Apple Crazy Cake (No Butter, Eggs, Milk or Mess) ~ Inspired by the Depression Era Recipe (aka Wacky Cake) w/ GF Option

“In Heaven, it is always Autumn".”

~ John Donne

This is my most favorite of our crazy cake creations yet! The brown sugar sinks a bit to the bottom giving the cake a "layered" caramel apple taste of fall! And what better way to use up those mealy apples than in a seasonal surprise for your family! It is easy to make in 7 steps -- and don't forget that it is frugal, egg-free, butter-free, milk-free and can even be gluten-free (meaning you will most likely have all the ingredients in your basic pantry!).

Dry Ingredients: 

• 1 1/2 c. + 2 tbsp. flour  (all purpose or gluten-free flour blend)
• 3/4 c. white sugar
• 1/4 c. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. baking soda (use 1 1/2 tsp. is using gluten-free flour blend)
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Wet Ingredients:

• 5 tbsp. vegetable oil (we use sunflower)
• 1 tsp. white vinegar (use apple cider vinegar for gluten-free version)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 c. water
• 1 1/2 c. shredded apples

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease an 8 by 8 inch square baking pan.

Measure out and mix all the dry ingredients together in your prepared baking pan. Make three wells in the baking pan (making sure one is large enough to contain the oil). Pour the oil into the largest well and the vinegar and vanilla separately into the other impressions. Pour water over all the contents, add the shredded apples and carefully mix your ingredients until combined and smooth. 

Bake for 35 - 40 minutes (it is finished when a toothpick inserted inside the center comes out clean). Cool on wire rack. Once it is completely cooled, you may frost it. Recipe can be doubled – just use a 9 by 13 inch baking pan.

You will find your free printable recipe HERE! Happy homemaking!

P.S. This post has been pre-scheduled as I am out of the country (visiting my precious far away family) until Septemberish. Though I won't be able to reply, I would still love to hear from you in the comment section if you care to share! Happy summer and/or winter (to those in the southern hemisphere)! Love, JES

All the fine print. This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Monday's Musings, Good Morning Mondays,  The Scoop, Tuesdays with a Twist, Raising Homemakers, Wise Woman Link Up, Homestead Blog Hop,  Wow Us Wednesdays,  Coffee and Conversation, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Our Simple Homestead, Awesome Life Friday Link Up and Create, Bake, Grow & Gather. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. This post may contain affiliate links (which are merchant links that help to support this site at no additional cost to you if you purchase an item through them).

Zucchini Crazy Cake (No Butter, Eggs, Milk or Mess) ~ Inspired by the Depression Era Recipe (aka Wacky Cake) w/ GF Option

"The trouble is, you cannot grow just one zucchini. Minutes after you plant a single seed, hundreds of zucchini will barge out of the ground and sprawl around the garden, menacing the other vegetables. At night, you will be able to hear the ground quake as more and more zucchinis erupt."

~ David Barry, Comedian

(Note: I am not familiar with this comedian and hope he isn't an offensive one but his analysis of zucchini rings quite true!)

You didn't think I would let the summer go by without another zucchini recipe for your arsenal? I feel it is my divine homemaker's duty to pass one along each season. Ever since the year of the 38 plants, I have felt the need to stay prepared. As you already know the bonuses of the crazy cake by now (i.e., carrot crazy cake, banana crazy cake), I will simply leave you with this recipe entry for July. I suppose I could have named this "kermit" cake or "green" cake for all the environmentalists but being I am a traditionalist, let's just dub it zucchini crazy cake and call it a day! The printable version is found at the bottom of the post.

Dry Ingredients: 

• 1 1/2 c. + 2 tbsp. flour  (all purpose or gluten-free flour blend)
• 1 c. white sugar
• 1 ½ tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. baking soda (use 1 1/2 tsp. is using gluten-free flour blend)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg 

Wet Ingredients:

• 5 tbsp. vegetable oil (we use sunflower)
• 1 tsp. white vinegar (use apple cider vinegar for gluten-free version)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 c. water
• 1 1/2 c. shredded zucchini

(1 - 2) Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease an 8 by 8 inch square baking pan. Measure out and mix all the dry ingredients together in your prepared baking pan.

