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All the classic flavors everyone loves – ginger, cinnamon and cloves, are baked into this super moist gingerbread cake. A delicious Crazy Cake version of one of the most beloved holiday cakes.
Gingerbread Crazy Cake – No Eggs, Milk or Butter!
One of the EASIEST gingerbread cakes you can make, made with ingredients right from the pantry! This super moist, dense, lightly spiced cake has no eggs, no milk, no butter and doesn’t require a mixer! Dairy Free, Egg Free, Vegan. It’s darn good cake.
This flavor has been requested so many times over the years. I am so happy to finally have this timeless cake on my blog. 😊
Gingerbread Wacky Cake – Gingerbread Depression Cake – Gingerbread Snack Cake
This gingerbread crazy cake recipe is adapted from the original Depression era recipe for Chocolate Crazy Cake, a favorite for generations. This cake goes by several names – Wacky Cake, Depression Cake, War Cake and more. It’s the perfect snack cake.
Ingredients Needed to Make the Cake (Full Recipe at Bottom of Post)
- flour
- sugar (granulated)
- baking powder
- baking soda
- ground ginger
- cinnamon
- ground cloves
- salt
- oil (canola or vegetable)
- pure vanilla extract
- apple cider vinegar (or white)
- molasses (unsulphured)
- water
How to Make This Dairy and Egg Free Gingerbread Cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees f. Spray a 8×8 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. In a small bowl or measuring cup, add the water and molasses – stir until completely blended, set aside. In a large bowl, add the dry ingredients and mix well. Make 3 depressions in the dry ingredients, 2 small, 1 large – add vanilla in a small depression, vinegar in the other small depression, then add oil to the large depression.
Next, pour the water/molasses mixture over top and mix until well blended and the batter is smooth. Do not over mix.
Last, pour batter in prepared baking dish. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for approximately 35 minutes. Check with toothpick to makes sure it comes out clean. *Baking times will vary depending on oven.
Serve the cake plain or with a dusting of powdered sugar.
This cake is AMAZING topped with old-fashioned lemon sauce! So, so good. You can find the link to this super easy recipe in the notes below in the recipe card.
Wonderful served with a simple dollop of whipped cream.
This Gingerbread Crazy Cake is perfect for the holidays and also makes a quick and easy snack cake. Best of all, it’s allergy friendly, so people with egg and dairy allergies can enjoy this fantastic cake!
Common Questions for this cake:
Why is vinegar used in the cake? Vinegar reacts with the baking soda and baking powder to make the cake rise.
Can you taste the vinegar? No, you cannot taste a hint of vinegar in this cake.
My cake didn’t rise, what happened?Make sure baking soda, baking powder and vinegar are not expired. This is a common mistake.
What is the best Molasses to use? For this recipe use unsulphured molasses, I use Grandma’s Molasses Original. The kitchn has a guide for the most common types of molasses and how to use them.
CRAVING MORE GREAT CAKE RECIPES?
- Crazy Carrot Cake (No Egg, Milk or Butter)
- Pistachio Cake, by The Country Cook
- Preacher Cake, by South Your Mouth
- Banana Bread Crazy Cake (No Eggs, Milk or Butter)
- Apple Cider Crazy Cake (No Eggs, Milk or Butter)
Please Note: This is not a sponsored post, I have no affiliation with Mother’s Molasses, I am just a fan of the molasses.
Gingerbread Crazy Cake (No Eggs, No Milk, No Butter!)
One of the EASIEST gingerbread cakes you can make, made with ingredients right from the pantry! This super moist, dense, lightly spiced cake has no eggs, no milk, no butter and doesn't require a mixer! Dairy Free, Egg Free, Vegan. It's darn good cake.
5 from 33 votes
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 35 minutes mins
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Ingredients
DRY INGREDIENTS
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon + 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon salt
WET INGREDIENTS
- ¼ cup canola oil (or vegetable oil)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar)
- ¼ cup molasses (unsulphured)
- 1 cup water
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees f. Spray a 8×8 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
In a small bowl or measuring cup, add the water and molasses – stir until completely blended, set aside.
In a large bowl, add all the dry ingredients and mix well.
Make 3 depressions in the dry ingredients, 2 small, 1 large – add vanilla to a small depression, vinegar in the other small depression, then add the oil to the large depression.
Next, pour the water/molasses mixture over top and mix until well blended and the batter is smooth. Do not over mix.
Pour batter in prepared baking dish. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for approximately 35 minutes. Check with toothpick to makes sure it comes out clean. *Baking times will vary depending on oven.
When ready, remove and allow to cool.
Serve cake plain or with – a dusting of powdered sugar, topped with your favorite vanilla or buttercream frosting, a dollop of whipped cream, caramel sauce, lemon sauce and more.
Notes
- Make sure the baking soda, baking powder and vinegar are not expired. This is a common mistake that results in cakes not rising.
- For this recipe, use unsulphured molasses, I use Grandma’s Molasses Original.
- Serve the cake plain or with – a dusting of powdered sugar, topped with your favorite vanilla or buttercream frosting, a dollop of whipped cream, caramel sauce, ice cream and more. My new favorite…topped with warm old-fashioned lemon sauce!
- Wonderful served warm fresh out of the oven, or served cold
- The cake does not need to be kept refrigerated if it’s not frosted. Cover and it will last 3 days. If it is frosted, it will need to be kept refrigerated. Cover and refrigerate for up to 6 days.
- You can use vegetable oil or canola oil
- You can use white vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
- Use the batter to makeCrazy Cake Cup Cakes!
- Double the recipe using a 9×13 baking dish or make aTwo-Layer Crazy Cake.
OLD-FASHIONED LEMON SAUCE RECIPE
Please head over to allrecipes to print the easiest, tastiest lemon sauce by Ginger P shared in 2001. I serve the lemon sauce warm individually, topping each piece of cake right before serving.
Keyword Dairy Free Gingerbread Cake, Egg Free Gingerbread Cake, Gingerbread Cake
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
