The Kitchen: A Wonderfully Wacky New Cake

By ANGELA McRAE, The Coweta Shopper Kitchen

As I’ve mentioned here before, one particularly unfortunate cake lives on in my memory. I’d purchased a new cookbook that included a recipe for a Coca-Cola cake that you made by dumping in all the ingredients, which were allegedly supposed to perform some sort of baking magic in the oven, resulting in a delightful cake.

My experience was different.

The cake had a weird texture and an even weirder taste. Even my eager taste tester – my husband, Alex –admitted this cake was a loser. His idea was to chunk it over our deck out back and let the critters feast. To our surprise (and my embarrassment), they didn’t touch it. Each morning, Alex came in with a new report on the pristine condition of the creepy cake.

Apparently, even varmints have standards. Finally, utterly appalled that the neighborhood critters wouldn’t sample that thing, I picked up the cake carcass and tossed it into the trash.

Recently, a recipe that once appeared on a bag of flour fluttered out from between the pages of a 1951 cookbook I’d purchased. It was with much trepidation that I read over the directions for Wacky Cake. As with the infamous Coca-Cola cake, this recipe called for adding the ingredients to the pan then stirring them with a fork. At least it called for stirring. That would have to be an improvement over the disastrous cake recipe, right?

Still, I had questions. The directions said to make three wells in the dry ingredients before adding oil, vinegar, and vanilla then mixing it all. Why? I wondered. Why put it all in there separately if you’re just going to mix it anyway?

But I was going to do it their way or die trying, and guess what? This cake is absolutely wonderful! The cake itself is light and fluffy, and the Wacky Topping is versatile, allowing you to use whatever garnishes you like. I used the optional coconut but not the nuts. Making an already “wacky” cake “nutty” seemed redundant.

I believe I’ve redeemed myself in the wacky cake department, and I discovered a quick and tasty new recipe too.

Wacky Cake

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cocoa
1/3 cup melted shortening or oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup cold water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift dry ingredients into a 9 x 9-inch pan and mix well. Make three holes, then pour oil, vinegar, and vanilla into separate holes. Pour water over all and mix well with a fork but do not beat. Bake for 30 minutes. Leave in pan and frost while still warm.

Topping

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/4 stick butter or margarine
1-1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup coconut, optional
1/2 cup chopped nuts, optional
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Combine all ingredients except vanilla and cook on medium heat until mixture thickens. Add vanilla, mix well, and spread topping on warm cake.