Wacky Cake: Frugal, Vegan ... Delicious

Long ago and far away when I was young my brothers and I had the good fortune of being nourished by wonderfully talented cooks: our mother, our step-mother and our grandmothers. All four went above and beyond the call of duty by making sure that we were not only getting decent nutrition, but that we enjoyed all that we ate.

When they weren't feeding us food that kept us healthy, they were doing very bad things, like feeding us too much Wacky Cake. Now, remember, in the 70's vegetarianism was just taking hold here in the U.S. and moms and grandmoms were still of the 'June Cleaver' variety; that meant dessert every night. Having been products of the Depression and World War II eras or, in the case of our mom and step-mom, having been fed by someone who was the product of the Depression and World War II eras, one of the more popular cakes to make was Wacky Cake.

Prepared in one pan without eggs, milk or butter, it was not only fast, but thrifty and filled the dessert slot as well as any time consuming 3-layer chocolate cake could. The origins of this are very unclear. There are thoughts that it sprung from rationing days when eggs and butter were scarce, but in all of the literature I've come across from that time, there is no mention of using vinegar and baking soda to leaven a cake. I'm sure it came about around that time, though, as other evidence points to it, but the earliest writings I've found in my own cookbook cache is in a cookbook dated 1956.

Whenever it was born, it's something I turn to again and again for several reasons. It's cheap (about $2 without icing not over $3 with), it's easy, it's fast and everyone loves it. No child ever had a clue that their cake was made from what seemed like a basic salad dressing. No, we saw moist and dark chocolate cake covered in white frosting and didn't care what it was made from. My own kids are the same. I think they each took turns looking a bit perplexed the first time they caught me making it, but they soon forgot what went on behind the scenes once the cake was in front of them.

This is the version I use, so often that I don't refer to a written recipe in fact, and the icing that follows is also the one I use most and a variation for anyone who would like a little something different.

This cake was originally meant to be baked in a 9x9 square pan, but we've since outgrown that. In other words, you can cut this in half just fine and still have a delicious cake. The sugar seems a bit hefty, but the price you pay for cutting back - a dry cake - isn't worth it to me. This is one of the moistest cakes ever and the sugar is the reason for that.

Wacky Cake
Serves 12

3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 Tablespoons vinegar
3/4 cup oil
2 cups water

Mix flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a 9x13 pan.
Make three holes in the flour mixture.
In one put vanilla; in another the vinegar, and in the third the oil.
Pour water over all and stir well.
Bake at 350 degrees F until it springs back to the touch or a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean - about 25 minutes.

Icing

1 stick margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup milk
powdered sugar

Melt margarine and add vanilla and milk. Add powdered sugar until desired consistency - loose but spreadable. This thickens as it cools.

**As a variation, I add a teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the flour mixture and add a cinnamon chocolate buttercream icing to the top.

Cinnamon Chocolate Buttercream

1 cup butter - softened
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Powdered sugar - about 4 to 4 1/2 cups
Milk as needed

Cream butter until fluffy and add vanilla and cinnamon. Add cocoa and mix well. Add powdered sugar and milk until icing forms and is thick and spreadable.

Sunday Dinner

"Thank you for the world so sweet,
Thank you for the food we eat.
Thank you for the birds that sing,
Thank you God for everything."
Child's Mealtime Prayer



Breaded Pork Filets
Risotto
Broccoli with Orange Gremolata
Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Icing

Is that Risotto you see up there? Why, yes - it is! It's not really as difficult to make as anyone thinks, and so delicious I couldn't think of a better way to spend half and hour at the stove. This is one of those classic dishes I've wanted to share the preparation of for some time anyway. No time like the present.
The Gremolata is most often made with lemon zest, but I was missing lemons today so I subbed orange zest. It was perfect.

First, here are the pork filets.

One 1/2" thick boneless prok chop, trimmed of fat.

The "stick" I beat the pork with (a.k.a. Grandma's rolling pin).

The beaten pork. Strike from the center outward in a steady motion until the pork is 1/4" thin.

One clove of garlic cut in half.

After rubbing the pork with the cut garlic, sprinkle with Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Rub this in to the surface of the pork.

I don't like a heavy standard breading - flour, egg, crumbs - so I just pat fresh bread crumbs into both sides of the pork. It's light and crispy at the edges without being heavy in the center.

Frying in hot oil - about 3 minutes per side.

Flipped to the other side. Once all the filets are fried, place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and finish in the oven at 300 degrees F for about 15-20 minutes.

A finished filet.

This is the Risotto:

Arborio rice. See how pretty it is? Arborio is rounder than usual long-grain rice. Do NOT rinse the rice before cooking. All that starch is what makes it creamy.

Half a small onion diced fine and cooked in olive oil - 4T - until translucent.

The rice (1 lb. about 1 1/2 cups) added to the oil and onion and lightly toasted.

Add HOT stock - you will need 6 to 8 cups - a cup at a time to the rice. Stir until the stock is absorbed. Add, a cup at a time, until you have added 6 cups. This takes about 15 minutes over a medium flame with almost constant stirring. Once you hit this point, try the rice to see if it's done. It should be al dente and not crunchy in the center.

This is the stock absorbed about halfway - 4 cups in. The finished Risotto disappeared before I had the chance to photograph it! Finish the Risotto with 2 tablespoons of butter and about 1/4 cup of freshly grated Parmesan if you like.

The cake. A simple Wacky Cake with peanut butter icing. 1/2 stick of butter, 1 cup of creamy peanut butter, 1 t vanilla extract and 1 cup of powdered sugar. I have several here who don't like lots of icing so I go light. The center of these two mammoth cakes (gorgeous 10" pans I got for Christmas) was nothing but peanut butter spread in between.