Today we have a special treat for you. Guest bagger Christy P. Is pleased to share her recipe for Wacky Cake. I added the Chameleon part, because with minor adjustments this cake easily transforms into chocolate, lemon, or chocolate espresso. This time, you can have you cake and eat it too!
Chameleon Wacky Cake
Courtesy of Christy P.
"I didn't make up the name, I promise. This Depression-era cake takes advantage of ingredients that were readily available at the time. I suspect it is enjoying a new era of fame because it is also vegan. That means it is ok for people with dairy and egg sensitivities, too. That's why I bring it to potluck affairs.
After one recent affair, I was asked for the recipe. Nothing special about it, except that it is easy to make, always a hit, friendly to all but the gluten-intolerant, and tasty to boot.
Ingredients
* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 2/3 cup white sugar
* 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 tablespoon white vinegar
* 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 1 cup water
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a bowl with a whisk.
3. Add liquids and mix. (I used 1 cup of cold brewed coffee with an additional scoop of instant coffee powder last time - I couldn't taste the coffee, so if I did that again I would use more instant coffee powder or use espresso powder which has a stronger taste.) I do not think that this needs frosting. I have dusted with powdered sugar for a special effect.
My other tip for maximum efficiency and reduced chance of cross-contamination -- measure the soda, then salt, and last the cocoa of the dry ingredients (so that you don't contaminate your salt or soda with cocoa powder). Then measure wet ingredients with the measuring spoons - oil, then vanilla, then vinegar.
To make a lemon cake, you take advantage of the acidity of lemon juice and use it in place of the vinegar. Leave out the cocoa powder, and instead use the zest of 1-2 lemons. I tend to use the zest of more lemons than I use the juice, so the extra juice goes into salad dressing or hummus, or frozen in an ice cube tray for later use. Otherwise it’s the same!"
Give this cake a go, I'm sure that after you try it you'll be a "box of fluffy ducks!" (That's Kiwi talk for, "I'm on top of the world!" After all, what is happier that a box full of happy, fluffy, quacking ducklings? (I must warn you that this phrase it a bit outdated, but with our combined efforts, we can bring it back in to fashion.)
