'Crazy' Chocolate Cake

This was the very first cake I made on my own when I was a kid. Since then I've baked a lot of chocolate cakes - most of them fancier and more complicated (especially after watching an episode of Bake Off ). They haven't really been better, and they've definitely not been easier.

I've seen it by various other names, we always called it crazy. The only change I made from the original recipe I used as a child is that I use coconut oil in place of vegetable oil, and I cut the amount of soda since I now live at high altitude. 

The icing recipe is the same one my grandmother used. It's very much like old fashioned fudge (back before marshmallow fudge took over). I cook it a little longer than I used to, again, because of the altitude. My mother used to beat it over a pan of ice water to thicken it to frosting consistency, but I pour it on warm, so that some of the icing will soak into the cake before it cools. 

Crazy Chocolate Cake  

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup flour

3 tablespoons cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon vinegar

6 tablespoons melted coconut oil

1 cup water

Blend dry ingredients in a 9x9 inch square baking pan. Make a well in the center and add the remaining ingredients. Blend with a fork.  

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to  40 minutes

Chocolate Icing

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

3 tablespoons cocoa

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons butter

Mix sugar, water and cocoa in a medium saucepan (it will bubble up quite high when it boils). 

Bring to a boil and cook without stirring for 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla. Beat until thick.