January 27th is National Chocolate Cake Day! I’d celebrate chocolate any day, personally! My recipe for Picnic Crazy Cake, which is dairy and egg-free, was stowed away in one of my folders of recipe clippings from magazines and newspapers. Vintage, in its own right, this type of collection probably reveals my age. I haven’t made this since my boys were younger. It’s crazy how easy this is to mix together! One pan, one whisk and a few measuring utensils are all that you need. Before you know it, poof! It’s out of the oven and on your plate!
Involve your kids in making this Picnic Crazy Cake. It is a great cooking activity/scientific experiment. So what if the flour and cocoa coats the counter as they whisk away? Scoop it off the counter into your hand and just toss it back in the pan. You are making memories and that is worth the mess. Where’s the science, you say? The baking soda and vinegar gives you an opportunity to discuss the alkali/ acid reaction causing the creation of carbon dioxide to give the cake its rise while baking.
In one 13″ x 9″ x 2″ pan, measure out in layers flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Whisk together to create a uniform mix.
Make three holes in the dry ingredients, the largest in the middle. Place the oil in the center(largest) hole. The vanilla and vinegar are placed in the two smaller holes. Pour the water over that and mix thoroughly, making sure to check the corners and edges for no remaining dry ingredients.
Once mixed, the batter will resemble cake batter. (It is a cake, after all.)
The final product is finished within 35 minutes. If you are actually taking it to a picnic or potluck, leave it in the pan making it easy to carry and serve. Leave it in its brownie-like form, dust with powdered sugar or frost it and maybe throw some sprinkles on it!
My favorite Amazing Buttercream Frosting was chosen to top this presentation of the Picnic Crazy Cake. For it to remain dairy-free, however, you will need to be creative. Dust it with some sifted confectioner’s sugar, some non-dairy whipped cream, strawberries served on the side or serve it brownie-like straight out of the pan. Either way, this moist chocolate cake will satisfy your chocolate cravings. I’d recommend chilling it a bit, if you have the time; it makes slicing easier and it will be ready to serve once you take it to your event to share. I sliced this one into 32 servings, which is a perfect dose of sweetness with this rich frosting. Share and enjoy!
Ingredients
- 3 c all purpose flour
- 6 T cocoa
- 1 3/4 c granulated sugar
- 2 t baking soda
- 1/2 t salt
- 1 t vanilla
- 2 t white vinegar
- 2/3 c canola oil
- 2 c water
Instructions
- Layer the dry ingredients in an ungreased 13" x 9" x 2" baking pan.
- Whisk all the dry ingredients in the pan until distributed equally.
- Make 3 holes in the pan, the middle one being the largest.
- In the largest hole, put the oil. In the two smaller ones, place the vanilla and vinegar.
- Pour water over this then whisk all ingredients until well combined, making sure corners and edges are free of dry ingredients. Its consistency should appear like normal cake batter.
- Bake for 35 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