(3) Make three wells in the baking pan (making sure one is large enough to contain the oil).

(4) Pour the oil into the largest well and the vinegar and vanilla separately into the other impressions. 

(5) Pour water over all the contents, add the shredded zucchini and carefully mix your ingredients until combined and smooth. 

(6) Bake for 35 - 40 minutes (it is finished when a toothpick inserted inside the center comes out clean). Cool on wire rack. 

Once it is completely cooled, you may frost it. Recipe can be doubled – just use a 9 by 13 inch baking pan. You will find our printable recipe HERE! Happy homemaking!

All the fine print. This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Monday's Musings, Good Morning Mondays,  The Scoop, Tuesdays with a Twist, Raising Homemakers, Wise Woman Link Up, Homestead Blog Hop,  Wow Us Wednesdays,  Coffee and Conversation, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Our Simple Homestead, Awesome Life Friday Link Up and Create, Bake, Grow & Gather. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. This post may contain affiliate links (which are merchant links that help to support this site at no additional cost to you if you purchase an item through them).

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Chocolate Banana Crazy Cake (No Butter, Eggs, Milk or Mess) ~ Inspired by the Depression Era Recipe (aka Wacky Cake) w/ GF Option

“But oh, Marilla, will you let me make a cake for the occasion?

I’d love to do something for Mrs. Allan,

and you know I can make a pretty good cake by this time.”

~ L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

Welcome to the third edition in our Depression-Era inspired crazy cake series! This recipe is an ode to frugal, "use it up" and from the pantry baking. Need to make a dessert in a hurry but your fridge is empty? Do you need to serve someone with food allergies? Are you trying to learn some basic and inexpensive baking recipes? If so, you will find the remainder of our recipe here at our guest post on Raising Homemakers (P.S. I would love for you to leave a little note there to let me know you "dropped by"!). Happy homemaking, ladies!

All the fine print. This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Monday's Musings, Good Morning Mondays,  The Scoop, Tuesdays with a Twist, Raising Homemakers, Wise Woman Link Up, Homestead Blog Hop,  Wow Us Wednesdays,  Coffee and Conversation, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Our Simple Homestead, Awesome Life Friday Link Up and Create, Bake, Grow & Gather. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. This post may contain affiliate links (which are merchant links that help to support this site at no additional cost to you if you purchase an item through them).

Raw Honey ~ Foods with No Expiration Date ~ Pantry Builder #2

"What is sweeter than honey?"

~ Judges 14:18b

Welcome to our Pantry Builder #2 post which is a part of our Proverbs 31 Preparedness Series! Raw honey is my favorite food to stock up on since it is so versatile! It is nice and sweet, medicinal, cosmetic and culinary! The only downside is that it can be expensive (beside coconut oil, it is probably the most expensive item we splurge on in our pantry). We are fortunate to have a beekeeper nearby who sells local honey to us at a very discounted price. Before that, I found a reputable bee-farmer on Ebay who reasonably sold 5-gallon buckets through the mail. It is worth it to shop around when making a large purchase such as this!

"And let them gather all the food of those good years that come..."

~ Genesis 41:35

As I mentioned in our first pantry builder post, "there are many reasons that people prepare and not all of them are doomsday scenarios. Our main reason is for "lean times". We are full-time farmers which means our income is very sporadic. In the winter, it is almost stagnant. Having a supply of food which has been gathered in the good times creates a sense of proverbial peace. Like the biblical ants who collect in the summer, so must we! Because of this, I am also going to include projects we can make and do with our pantry building supplies that can be used for everyday household use and gift giving -- it may help us to be creative in the challenging times when we are working with limited resources. Plus, by seeing how versatile these pantry items are, perhaps it will encourage you to store more abundantly when you have the opportunity. This information will also be shared in a printable for each item to include in your Proverbs 31 Preparedness binders."

RAW HONEY

When properly stored, the shelf life of raw honey is indefinite.

Storing Tips:

According to the National Honey Board, honey is best stored in a sealed container at room temperature. Cooler temperatures will hasten honey's natural crystallization process. If honey does crystallize, remove the lid and place in a jar of warm water until crystals dissolve. Honey stored at temperatures above 85°F for extended periods of time will darken in color and be subject to subtle flavor changes but will still be good. We keep our honey in basic, large containers with lids in our pantry and have never had any problems.

