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

Pretend there is no eggs, butter or milk but that mother has a pantry full of dried provisions and that old orange tree growing in the backyard... Why yes! She can still prepare a tasty cake for her family without those fresh (and often expensive ingredients)! She will serve it on grandmother’s old dish and ice it with a bit of confectioners sugar and some juice from her same seasonal oranges. Making do the old fashioned way...

You see, I am a collector of frugal, use it up, pantry-only, ingredient types of recipes. I keep them in a separate notebook (my preparedness notebook) as you never know when you would need something (using no butter, eggs or milk) for a crisis or you simply run out of eggs and company is on the way for tea (and yet another crisis)! A homemaker who learns from history can be prepared in all kinds of circumstances... she does not fear for the future (Proverbs 31:21). Hence the reason I am crazy for crazy cakes! I have had these citrus versions on my to-do list for some time and am just thrilled with the results! 

This is another crazy cake I adapted for the winter season based on the Depression-era recipe. Though it has no eggs, butter or milk, it is quite tasty! Like the lemon cakes before it, it is prepared with fresh juice and zest instead of the traditional crazy cake recipe which uses vinegar (and I used more orange juice than the vinegar called for). The result is a deliciously moist cake with subtle orange flavor and a brighter burst of orange in the icing.

This recipe is basically a hybrid... it’s a seasonal, use-it-up, frugal pantry specimen 😉 🍊

Please visit HERE for the printable recipe!

Happily homemaking,

🧡 JES

For other recipes featuring PANTRY ONLY/SEASONAL ingredients, you may also be interested in our Apple Crazy Cake, Zucchini Crazy Cake, Chocolate Banana Crazy Cake, Banana Crazy Cake, Carrot Crazy Cake, Lemon Crazy Cake, Old Fashioned Pie Crust and for more inspiration -- Frugal Homemaking Lessons from the Great Depression.