Food And NutritionChocolate Melancholy Cake (egg-free, dairy-free)

Chocolate Melancholy Cake (egg-free, dairy-free)


Since loads of us try to chop our grocery payments the place doable, I believed there was no higher time to reshare this Chocolate Melancholy Cake recipe (often known as Loopy Cake or Wacky Cake), which was born out of a time when components have been in restricted provide—The Nice Melancholy. This distinctive cake is wealthy and chocolatey with out utilizing any eggs, milk, or butter and is made completely with shelf-stable pantry staples. A cake with out butter?? So “wacky,” I do know.

Overhead view of a slice of homemade chocolate depression cake, broken in half by a fork, on a plate.
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“I really like this recipe! It’s really easy to make. It’s very scrumptious together with the frosting! That is my go-to chocolate cake recipe!”

Becky

Simple Recipe for Chocolate Melancholy Cake

Butter and eggs often do some heavy lifting in cake recipes. Butter retains muffins tender by coating the flour and slowing down gluten growth, whereas eggs assist with each leavening and construction. However right here’s the magic of this chocolate melancholy cake: as an alternative of butter, I take advantage of a impartial oil (no matter you’ve available works), which might obtain the identical impact however with barely much less richness. And as an alternative of eggs, I depend on a combo of vinegar and baking soda. The response between the 2 provides the batter a fast elevate, making the cake mild and fluffy.

So whereas this cake doesn’t comprise any butter, it’s a rattling positive deal with when your cupboards are naked. To not point out, it’s extremely simple. Anybody could make this cake, and with little or no cooking tools or components. For these two causes alone, it is a good recipe to maintain tucked in your again pocket (or your browser’s bookmarks). Additionally, it simply occurs to be vegan! It’s virtually like an enormous model of my chocolate mug cake if you happen to’ve ever tried that. Anne Byrn’s 1917 apple sauce cake additionally makes use of the same no-egg, no-butter type batter.

Chocolate Melancholy Cake (No Eggs, Butter, or Milk)

This distinctive Chocolate Melancholy Cake recipe, popularized in the course of the nice melancholy, is wealthy and chocolatey with out the utilizing any eggs, butter, or milk!Step-by-step pictures may be seen beneath the recipe card.
Side view of a slice of chocolate depression cake on a plate.

Chocolate Cake

  • 1.5 cups all-purpose flour ($0.27)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar ($0.96)
  • ½ tsp salt ($0.02)
  • 1 tsp baking soda ($0.02)
  • â…“ cup unsweetened cocoa powder ($0.57)
  • â…“ cup cooking oil ($0.21*)
  • 1 Tbsp vinegar ($0.06**)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract ($0.65)
  • 1 cup water ($0.00)

Chocolate Icing

  • 1.5 cups powdered sugar ($0.48)
  • ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder ($0.42)
  • 3 Tbsp water ($0.00)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract ($0.65)

Chocolate Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF. In a big bowl, stir collectively the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and cocoa powder till nicely mixed.

  • Add 1 cup water to a liquid measuring cup, then add the vanilla extract and vinegar to the water.

  • Add the oil to the bowl of dry components, adopted by the water combination. Stir till the chocolate cake batter is generally easy. Ensure no dry flour stays on the underside of the bowl.

  • Pour the cake batter into an 8×8″ or 9×9″ baking dish. Switch the baking dish to the oven and bake the cake for 35 minutes.

Chocolate Icing

  • If utilizing the chocolate icing, let the cake cool for a minimum of an hour after baking earlier than including the icing.

  • Wait till the cake is cool, then put together the icing. Add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla extract to a bowl. Start including water, 1 tablespoon at a time, till it varieties a thick however pourable icing (about 3 Tbsp whole). In the event you let the icing sit, it could start to dry, however you possibly can add a splash extra water to make it moist once more.

  • Pour the icing over the cooled cake and unfold till the cake is evenly lined. Slice the cake into 9 items and serve.

See how we calculate recipe prices right here.


  • Glass Mixing Bowls

  • Measuring Cups Spoons

  • Liquid Measuring Cup

  • Whisk

*Use any impartial cooking oil of your alternative, like canola, vegetable, grapeseed, safflower, corn, or avocado oil.
**Any mild vinegar will work, like white vinegar, rice vinegar, or apple cider vinegar.