To prove its versatility, here are some things you can make and do with honey:

• acne, sunburn and wound healing

• allergy aid

• cold remedy

• constipation remedy

• cough syrup (made with simple pantry ingredients) 

• cook and bake healthy desserts and snacks (such as these oatmeal muffins) 

• electrolyte recipes

• face mask

• face wash (use honey in place of soap for a gentle cleanser alternative) 

• herbal honey

• herbal oxymels (see sample here) 

• indigestion soother

• make medicinal honey (aka honey based-tinctures -- see sample here) 

• preserve foods (you can can jams, marmalade and syrups with it) 

• sore throat soother

• sunburn soother

• sweeten teas and other beverages naturally 

• vitamin and mineral benefits

• wound healing

"My son, eat thou honey, because it is good;

and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste..."

~ Proverbs 24:13

Do you have any more useful ideas for honey to add to this list?

You will find our printable "Proverbs 31 Preparedness" sheet for ways to use honey HERE!

For further homemaking hints and tips about honey usage, visit this post here!

Your homework for the week:

• Assess the amount of raw honey you store in your pantry. Could you add more to your food storage knowing it has no expiration date and is so versatile? 

Extra Credit:

• Print out the "Ways to Use Honey" printable and add it to your Proverbs 31 Preparedness Binder.

All the fine print. This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Monday's Musings, Good Morning Mondays,  The Scoop, Tuesdays with a Twist, Raising Homemakers, Wise Woman Link Up, Homestead Blog Hop,  Wow Us Wednesdays,  Coffee and Conversation, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Our Simple Homestead, Awesome Life Friday Link Up and Create, Bake, Grow & Gather. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. This post may contain affiliate links (which are merchant links that help to support this site at no additional cost to you if you purchase an item through them).

Old Fashioned Pantry Pie Crust Mix (No Butter, Eggs or Milk) ~ A Patty-Pan Printable Recipe Kit

"I am baking it in a pie-dish— a pie-dish with a pink rim.

You never tasted anything so good!"

~ Beatrix Potter, The Tale of the Pie and the Patty Pan

Welcome to another edition of Fun Friday with Beatrix Potter featuring The Tale of the Pie and the Patty-Pan! Today I wanted to share an old fashioned recipe from dear Ribby! It is an oil crust pastry which is made from ingredients found exclusively in the pantry. I believe she got it from her great-grandmother who used this easy, frugal recipe during the Depression Era. 

"But she thought a great deal about Ribby's pie,

and she read Ribby's letter over and over again."

~ Beatrix Potter, The Tale of the Pie and the Patty Pan

Dear Ribby liked to make things convenient and places a few jars of make-ahead crust mixes in her pantry. She noticed that if half of the work was done (and it only took minutes!), it made the pie-making process so very simple and she was apt to make more of them for her loved ones! You can fill them up with so many different foods and you have an instant feast when served inside a pastry shell! For meal making inspiration, there is the classic chicken pot pies and quiches. For desserts, the sky is the limit with peaches, apples, pumpkins, you name it!

It is especially easy with Ribby's printable recipe kit which includes the directions, jar labels and instruction labels. This is such a fun way to fill your pantry shelves! She told me she enjoys preparing these little projects. What an industrious feline after my own heart!

"She peeped again into the bottom oven,

the pie had become a lovely brown,

and it was steaming hot."

~ Beatrix Potter, The Tale of the Pie and the Patty Pan

To Make the Mix:

Place inside a pint-sized jar the following ingredients:

• 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour *

• 1 dash of salt

• 1 tbsp. sugar (reduce the sugar by half when serving a savory dish)

Place lid firmly back on jar and give it a good shake for a final blend. The mix is now complete. Simply label and attach the following directions to the mix. In order to be an ink saver, when the mix is used up, simply wipe out the jar with a clean towel and place it back in the pantry until ready to refill again (so as not to disturb the labels).

* We have made this with a gluten-free flour blend but the dough is harder to handle and breaks easy. I end up pressing it directly into the pie plate once it is somewhat rolled out.

