Whole Lotta "Meh." — Wacky Chocolate Cake

Wacky cupcake.

I made this recipe sometime last week and, clearly, was so unimpressed with it that it took me this long to post about it. (And then, only do a cursory review.)

Cake Pros:
Ridiculously easy to make
Vegan
Easily adaptable (I threw in mini chocolate chips and replaced the water with strong brewed coffee

Silly Name

Cake Cons:
Lacking in delicious chocolate cake punch (though flavor was enhanced by the aforementioned chips and coffee)
Must be accompanied by a good frosting
Silly Name

And that’s all I got to say about that.

Wacky Chocolate Cake
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened, nonalkalized cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (7.5 ounces) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon white or cider vinegar
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup water

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375-degrees F. Lightly grease an 8-inch square pan.

Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt directly into the baking pan, then add the sugar. With your finger, poke 2 small holes and 1 large one in the dry ingredients. Into one of the small holes pour the vanilla, into the other one the vinegar, and into the larger one the oil.

Pour the water over all the ingredients and stir the ingredients together with a table fork, reaching into the corners, until you can’t see any more flour and the batter looks fairly well homogenized.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the top is springy and a tester inserted in the center comes out dry. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack, then cut and serve it from the pan.

Storage:Keep at room temperature, wrapped airtight, for up to 3 days; refrigerate after that.

Level of difficulty* [easy enough for a novice to make]

Makes one 8-inch square cake, or 8 to 12 servings.