I needed a dairy free dessert for Easter.  That may not be a challenge for some people, but my kitchen is not a dairy free zone, in fact it is a dairy heavy zone!  The Cadbury mini eggs are not dairy free but I love them sooooo much and they can easily be removed for the non-dairy eaters.

After thinking and pinteresting ( I think I just made that word up) for awhile I remembered a cake that I used to make when I was a kid.  It was from this old kids cookbook and I started making it when I was probably about 8 years old.

It is a simple mix in the pan and bake cake.  It is actually a recipe from the 1930’s depression era when eggs, butter and milk were expensive.  Though I thought  sugar would have been expensive too? maybe it was cheap back then?

This was my much older cousin’s book which got handed down to me and then handed back to her again.  I forgot how much I loved the pictures in this book.  It was called wacky cake, there are versions found on the interwebs as well, they are all about the same.  I mixed it in a bowl and poured it into the greased pan as I wanted it to come out of the pan easily for decorating.  I changed it slightly by doubling it and I added cold brewed coffee instead of water.  It brings out the chocolate flavour more.

This cake is chocolatey and moist, I think that it was perfect for Easter or any celebration or just cause you are feeling wacky!

This is the recipe for one 9′ round cake.

1 1/2 cups al purpose flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup cold brewed coffee (or water)

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 Tbsp vinegar

Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and sugar into a bowl (or directly in the pan)

That is the coffee

A little bunny helped of course

In a measuring cup mix coffee, oil and vanilla.

Pour liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk.

When the batter is smooth our in vinegar an whisk quickly just until vinegar is distributed.

Note: This is an exciting science lesson for the kiddos when the vinegar and baking soda reacts.

Bake at 375 for about 25-30 minutes. Let cool completely before icing.

Make the icing an colour whatever colour you want it

The icing is a simple decorator icing (I think it is originally from Wilton).  It is a sweet frosting, but all my other trusted frostings have dairy.  I found the sweet was well balanced by the chocolate of this cake.

Vegetable shortening (1 cup), icing sugar (4 cups) and 1 tsp vanilla and about a tbsp water.

Did I mention how much I love Cadbury mini eggs.

I know I have mentioned before that I do not have any affiliate links and am not compensated for my opinion etc, but if Cadbury would like to send me a big ole bucket of mini eggs I would make all kinds of things with them and gush about them all the time….just sayin’

A piece of the cake before it was all gobbled up