Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Kitchen Diary 2012 - Wacky Cake


Wacky Cake! When we were young, so very long ago, we loved this because of its name. Wacky! If you’re so inclined, you can mix it in its 8”x8” Pyrex baking dish (this must be made in an 8”x8” Pyrex baking dish). We are, unto the end, sausage-finger’d beasts that can’t be trusted not to over-mix things, so we make the batter in a bowl and scrape it into the baking dish.

Why wacky? Probably because it doesn’t have eggs (the recipe is supposed to have come from World War II victory kitchens: eggs were sent to the troops). It is the only instant cake one will ever need, and is a revelation that comes from a handful shelf-stable pantry staples. Feeling blue, li’l punkin? Have a hankerin’ for something sweet? It’s only 30 minutes away.

Sift the following together:
- 1 ½ Cups flour
- 1 Cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ Cup cocoa powder
(we also added some instant coffee, but this isn’t necessary)

Add:
- 6 Tablespoons oil or melted butter
- 1 teaspoon vinegar (we’ve used everything from white to red wine to basalmic)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pour over that:
- 1 Cup cold water

Mix everything up and scrape into an 8”x8” Pyrex baking dish. Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes. If you wait a bit – like, 30 more minutes, for it to cool, it will be easier to slice.

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