Once again, Jean demonstrated a few recipes in the Gilmore Park Church Community Kitchen. Jean was a good demonstrator as she will test the recipes which she has not try before a day before the meeting day to ensure that all things go well.

For this meeting, Jean made a Wacky Cake, some Whipped Shortbread Cookies, a Puffed Wheat Cake and Devil Eggs. All these were accomplished in two hours.

The Wacky Cake is a classic recipe from the depression era because of the rationing of butter and eggs. It is a cake without egg, milk or nut. People with allergies to such ingredients can still enjoy a piece of cake.

The name Wacky Cake probably came from the various cakes that you can make with this recipe by substituting some of the ingredients. Jean made a Spice Wacky Cake in the kitchen. She also made a Chocolate Wacky Cake the day before by substituting the 1 tablespoon of pumpkin spice with 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder. You can also make this into a vanilla cake by omitting the spice and double the amount of vanilla. To make an Orange Wacky Cake, omit the spice and vinegar and substitute the water with orange juice. For a Lemon Wacky Cake, omit the spice and substitute the vinegar with lemon juice and add a teaspoon of lemon extract. No wonder it is called Wacky Cake.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 5 tablespoons oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup water

Click on the link below for the instructions.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl, mix thoroughly with a whisk and set aside.

Mix the wet ingredients in a separate bowl and stir to combine. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix with a spatula until you get a smooth batter. Do not beat with an electric mixer or over mix.

Pour the batter into a greased and floured pan (8″ square or 9″ round) or 12 cup cakes muffin pan.Bake in the preheated oven for about 35 minutes (for cake pan) or about 20 minutes for muffin pan or until a wooden skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean or when the cake bounces back upon a touch test.

The vinegar in this recipe cannot be omitted, unless another acidic ingredient is substituted (as mentioned above in the orange or lemon cake). The acid is crucial for making this cake rise.