As a fan of chocolate and strawberries, this eggless, dairy-free cake is my go-to base for strawberry shortcake. The moist cake comes together in minutes using ingredients I always have on hand, and it’s so easy to make, I haven’t bought a cake mix in years. 

Crazy cakes, also known as “wacky cakes” or “pantry cakes,” were popular during the 1930s and ’40s when butter and eggs were hard to come by. Today, as we face shortages of those same ingredients, they deserve another look. The cake’s success depends on an acidic batter, a high-protein flour  — like bread flour or King Arthur unbleached flour — and mixing the batter thoroughly.

Kitchen chemist Shirley O.Corriher gives a more detailed explanation of how the cake manages to stay light and tender in her 2008 book “Bakewise,” where I found the chocolate cake recipe. I’ve made some adjustments to her original to get a vanilla cake, which is also quite nice with strawberries and a dollop of whipped cream.

Chocolate Crazy Cake

From “Bakewise,” by Shirley O. Corriher
Makes one 8-inch square cake, or one 8-inch round cake

1½ cups spooned and leveled unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
⅓ cup natural cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup canola oil
1 cup cold water or weak coffee

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees.Grease an 8-inch square cake pan
2. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt into a medium-sized bowl. 
3. Poke two small holes and one large hole in the dry ingredients with the handle of a spoon. Spoon the vinegar into one small hole and the vanilla into the other small hole. Pour the oil into the large hole. If it overflows, it is okay. Pour the cold water/coffee over the top and stir well to blend ingredients until smooth. 
4. Pour mixture into a greased baking pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out moist, about 30 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes, and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Vanilla Crazy Cake
Makes one 8-inch square cake, or one 8-inch round cake

1 3/4 cups spooned and leveled unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup canola oil
1 cup cold water

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees. Grease an 8-inch square cake pan
2. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a medium-sized bowl. 
3. Poke two small holes and one large hole in the dry ingredients with the handle of a spoon. Spoon the vinegar into one small hole and the vanilla into the other small hole. Pour the oil into the large hole. If it overflows, it is okay. Pour the cold water/coffee over the top and stir well to blend ingredients until smooth. 
4. Pour mixture into a greased baking pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out moist, about 30 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes, and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.