"When she came back, she peeped into the bottom oven;

the pie looked very comfortable."

~ Beatrix Potter, The Tale of the Pie and the Patty Pan

"Such lovely pie-crust; and I put in a little tin patty-pan to hold up the crust;

and I made a hole in the middle with a fork to let out the steam..."

~ Beatrix Potter, The Tale of the Pie and the Patty Pan

To Make the Pie:

1. Place the dry ingredients (or the mix-in-a-jar) in a mixing bowl and stir (Ribby prefers using a wooden spoon).

2. Add 1/2 c. oil. Mix again with the spoon until it looks almost mixed in (like fig. 2 above).

3. Add 1/4 c. water and knead until just blended in (Ribby uses her paws hands). Shape dough into disc. 

4. Roll out your dough into a circle shape by placing the disc between two sheets of plastic wrap.

5. Remove top plastic sheet, invert the dough into the pie pan (as pictured) and fit the crust snugly inside. Remove other top piece of plastic wrap and crimp your edges. Your pie is ready to fill!

This recipe works well with "baked and filled" pies such as apple, peach and pumpkin. If making it for cream pies or fresh fruit pies, since the dough is softer, it will puff up in the bottom if baking unfilled. However, you can remedy that somewhat by poking holes in the bottom of the crust with a fork prior to baking it and also by filling the shell with pie weights during the baking process.

Final Notes:

This recipe is for one crust.

To make a double crusted pie mix -- double the ingredients and place them in a quart jar.

Depending on the sugar amount you use in the mix, you may wish to write down either "savory" or "sweet" on the lid.

You will find the Patty-Pan Printable Recipe Kit HERE.

Thank you for taking the time to visit! Other posts shared thus far in the "patty-pan" spring series include a printable coloring book, printable gift tags, printable recipe sheets and quaint cottage homemaking musings and music. Have a lovely weekend!

All the fine print. This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Monday's Musings, Good Morning Mondays,  The Scoop, Tuesdays with a Twist, Raising Homemakers, Wise Woman Link Up, Homestead Blog Hop,  Wow Us Wednesdays,  Coffee and Conversation, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Our Simple Homestead, Awesome Life Friday Link Up and Create, Bake, Grow & Gather. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. This post may contain affiliate links (which are merchant links that help to support this site at no additional cost to you if you purchase an item through them). 

Egg Substitutions ~ Free Printable List ~ Proverbs 31 Preparedness Series

"Be sure to gather the eggs every night..."

~ Laura Ingalls Wilder, Farmer Boy

Do you know that with over 40 hens, we sometimes find ourselves without eggs! Most of the time it is in the autumn during molting season but it is still upsetting. We actually take a stand and refuse to buy eggs when this occurs for if we were to do so, they would be doubly expensive because we are still paying for chicken feed at the same time (I just can't make myself do it). So, when we don't have eggs, we use egg substitutions. I only knew a few of them until Vicky (a sweet reader and dare I say "friend") emailed me her excellent list! This is also handy information to include in your Proverbs 31 Preparedness Binder as emergencies come in many forms! Sometimes you are simply in the middle of baking a cake when you realize you have no eggs! Yes, preparedness comes in many forms too... 

Keep in mind that some of these may not result in the same "light and fluffy" result as when using real eggs but they should work in a pinch! 

• 2 TB. cornstarch = 1 egg

• 2 TB. arrowroot flour = 1 egg

• 2 TB. potato starch = 1 egg

• 1 heaping TB. soy powder + 2 TB. water = 1 egg 

• 1 banana = 1 egg in cakes

• 1 TB. milled flax seed + 3TB. water = 1 egg (makes light and fluffy cakes according to Vicky)

• 1 TB. ground chia seed + 3 TB. water = 1 egg (let mixture sit 5 minutes or so to gel)

• Be sure to read the comment section below for more ideas! I ended up jotting down quite a bit more substitutions on my printable page!

Do you have any more egg substitutions to add to this list?

You will find our printable "Proverbs 31 Preparedness" sheet for egg substitutions HERE!

Your homework for the week:

• Print out the "Egg Substitution" printable (or simply jot it down) and add it to your Proverbs 31 Preparedness Binder.

