Chocolate Tidbit Cake

I went looking for this recipe and realized I never posted it here!  That's probably because it's such a favorite of ours that it was posted on our family blog, before this one was created.  This recipe can be found under the title "Wacky Cake" as well, but we got it from The Friend years ago.  This week we made a variation using pumpkin and it was just as delicious as the chocolate version.

 

Chocolate Tidbit Cake 

1 ½ cups flour
½ tsp salt
1 cup sugar
3 Tbls cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbls vinegar
1/3 cup oil
1 cup water
½ cup chocolate chips

Combine dry ingredients in 9” square pan. Stir in liquid ingredients and mix well. Sprinkle with the chocolate chips. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. (Yummy with whipped cream on top.)

Some variations we've tried:

Chocolate Mint: Add 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake: Omit the cocoa and use brown sugar instead of white.

Applesauce or Pumpkin:  Omit the cocoa and substitute 1/2 cup applesauce or pumpkin for 1/2 cup water.  Add some allspice or cinnamon if desired.

Gluten Free: Substitute gluten-free flour for the all-purpose flour.

Black Forest: Top with some cherry pie filling, either before or after cooking. (Try picking out just the cherries to put on the batter before baking, then serve with the leftover sauce.)

Here's a version using a 9x13" pan with a yummy pudding frosting - combine a small package of instant chocolate pudding with 1 cup milk, then stir in a cup or two of Cool Whip.

We discovered this recipe makes great cupcakes as well - Black-Bottom Cupcakes.

8/2022 - I tried making this with a combination of almond meal and gluten-free flour, and while it tasted delicious, it fell apart when trying to take out of the pan. Maybe I should have cooked it longer! Or maybe I should have tried only almond flour or only gluten-free flour. I guess that means I should experiment some more!!

9/2023 - Using only gluten-free flour worked well. See above Black Forest version.