, I was just trying to figure out how to double the recipe for our family of eight – this saves me a bit of time this morning. 🙂
Your welcome. Glad I could help.
I’m going to cry. Crazy cake is an old tradition in my family (at least 5 generations) and is the cake my husband and kids request most often. Not to mention my favorite. I’m newly diagnosed and missing this cake is one of the things that upset me the most. I have already ventured into the world of GF baking with great success but to see the recipe laid before me as I scrolled down that list made my day. Thank you!
Jen: I’m so glad! Yay! (not about the crying but about being able to have the recipe again!)
I’m making them for a daycare Halloween event – will they last more than one day fresh, and will they be OK frozen for subsequent birthday treats? And, I can’t thank you enough for your wonderful recipes – always foolproof and delicious. Congrats on the book!
Ketra: You can freeze them and then defrost them overnight in the fridge. They should be OK for a day or two–store them at room temperature. Happy baking!
I had nver heard of crazt cake before this recipe. My little one is allergic to milk,eggs, wheat and soy. This cake is perfect!!!!!! she was able to lick the spoon for the first time. I have eleminated all other allergens except eggs and until the egg in my baked goods are cooked at at leat 350 for 30 minmutes it has never been safe for her. I am just so excited for her to have that experience. Thank you!!
Kendra: Yay! I’m so glad!!
Love your site! Can’t wait to try your recipes but the Gf lad I’m baking for is also sugar free…. Any tips on working with agave etc?
Rebecca: I haven’t done much with adapting for agave or honey. The issue with those two is that they are liquid and they throw off the liquid content of the recipes. I have done work with palm sugar and maple sugar–and those are pretty much a one-to-one substitution. Things will taste like maple with the maple sugar, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing…:). The thing about agave to watch out for is that it is highly processed and it is high in fructose–which is the “bad” sugar (fructose is the thing that gives you a fatty liver). I stopped using it a few years ago.
I just tried your recipe for my son’s birthday cake (I used Gluten Free Pantry flour mix and added xanthan gum). It turned out GREAT!! It was so delicious and easy and got tons of compliments. Thanks!
Heather: Yay! I’m so glad! We make this every year for our daughter’s birthday party–and every year the kids love it!!
Can you make this pinnable to Pintrest? I would like to save/share it.
Cindy: Yes! I need to add a plug-in. Will try to do that today! Thanks for the reminder!
I love your recipes but have one big complaint – I’m getting fat as everything is so delicious! Kidding. I just made the Crazy cupcakes and they came out beautifully, fully risen and nicely rounded tops. I use GF Pantry all purpose flour and I added an extra 1/4teaspoon of vinegar Which may have helped them rise. I live in Bermuda and it is a very humid day but they came out perfect. Thank you so much for your recipes!
Lynn
Lynn: LOL! Me, too! Also, thanks for letting me know how the recipe went. And Bermuda–wow!
Hubby wanted me to make a Crazy Cake, and then said, what will you make J. I told him I had just seen the gf recipe here. Our son was so excited to find out I was making him a gf cake. He couldn’t wait for it to cool so he could have some. I frosted it with a 7 min. type frosting, using cornstarch for the flour part of the frosting as I was out of white rice flour. The frosting came out light and fluffy. Both of my guys ate two pieces after lunch and I am sure will eat more before the day is done.
Would it be possible to change out the flavor of the cake to pear & lavender? How would you suggest I go about that?
Diane
Diane: Pear and lavender instead of chocolate? I haven’t done that. Here’s what I think would work: I would recommend deleting the chocolate and making that amount up with more flour. Then add some chopped lavender flowers (not much–maybe 1 TBL) and then chopped pear (about 1/2 cup) and see what happens!
Man, these are Great!!
I only added 1t coffee granules, it just sounded good to me:-)
Mine did not rise all the way in the very center either. Why is this?
I used guar gum & coconut oil cause that’s what I had on hand.
I didn’t frost these & am glad I didn’t!! They are a fudgy goodness w/o anything more:-)
Thanks!
Regee: Yay! I have found that guar gum hinders rising a bit. And I think coffee granules are an awesome addition!
I tried this recipe last week for my grandson who is allergic to eggs, and my son who has celiac disease. I’ve made it many times for my grandson (not GF) and it is great. However, with the GF flour mix the cupcakes did not rise in the middle. I wondered if it needed more xanthan gum?
Elaine: The cupcakes might not rise in the middle–that’s OK. They will still taste good.
Awesome! I was just thinking about this cake the other day and wondered if there was a gluten free version of it. I need something chocolatey for V-day, so thank you !
Tammy: Yay!! Let me know what you think!
I totally agree, no one should be left out. If you can’t cook for them, don’t ask them over and expect them to nibble a carrot while watching you eat deliciousness. I love recipes like this that cover most of the Bad Biggies, thanks and I’ll add it to my files.
Exactly! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked to dinner, only to be offered weird things (like gf waffles from the freezer) while everyone else is eating the real meal. Eek.
Feeding everyone is the very best policy, isn’t it? How could one do anything else? Yippee for crazy cake! Looks delish, Jeanne. 🙂
Hugs,
Shirley