Wacky Cake

Tips: This is truly the easiest chocolate cake recipe I know. Sometimes called "Crazy Cake" or "Three Holes" cake, it is traditionally mixed in the baking pan. I use a bowl, however, as I have trouble getting all the ingredients well-blended if I mix it in the baking pan---and I can still make the batter in the time it takes the oven to preheat. You'll need regular, nonalkalized (non-Dutch process), unsweetened cocoa powder for this recipe. The cake is very moist, very chocolaty, and not especially sweet, and it will keep well at room temperature for a day or two, if tightly covered.

Serve this warm (not hot) with ice cream, or cool it completely and dress it up by sifting on a little confectioners' sugar just before serving.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1-2/3 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup nonalkalized unsweetened cocoa powder
1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
Pinch salt
1-1/3 cups lukewarm water
1/2 cup corn oil OR other tasteless vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. white vinegar
2 tsp. vanilla

Grease and flour a 7 by 11 by 2 inch baking pan, knocking out any excess flour. Adjust rack to center position of oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Into large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Add all remaining ingredients. With hand-held electric mixer on low speed (or with a sturdy whisk), beat until ingredients are well-combined. Scrape bowl and beater(s) with rubber spatula (make sure bottom of bowl is scraped thoroughly). Beat batter again at low speed until well- mixed. Batter will be rather thin.

Pour into prepared pan. Spread level, then push slightly higher in corners and along edges of pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 23 to 30 minutes, turning back-to-front about halfway through baking pan. Cake is done when toothpick inserted in center emerges with only a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Do not over bake. to cooling rack. Cool in pan. Serve warm (not hot) or cool. Cool completely before covering tightly.

8 or more servings