Am I so depressed that I need a cake to fix me? If so, why? Is it because of the weather?(Crappy). Is it because of the state of my kitchen table? (Pictured above, in desperate need of refinishing). Is it the fact that dh doesn't believe in valentine's day? (I'm still making my peace with that). No, no, and no. I'm actually not depressed or anything but I've been making this cake on a weekly basis because it is fantastically delicious and moist and, incidentally, vegan (almost makes up for the 2 cups of sugar). I love that I always have the ingredients on hand and it doesn't have any weird chemical in it like a box cake. It's also sturdy enough to actually be frosted, unlike box cakes.
It's called Depression Cake because my great-grandmother Katie Pearl made it for my Nana when she was growing up during the great depression. My Nana's comment on it was, "This cake is good. Just like memories of my mother." Which is the cutest thing ever.
Depression Cake
2 tsp baking soda
3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
4 tablespoons cocoa
2 cups cold water
3/4 cup oil
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
Mix for 30 seconds on low to combine, then 2 minutes on medium. Pour into prepared pans (I use parchment paper and cooking spray to line my pans). Bake at 350 for 25 minutes for two 8 or 9" rounds.
I frost it with sweetened whipping cream (whip 2 cups of heavy cream +3-5 tablespoons powdered sugar + 1 teaspoon vanilla until sturdy peaks form).
4 comments:
That looks so good! I am with you on cakes not made from a box. We are trying hard to get rid of whatever chemicals we can from our diets (well, mostly from the kids' diets, partly because many people think they exacerbate autistic characteristics, etc.) And it isn't easy since the only forms of meat my kids eat are highly processed (pepperoni, hot dogs--thankfully they have had the self-respect to eschew SPAM!)
Anyway, so I make our baked treats from scratch. I think they taste so much better, and as you say, I almost always have the ingredients on hand... Thanks for the recipe.
love it! And if all you have is boxed, processed foods, I highly recommend the "add a diet coke to a box of chocolate cake mix and bake for 30 minutes" recipe.
I also had someone recommend using a can of pumpkin (not pumpkin pie) and a cake mix as another alternative. Gonna try that one soon.
I went to make my grocery list and grabbed your recipe yesterday. I was thrilled that I had everything already. I just picked up the coconut milk for the frosting today. I can't wait. I hope Quinn is feeling better. We missed him yesterday.
I made this cake today for our RS birthday dinner. It is so easy. I can see why you have been making it often. I'll let you know how it turns out. I especially like that the batter is thin--for some reason, I wasn't tempted to snack on it as I am with really thick, butter batter.
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