Crazy Spice Cake – Barefeet in the Kitchen

Recipes are born all the time. But, recipes that are born in hard times? They’re special, like this depression-era Crazy Spice Eggless Cake. Creative bakers figured out how to put a tasty dessert on the table, even without the eggs and butter we so easily take for granted.

One of my readers shared this cake with me, straight from her family’s recipe card. And, I’m so glad she did! The crumb is wonderfully moist, and the spices are warm enough for the coldest winter night. I’m going to make it again, and the eggs can just stay jealous in the fridge.

Eggless Cake

I’m willing to bet that if you could peek inside your grandmother’s recipes, you would find something like this eggless cake recipe. I’ve seen them called wacky cake, depression cake, war cake, and crazy cake. And, I make a chocolate crazy cake, myself.

My foray into making cake without eggs was simply the result of my curiosity and not personal hardship. But, for millions of bakers during World War I, the Great Depression, and World War II, finding a ready supply of eggs and butter was simply not feasible. Traditional baked desserts were a luxury, and this kind of “crazy cake” helped make it possible for even the families who were often going without to occasionally enjoy a sweet treat.

Cake without Eggs

You’d be amazed at how good this cake tastes. This is not some awfully dense brick of dough that’s been given a dusting of sweetener and called cake. I’m telling you, this cake has a moist and fluffy crumb that just shines with a rich and creamy frosting.

Don’t be startled by the vinegar in this recipe, either! You don’t taste it at all. It reacts with the baking soda to create an acid-base reaction (remember those science fair volcanoes?) which is what makes the cake rise without any eggs or baking powder.

Crazy Spice Cake

As I mentioned at the top, this crazy spice cake recipe was a gift to me from a reader. Yes, one of you! So, I have to give thanks to Faith for sharing the recipe card (pictured below!). I love trying your recipes, and this eggless cake has been one of her family’s favorites for many years.

I like to believe that there’s a connection that bridges the distance, when I get the chance to try someone else’s recipe. And, especially when it’s something like this “crazy” spice cake with no eggs or butter, it feels like I get brought along for a part of the history, too.

Part of what makes old recipes like this endure isn’t just their practicality. It’s that they have a character that develops and builds over time. In my family, we have recipes like this, too. I can never eat picadillo without thinking of my brother Miles. And, almond bars never fail to bring my Aunt Judy to mind.

My mom imprinted all of us with an enduring love of corn pudding. And, I will never forget the way that my dad used to let the brownies dry out, so that he could dunk them in his coffee. No one except my siblings would string these recipes together like this. But, knowing that we share these memories makes them such a powerful connector. Sometimes, food really is a part of the family.

Spice Cake Recipe

I’ve made crazy cakes a fair number of times. And, every time I’ve tried to whisk a crazy chocolate cake in a mixing bowl before transferring it to the pan, I get an uneven cake. I’m guessing that it has something to do with the baking soda and vinegar? I don’t know. But, for this crazy spice cake recipe, I am taking no chances.

So, consider this my advice to just mix it in the pan. It turns out beautifully, and it also will save you the trouble of having to wash a mixing bowl. And, kids love recipes like this. Getting to pour the oil, vinegar, and water into separate craters and then whisk it all together? Even this big kid likes that.

When it comes to toppings, I think there’s a lot of different ways you could go with it. A simple dusting of powdered sugar will suffice, or you could make the fluffy cream cheese frosting that it’s pictured with here (that’s my vote, obviously).

But, you could even get fancy and top it with diced dates or raisings with nuts. Maybe some thin slices of baked apple? And, then drizzle it with some caramel sauce. Yum. If you top this with something different, what would you use? Let me know in the comments!

Frosting for Desserts

There are a million different ways that you can frost a cake. Well, maybe not a million, but it sure feels like a lot. I don’t know if I have a favorite, but I adore a good cream cheese frosting. Not only is it super simple, but its tangy flavor helps balance the sweetness.

Moist, sweet, and lightly spiced, this carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is the food of which sweet tooth dreams are made. And, this banana cake with cinnamon cream cheese icing is super moist, filled with pecans and drizzled with the kind of frosting you’ll write home about.

If you like gingerbread, then these gingerbread cookie bars are absolutely incredible, generously topped with a layer of fluffy cream cheese frosting. And, if you want to eat a “dessert” for breakfast, then I strongly suggest making a batch of the best cinnamon rolls. These bad boys are filled with spirals of sweet cinnamon sugar and topped with a rich cream cheese glaze. What’s not to love?