No milk, no eggs, no butter: I’m bringing vegan chocolicious magic to World Chocolate Day 🙂
I have seen Wacky Cake featured quite extensively on social media lately. To me, the story of this cake as well as the economical nature of its ingredients are amazing qualities, both of which compelled me to write about it on this very special celebratory occasion.
“The true origins of the cake are a mystery. It may have originated during World War One when the sacrifices of food rationing compelled the people back home to get creative in the kitchen. We know for sure that it was widely used by the time of the Great Depression. Even after the Depression had peaked, during World War Two, dairy was rationed again, further solidifying its place in the American zeitgeist as an alternative to the classic cake formula” (tastingtable.com)
To make this cake I used the recipe featured in Hershey’s “Cocoa Cookbook,” published in 1979, reducing the sugar and using avocado oil instead of vegetable oil.
I paired the cake with vanilla ice cream and I used chocolate sauce and chocolate-covered popcorn as toppings.
Moist thanks to the oil and perfectly spongy and fluffy due to the magical chemistry between baking soda and vinegar, this cake is a must-try, imo. Humble ingredients are coming together to soothe the soul and to deliver a slice of delicious history – a timeless celebration of down-to-earth simplicity.
Here are some interesting facts I came across while researching World Chocolate Day, courtesy of Smithsonian Magazine’s Amanda Fiegl:
- Etymologists trace the origin of the word “chocolate” to the Aztec word “xocoatl,” which referred to a bitter drink brewed from cacao beans. The Latin name for the cacao tree, Theobroma cacao, means “food of the gods.”
- Many modern historians have estimated that chocolate has been around for about 2000 years, but recent research suggests that it may be even older.
- For several centuries in pre-modern Latin America, cacao beans were considered valuable enough to use as currency. One bean could be traded for a tamale, while 100 beans could purchase a good turkey hen, according to a 16th-century Aztec document.
- In America, chocolate was so valued during the Revolutionary War that it was included in soldiers’ rations and used in lieu of wages.
- The creation of the first modern chocolate bar is credited to J.S. Fry & Sons (1847)
I love chocolate and I covered topics related to the industry on numerous occasions over the years. You are welcome to check out my coverage of the Pastry World Cup here and here, of the World Chocolate Masters here, and on the Sweets & Snacks Expo here, here, here, here, here, and here. I also posted recipes, a few of which can be found here, here, here and here.Â
My previous coverage of World Chocolate Day last year can be accessed here.
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