All the fine print. This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Monday's Musings, Good Morning Mondays,  The Scoop, Tuesdays with a Twist, Raising Homemakers, Wise Woman Link Up, Homestead Blog Hop,  Wow Us Wednesdays,  Coffee and Conversation, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Our Simple Homestead, Awesome Life Friday Link Up and Create, Bake, Grow & Gather. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. This post may contain affiliate links (which are merchant links that help to support this site at no additional cost to you if you purchase an item through them).

Carrot Crazy Cake (No Butter, Eggs, Milk or Mess) ~ Inspired by the Depression Era Recipe (aka Wacky Cake) w/ GF Option

"Vegetables are a must on a diet.

I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie."

~ Jim Davis

I hope you enjoy this first recipe I developed for a spring carrot cake for my pantry cookbook. It is inspired by the famous Great Depression "wacky" cake recipe and my desire to be able to cook strictly from basic food storage as a part of our preparedness series (remember I had challenged myself here)! This particular creation belongs to the "spring garden" pantry chapter as it includes ingredients exclusively from the pantry and garden. No refrigerated items required. It is so moist-- you will be amazed at how delicious an inexpensive recipe like this can be! Plus, there is less mess as this cake is made straight in the pan!

When would you make this recipe?

When you run out of eggs...
When you run out of butter...
When you run out of milk...
When you are serving a vegan, when you are serving someone with dairy allergies, when you need a no-fail and frugal dessert recipe, when all you have is what is in the pantry and garden, when you crave carrot cake...

Dry Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 c. + 2 tbsp. flour  (all purpose or gluten-free flour blend)
• 3/4 c. white sugar
• 1/4 c. brown sugar
• 3/4 tsp. cinnamon *
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg *
• 1 pinch of cloves *
• 1 tsp. baking soda (use 1 1/2 tsp. is using gluten-free flour blend)
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Wet Ingredients:

• 5 tbsp. vegetable oil (we use sunflower)
• 1 tsp. white vinegar (use apple cider vinegar for gluten-free version)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 c. water
• 1 1/2 c. shredded carrots

***Note: If you don't have the individual spices, try replacing the cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves with 1 tsp. of pumpkin pie spice.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease an 8 by 8 inch square baking pan.

Measure out and stir all the dry ingredients together in your prepared baking pan.



Make three wells in the baking pan (making sure one is large enough to contain the oil).



Pour the oil into the largest well and the vinegar and vanilla separately into the other impressions. 

Pour water over all the contents, add the shredded carrots and carefully mix your ingredients until combined and smooth. Good thing we don't judge the taste of cakes by the looks of the batter for this will surely frighten you off! 

Bake for 35 - 40 minutes (it is finished when a toothpick inserted inside the center comes out clean).

Cool on wire rack. Once it is completely cooled, you may frost it. 

Cream cheese frosting is the classic choice for carrot cake. If we don't have cream cheese, we will use a plain vanilla buttercream frosting (but omit 1 cup of powdered sugar) for a nice and buttery topping that compliments the cake well. If you are trying to use what is in the pantry, prepare a plain icing* with powdered sugar, vanilla and water (or canned coconut milk, etc). This will seem more luxurious if you cut each piece of cake and drizzle the icing on separately, allowing it to overflow onto the sides.

* Mix 1 c. powdered sugar, 1/2 tsp. vanilla and 1 - 2 tbsp. milk (or water), 1 tablespoon at a time, until drizzle-able (mixture will thicken slightly as it sets).

Future note: If you were to have me over for carrot cake, I prefer mine chilled and with a cup of coffee :)

Recipe can be doubled -- simply use a 9 by 13 inch pan.

You will find our printable recipe HERE.

All the fine print. This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Monday's Musings, Good Morning Mondays,  The Scoop, Tuesdays with a Twist, Raising Homemakers, Wise Woman Link Up, Homestead Blog Hop,  Wow Us Wednesdays,  Coffee and Conversation, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Our Simple Homestead, Awesome Life Friday Link Up and Create, Bake, Grow & Gather. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. This post may contain affiliate links (which are merchant links that help to support this site at no additional cost to you if you purchase an item through them). Vegan, Dairy-Free Carrot Cake Recipe.