wacky cake, baked with ease

It is my habit, upon entering the library, to peruse the New Titles section each time. I am especially keen on the Non-Fiction section, it being the source of books on knitting, sewing, gardening, crafting and oh so much more. Today I was under the spell of the cooking gods, as they showed me the way to *both* The Craft of Baking and All Cakes Considered. I had read much about each of these in different reviews and spent time perusing them on the bookshelves at the store but had yet to crack open the pages in my own...kitchen.

Without further ado upon entering our home, I sped through All Cakes Considered. I stopped for a long visit at the "...Introduction to Cake Baking" then paused at "All about Pans" and finally tuned into the recipes. This is a collection to be proud of, Melissa, and I'm happy to be a part of your cake world. Each recipe has a wonderful story or comment to go with it, tips along the way for doing some things new (I'd never thought of separating an egg through my fingers before, and though I'm not likely to try it, as I was taught the "crack the egg in half and use each half back and forth to coax the whites from the yolk" method but was duly impressed that there was indeed more than one way to separate an egg) and some things the "old" way. Not much to be improved upon folding techniques at this time, I'll say.

Big sister in the kitchen, practicing her technique

We were in search of a chocolate cake and since we'd spent the last of our milk on our morning waffles, we had to go with something simple. Upon which we found:

Mary Carole Battle's Mother's Wacky Cake: Chocolate Cake with Less Fuss

serves 8 to 10~from All Cakes Considered

Bake in a 9 inch square or round baking pan

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 Tablespoon white vinegar

6 Tablesoons vegetable oil

1 cup cold water

In an 8-inch- or 9-inch-square cake pan, sift the dry ingredients. Make three holes; pour the vanilla in the first, vinegar in the second, and oil in the third.

Pour the cold water over the mixture, and stir until no longer lumpy. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. If desired, top with seven-minute frosting.

This cake is really wonderful. A nice refreshing chocolate taste, something that will have you hankering for more and not overwhelmed with the "too much" that chocolate cake can sometimes bring. Soft, moist and best of all, easy!

Comments

[Becca]

Funny! We just made this cake today! (It's called the "6 Minute Cake" in _Moosewood Cooks at Home_) And, also I took some pictures (low light so not great ones; probably won't make it onto the blog, but we'll see) of my 3-year-old daughter helping. Isn't it a divine cake? We've found that you can double the recipe and use 2 circular cake pans for a layer cake. I love it frosted with a simple cinnamon-chocolate frosting (confectioners sugar, cocoa, little bit of shortening, little bit of milk, and a good bit of cinnamon). YUM!!!

[anie]

I LOVED this cake! I had been using a very nice Martha recipe but it has about 3 more ingredients and I could never fit all the mix into the pan. It was always too much! This one was so lovely and moist, and gone by the next day. Its definitely a keeper. We loved learning the history about these cakes as well!
I will have to make it again just to try your frosting recipe~it sounds divine!