Serving: 1sliceEnergy: 328kcalCarbohydrates: 61gProtein: 3gFats: 9gSodium: 255mgFiber: 3g

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The way to Make Chocolate Cake with No Butter, No Eggs, and No Milk Step-by-Step Images

Overhead view of the ingredients for chocolate depression cake.

Collect your entire components and preheat your oven to 350ºF.

The dry ingredients for chocolate depression cake in a bowl.

Make the batter: In a big bowl, add 1.5 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, ½ tsp salt, 1 tsp baking soda, and ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder.

A whisk mixing the dry ingredients for chocolate depression cake in a bowl.

Stir these dry components collectively till they’re nicely mixed.

Vanilla extract being poured into water.

Measure 1 cup water in a liquid measuring cup, then add 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1 Tbsp vinegar (any mild vinegar, like white vinegar, rice vinegar, or apple cider vinegar).

Oil being poured into a flour and chocolate powder mix in a bowl.

Add â…“ cup cooking oil and the water combination to the dry components.

Chocolate depression cake batter in a mixing bowl.

Stir till a thick cake batter varieties. A number of lumps are okay, however ensure that no dry flour stays on the underside of the bowl.

A spatula spreading the batter for chocolate depression cake in a baking dish.

Bake: Pour the cake batter into an 8×8 or 9×9 inch baking dish. You don’t must grease the baking dish because the batter already accommodates loads of oil.

Overhead view of a freshly baked chocolate cake in a baking dish.

Bake the cake within the absolutely preheated 350ºF oven for 35 minutes. In the event you plan to make the chocolate icing, cool the cake for a minimum of an hour earlier than making and including the icing.

A spatula dipped in a bowl of chocolate icing.

Make the icing: Add 1.5 cups powdered sugar, ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa, and 1 tsp vanilla extract to a bowl. Beginning with 1 tablespoon water, stir in water till it varieties a thick icing (about 3 Tbsp whole). The powdered sugar solely wants a really small quantity of liquid to soften right into a thick icing. In the event you let the icing sit for a bit, it may well dry out however may be moistened once more by stirring in one other splash of water.

Chocolate icing being spread across a freshly baked chocolate depression cake.

Pour the ready icing over the baked and cooled cake, then unfold into a good layer.

Overhead view of a iced chocolate depression cake in a baking dish.

Serve: Lower the cake into 9 equal items, then serve!

A slice of homemade chocolate depression cake on a plate with a fork taking some.

It’s additionally actually good with a glass of milk or scoop of ice cream!

  1. Strive stirring some chopped walnuts, pecans, or dried fruit into the batter earlier than baking! Round ½ to 1 cup of add-ins ought to work out nicely. I additionally assume chocolate chunks or chips could be scrumptious and would add additional sweetness to this in any other case subtly candy cake (you most likely gained’t want the icing if you happen to do that variation).
  2. Some readers have swapped in cooled espresso (on the spot dissolved in water or brewed) for the water on this recipe and cherished it! It deepens the chocolate taste with out making the cake style like espresso. In the event you’ve acquired a bit of leftover within the pot, it’s a good way to make use of it up!
  3. This cake undoubtedly leans extra moist and chocolatey than candy, so if you happen to’re after a sweeter chew, the icing actually helps stability that out. You might even poke a couple of holes within the cake earlier than including the icing and let it soak in a bit.

Serving Solutions

I made a brilliant easy dairy-free chocolate icing to high my cake, however remember that this sort of dairy-free icing is tremendous candy as a result of there isn’t any fats to mellow out the sweetness. In the event you’re not into tremendous candy icings, I counsel skipping the icing and simply dusting your cake with powdered sugar after it cools (if you happen to do it whereas the cake remains to be sizzling, the powdered sugar will dissolve).

Or, if you happen to’ve acquired butter available, you possibly can go along with a extra conventional chocolate buttercream. Whipped topping or home made whipped cream (added after the cake has cooled) would even be yum. And if you happen to’re skipping the icing altogether? A heat slice with a scoop of vanilla ice cream is totally divine, as is a aspect of contemporary fruit and home made fruit dip. 🤤

Storage Directions

You possibly can retailer this dairy and egg-free cake at room temperature for as much as 3-4 days. I’d hold it in an hermetic container to cease it from drying out too rapidly. You can too freeze the unfrosted cake for as much as 3 months. If you wish to add the icing, let your chocolate melancholy cake thaw and make the icing simply earlier than serving.

Our Chocolate Melancholy Cake recipe was initially revealed 4/10/20. It was retested, reworked, and republished to be higher than ever 6/28/25.

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