Are you in the mood to indulge in a chocolatey, dense, and vintage cake? A cake that you already have the ingredients for and only uses one pan? I sure am! You might be wondering now what I mean by a "vintage" cake. Well, let me enlighten you. The wacky cake, also known as “depression cake,” is taking over my entire For You page on TikTok and is a cake that was actually developed many years ago, in the early 1900s, during the Great Depression. This cake contains no eggs, milk, or butter — making it vegan — because those ingredients were widely unavailable or could only be afforded by wealthy people at the time of its development.

Still, though, this cake is very rich and flavorful. During the Great Depression, people turned to their creative sides and figured out ways to satisfy their sweet cravings, even if they didn’t have the proper ingredients. With just a few simple ingredients, people created this delicious cake that is returning with style today. With grocery staples such as eggs being more expensive than ever and more people diving into vegan eating, this recipe might just be the hottest commodity yet. 

Why you should make this cake

This cake is very financially-friendly and the greatest part about it is you probably have all of the ingredients in your pantry already. It is a one-pan recipe, so there is no need to use a million different bowls and pans. Better yet, it only takes about half an hour to make. Could this cake get any better? It is definitely wacky that you pour all of your ingredients straight into the pan you’ll bake it in, but what can I say? It’s a smart and fast way to bake. Plus, you can customize it with your own flavors, such as this vanilla sprinkles mix from TikTok user Jessie Sheehan.

Time to bake

All you need to make this delicious chocolate sponge cake is a dry cake mix, oil, vinegar, and water. If you don’t have a cake mix already, no problem! Just add flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into your pan and continue on with the wet ingredients. You mix it all together in your baking dish, bake it depending on what your cake box says, and it’s ready to be eaten!

This recipe is so quick, clean, and easy, I can’t wait to make it the next time I’m craving something sweet and simple. The wacky cake is moist and the perfect cake to make for guests. You can dress this cake with your favorite frosting, sprinkles, whipped cream, and berries to make it even more delicious. This cake is a must-try.