Wacky Cake
2/2006

This moist cake gets even better when served with vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.

Serves 6 to 8
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 
3/4 cup sugar 
1/4 cup natural cocoa powder 
3/4 teaspoon baking soda 
1/2 teaspoon table salt 
5 tablespoons vegetable oil 
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
1 cup water 
Confectioners' sugar 


1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 8-inch-square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Whisk flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt together in pan. As shown in photo 1, make 1 large and 2 small craters in dry ingredients. Add oil to large crater and vinegar and vanilla separately to remaining small craters. Pour water into pan (photo 2), and mix until just a few streaks of flour remain (photo 3). Immediately put pan in oven.

3. Bake until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 30 minutes. Cool in pan, then dust with confectioners’ sugar. (If tightly wrapped, cake will keep for 3 days at room temperature.)




STEP BY STEP: A Wacky Mixing Method
America's Test Kitchen

America’s Test Kitchen is a 2,500-square-foot kitchen located just outside of Boston. It is the home of Cook’s Country and Cook’s Illustrated magazines and is the workday destination for more than three dozen test cooks, editors, and cookware specialists. Our mission is to test recipes until we understand how and why they work and arrive at the best version. We also test kitchen equipment and supermarket ingredients in search of brands that offer the best value and performance. You can watch us work by tuning in to America’s Test Kitchen (www.americastestkitchen.com) on public television.