Made-in-the-Pan Chocolate Cake Recipe (2024)

I know this recipe as Wacky Cake. There's also easy variations on it. Double the recipe, put it in round 9" pans and it makes a wonderful layer cake with any kind of frosting (make in mixing bowl and grease pans first). Swap out the chocolate for an extra teaspoon or two of vanilla, and you have an excellent white/vanilla cake. I use this when I make strawberry shortcake. For a spice cake, omit chocolate and throw in cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and clove.

I've been making this "Wacky Cake" for decades. It's a lot easier to whisk it up in a bowl and pour it into the cake pan, IMHO.

As others have noted, this is a variation of Wacky Cake or Crazy Cake. It is tasty and easy to put together. The recipe doubles easily, and can be made in a 13x9 pan. Instead of 1 cup water, we often use one-half cup water and one-half cup strong coffee. The coffee adds a nice layer of flavor to the chocolate.

A version of this that I clipped years ago used Grand Marnier for some of the liquid - that's quite tasty. Also, you can use a deeper flavored vinegar, such as a good balsamic, and that's mighty good, too.

I added @1/2 tsp of instant espresso powder for depth of flavor. Add it, if you have it.

I'm in my 80's now and I was in 7th grade the first time I made this cake, and yes I agree that is was popular during wartime because of the shortage of eggs, butter, etc in baking.

I made this yesterday with my four-year-old son today for his birthday, and we both loved it! He was able to make the entire thing with minimal help--which thrilled him. The cake was moist and chocolatey and tender--as promised. Best of all, since there's no raw egg, it was fine to let him indulge in a little batter. Total keeper. (BONUS: we made a second batch of batter into 24 mini cupcakes for his class party, and they domed perfectly. 16 positive pre-school reviews! )

I've been making this WWII recipe since I found it almost 50 yrs ago. Note the better quality the cocoa you use, the better this cake will taste!It's a dead ringer for Just Desserts Bakery's Black Bottom Cupcakes: 1 recipe = 10-12 std-size cupcakes. Soften one 3-oz pkg cream cheese, mix with 1/3 cup mini-chocolate chips. Drop 1 Tblsp of it in center of each cupcake before baking. Do NOT overbake; in 350-degree oven takes 18-20 min to bake. Remove immediately to cooling racks. Can be frozen.

This used to be known as "Wacky Cake" back in about 1970. The method we used was to make three indentations in the dry ingredients, and put the oil in one, water in another, and vinegar in the third. It was fun to do, as teenagers, and I guess that's what made it "wacky".

Making this with coffee does make it much tastier. But I learned, the hard way, to use decaf if feeding the cake to small children!

THis recipe was in Peg Bracken's book "I Hate to Cook" which I've used for about 50 yrs.

This us honestly one of my favorite cakes. And fun fact, I used to make this cake when I was a kid.. fast forward, my now 16 year old has been making it for about 10 years.

We've done this cake for years - mostly we add cinnamon to it and call it a chocolate Mexican cake. Always good, always easy and fast! Thank you for having it here. I might have to go make it tonight!

Does anyone happen to know if the all purpose flour can be substituted with a gluten-free flour? I always wonder this when I see a good cake recipe. Thank you so much for any tips.

The acid in the vinegar helps to activate the soda for a fluffier cake. Can also use it in milk (one tsp in one cup milk) if a recipe calls out buttermilk and you don't have it. (I use it for "buttermilk" pancakes)

Replace the cup of water with Guinness Stout, taste, then thank me.

Easy to make (my grade/middle school kids like to whip this up) with good flavor - a great option if you're looking for a last minute or vegan dessert.

The cup of water should be in the ingredients list.

My mom called this Emergency Cake because ifcompany was coming you could make it when you didn’t have any eggs, butter or milk in the house. My dad was a union carpenter, layoffs were frequent, and this cake was a go-to during lean times.

As some have suggested, adding a half teaspoon of instant coffee adds depth and don't be afraid to add another half teaspoon of ground cardamom, either. Though it is no longer vegan, I replace half of the water with milk. Making it in a bowl then pouring into the cake pan is easiest, I have found, and how much work is it really to clean up the bowl?

You can't go wrong here if your cocoa is good, your baking soda is fresh and your water is black coffee. I found the oil was a bit much and will use 1/4 cup next time. Great with a scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream.

I've made this cake so many times, and it's a steady hit no matter who's at the table. Sometimes, I double it and cook two levels in a bundt pan. This time, I did just one layer and included the chocolate chips. I noticed including the chips adds a good ten minutes to the cook time, but the happiness quotient was even higher than ever! We have nothing left from the birthday party. Thank you!

This has become my go-to cake. I bake it for everything and despite the fact that I make much fancier cakes, this is the one people ask for, plus it is friendly for almost all eaters except those who are gluten free.

I used half the sugar and added a little espresso and cinnamon and turned out so rich and delicious! Great easy yummy chocolate cake

Has anyone attempted a tahini swirl brownie:1. Leaving out half of the water or coffee;2. Making an additional batch into which one mixes Tahini, but I am stuck on ratio -- would it be a splash of oil, plus well- stirred room temp tahini to make 1/3 C or is splash of oil unecessary?Please weigh in!!

Also see the NYT Cooking recipe entitled "Whacky Cake" which is already doubled for a 9 x 13" pan. Friendly heads up--there is 1/2 C more flour in Whacky Cake than if one merely doubled "Made In The Pan" which directive is not recommended. Much cleaner to mix in a large bowl, then pour batter into pan prepared with a parchment sling. I find the comments far more robust in the "Made In The Pan" recipe. I spent the better part of a sunny afternoon writing the wonderful suggestions down.

I made this recipe, and the very same night came across a hand written version in my Great Grandmother’s recipe book! She was born in 1899, so I agree this is a very old recipe. Very tasty - I added pecans and chocolate chips.

I made it using the ingredientsisted and wondered why it was soooo thick. Then went back and saw the recipe called for a cup of water. Strongly suggest adding the water to the list of ingredients to avoid confusion!

The cake was perfect! It stuck to the pan a little, so next time I may mix it in a bowl and use baking spray on the pan. Plan to make with my 6-yr-old nephew soon!

Great and very easy recipe and have made this often. I followed the advice of some here: mixed in a bowl then poured into pan - how much added clean up work and time can that be?! Added a teaspoon of instant coffee and a good pinch of both cinnamon and ground cardamom to the dry ingredients and reduced the sugar by about 1/4 cup. Made for a deeper and more complex flavour. Also added chocolate cream cheese frosting - oops! no longer vegan!