I tried a recipe for great depression cake without eggs or dairy products

I tried a chocolate cake recipe without eggs or dairy products that go back to the great depression.
Known as “depression cake”, the Penny seed recipe is now useful due to the high price of eggs.
I did not miss eggs or dairy products at all and I would certainly do the depression cake.

During the great depression, the ingredients like eggs and butter were expensive and rare.

In the midst of shortages and economic disorders, bakers have become creative with a recipe known as “depression cake” or “wacky cake”, a chocolate cake made without eggs or dairy products.

With the prices of eggs that skyrocket due to the bird flu Epidemic, it seemed to be the perfect time to try the cake for depression. Egg prices have reached records this year – the cost of a dozen Grade A eggs increased from $ 5.90 in February to a new record of $ 6.23 in March, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported.

Similar versions of the depression cake recipe has been circulating for decades. I used a published by the food photographer and developer of Mark Beahm recipes on simple recipes.

Not all vintage recipes hold, but I am happy to announce that the latter does. I found that the depression cake was delicious, affordable and simple to do. Take a look.

To make a depression cake, I gathered the necessary ingredients.

Ingredients for the depression cake.

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The ingredients of the depression cake are as follows:

1/4 cup of cocoa powder
1 cup of hot coffee or boiling water, or a mixture of both
2/3 cup of granulated sugar
1/3 Cup of light brown sugar
1/3 cup of neutral oil
1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 1/2 Cup of versatile flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt

I already had most of the ingredients of my pantry, but I exhausted myself to buy all use, cocoa powder, powdered sugar and a pan to cook the cake. In addition, I substituted dark brown sugar instead of light brown sugar because I already had on hand.

I spent $ 17.15 on ingredients when I made the recipe in February. The cake gives nine portions, bringing my total cost to around $ 1.90 per portion.

I preheated my oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and sprayed an aerosol pan with a cooking spray.

An oven preheat with a saucepan on the stove. — Preheat the oven.

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The recipe called an 8 -inch square pan.

Then I flowered the cocoa powder with boiling water to improve its flavor.

A whisk mixes cocoa powder and water. — Flower cocoa powder.

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I used hot water because I’m not a fan of coffee. The smell of hot chocolate has traveled the bowl.

I added the rest of the wet ingredients to the bowl, including a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar.

A tablespoon of apple cider vinegar pours into a cake mixture. — Apple cider vinegar was a strange ingredient.

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I was skeptical of adding apple cider vinegar to a chocolate cake, but conscientiously followed the recipe and added it with granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil and vanilla.

Once the wet ingredients are combined, I mixed the ingredients.

The wet and dry ingredients for the chocolate cake. — Wet and dry ingredients.

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The flour, salt and baking soda all entered a separate bowl.

When I added the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, the dough immediately started to sparkle and bubble.

Sparkling chocolate cake dough. — Bubbles in the dough.

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The chemical reaction of baking soda and vinegar filled the bubble paste, which would help the cake to become light and soft without using eggs.

I poured the dough into the pan and put it in the baking oven.

A chocolate cake in an oven. — Cooking depression cake.

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The recipe said to cook the cake for 25 to 30 minutes.

While the cake cooked, I started working on the chocolate frosting that accompanies it.

Ingredients for chocolate frosting.

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The frosting requested 1 cup of powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1 to 2 tablespoons of coffee or water and a pinch of salt.

I measured the ingredients and mixed the frosting.

Chocolate frosting ingredients. — The current chocolate frosting.

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Again, I used water instead of coffee.

After a few additional tablespoons of water, chocolate frosting reached the perfect fixed consistency.

Chocolate glaze. — Chocolate frosting.

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I sampered a little glaze and appreciated the sweet and chocolate flavor.

In my oven, the cake needed a little more time than the 30 minutes prescribed to cook all along.

After a few toothpick tests, I took the cake out of the oven after about 45 minutes, when the toothpick emerged from the dough.

From the outside, the depression cake looked like any other chocolate cake.

The only difference I noticed is that the top of the cake had cooked in a slightly crisp shell, which I have never encountered before during cooking eggs and butter.

By cutting the cake, I noticed its spongy texture.

Talia Lakritz cuts the chocolate cake. — Cut into the cake.

Coren Feldman

Soda bicarbonate and vinegar have worked their magic.

I watered a little chocolate frosting on the top and I am amazed at its appearance.

Depression cake.

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I could not believe that this cake had no eggs or dairy products.

The flavor of the cake struck the perfect balance between softness and wealth, and the frosting added even more goodness to the chocolate.

Chocolate cake on a fork. — Try the depression cake.

Talia Lakritz / Business Insider

As an experience, I offered a slice of cake to my partner, but I did not reveal that it was without dairy products and without eggs. My partner said that they appreciated how “was not sickly and that he returned for a few seconds.

After sharing the “wacky” nature of the recipe, they said they would never have guessed that he had no dairy products or eggs.

I found that the depression cake was anything but depressing.

Chocolate cake cups on a plate. — The remains of a slice of depression cake.

Talia Lakritz / Business Insider

While the price of eggs continues to skyrocket – a dozen eggs cost $ 10 in my local grocery store in Manhattan the last time I checked – I am grateful for timeless recipes like the depression cake that allowed the generations of Penny -Pinches to have their cake and eat it too.

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