This easy egg-free depression cake recipe is simply the best!  This budget friendly chocolate water cake is made of simple inexpensive ingredients that you always have on hand, it bakes up perfectly moist and delicious every time without egg and milk. 

A slice of vegan chocolate cake with chocolate frosting on a white plate with a fork cutting a piece off of it.

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Since it’s made without milk or eggs, this is one of the most inexpensive cakes that you can make.

You can use this basic water cake recipe to make layer cakes, sheet cakes, or cupcakes.  It’s the perfect vegan birthday cake and is sure to be a crowd-pleaser!

What is depression cake?

When I became vegan over 20 years ago, there weren’t many vegan cookbooks, and recipe blogs weren’t invented yet.  I was telling my mother that I wanted to make a chocolate birthday cake but wasn’t sure how to do it without milk and eggs.  That’s when she told me about depression cake.  (It’s an old cake recipe that they made during the Depression when eggs and milk were scarce.)

Well, the cake was delicious – like my favorite cake ever!  I’ve made numerous vegan cake recipes over the years and I always come back to this one, it’s the best vegan chocolate cake I’ve ever had, and it even impresses my non-vegan friends.

It’s the easiest to make, perfectly moist, light, spongy, and not too sweet.  I like the basic recipe so much, that I even converted it into a vegan vanilla cake recipe and a gluten-free chocolate cupcake recipe.

Why you’ll love this recipe

  • It’s simple and easy to make with everyday ingredients you already have.
  • This makes a perfect dairy-free birthday cake that everyone will love.
  • It’s made without a mixer or fancy tools – just a whisk and bowl.
  • This can be easily adapted to be gluten-free.
  • It’s free of dairy, eggs, soy, and nuts so everyone can enjoy it.
A vegan chocolate cake covered in chocolate buttercream on a blue cake stand.

Ingredients and substitutions

  • White Flour – for the base of the cake.  You can also use half whole wheat and half white flour.  Any general gluten-free flour mix will also work well to make this cake gluten-free.
  • Sugar – for sweetness.
  • Cocoa Powder – for a chocolate taste.
  • Baking Soda – to make your cake rise.
  • Salt – for flavor.
  • Water – for moisture. – you can also use plant-based milk like soy milk or almond milk if you would like or swap the water out for coffee for a cafe mocha-flavored cake.
  • Oil – for a rich moist cake.  You can use any neutral flavored oil, like vegetable oil or canola oil, or swap it out for apple sauce if you want an oil-free cake.
  • Vinegar – to interact with the baking soda and make your cake rise.
  • Vanilla Extract – for flavor.
  • Frosting – you can use any vegan frosting that you want.  I like my chocolate vegan buttercream frosting with my homemade vegan butter or dairy-free whipped cream frosting on this cake.

How to make water cake

Prepare your cake

Step 1 – Preheat your oven to 350° F (177° C), rub 2 round cake pans with oil, and then dust them with flour to prepare them for the batter.

Make the chocolate cake batter

Step 2 – Measure the dry ingredients (all-purpose flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt, into a large bowl) and give them a stir with a whisk.

Step 3 – Measure the wet ingredients (water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla) in a separate medium bowl (I measure them all in a large measuring container).

Step 4 – Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

Step 5 – Stir with a whisk until you have a smooth batter and you can no longer see dry flour.

A collage of 4 pictures showing the process of mixing dry ingredients, wet ingredients, and then combining the 2 to make vegan chocolate cake batter.

Bake your cake

Step 6 – Immediately pour the batter into your prepared cake pans and bake at 350° F (177° C) for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Step 7 – Allow cakes to cool to room temperature on wire racks for 30 minutes in the cake pan then invert them onto a plate in the fridge to cool completely before frosting.

Assemble the cake

Step 8 – Once your cakes are cool, it is time to assemble your layer cake. Put the first layer topside down on your serving dish.

Step 9 – Top with a thick layer of buttercream, pastry cream, jam, or jelly to stick the two layers together.

Step 10 – Put your next layer on the top right side up.

Step 11 – Frost the cake with a thick layer of vegan chocolate buttercream, whipped cream frosting, or any other frosting you would like.

A slice of chocolate depression cake on a white plat with a fork in it.

How to make a sheet cake

  • Use a 12 X 18-inch sheet pan to bake the cake.
  • Pour all of the cake batter into an oiled and lightly floured sheet pan.
  • Bake at 325°F for 40-45 minutes until the top is dry to the touch and springs back up when pressed slightly.
  • Let cool completely and frost in the pan.

How to make cupcakes

  • Pour the batter into cupcake liners that have been placed in a muffin tin.
  • Bake at 375°F for about 22 minutes until the top is dry to the touch and springs back up when pressed slightly.
  • Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting.
A simple chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream on a blue cake stand with a piece cut out of it.

Pro Tips

  • Spoon your flour into the measuring cup and level it off with the back of a butter knife.  Don’t scoop the flour out of the bag with a measuring cup. This will pack the flour down too much resulting in too much flour.
  • Don’t over-stir the batter or the cake will have a chewy texture.
  • Don’t let the batter sit once you have added the wet ingredients or the baking soda and vinegar will stop interacting by the time you bake the cake.
  • If you take the cake out of the oven and it deflates in the center, it is not done.  Quickly put it back in the oven for at least 5 more minutes.

Gluten-free water cake

Since my son had to be gluten-free for many years, I have made this cake gluten-free numerous times.  The only thing that you need to do is swap out the flour for an all-purpose gluten-free flour mix. 

I have tried many different brands and they have all worked well.  Just be sure to add 1 tsp of xanthan gum to the dry ingredients if it doesn’t already have it in the mix.  It will not work with almond or other grain-free flours, it has to be a grain-based gluten-free mix. 

You can check out my recipe for gluten-free vegan chocolate cupcakes for more details.

A slice of vegan chocolate cake with a few bites taken out of it.

This cake has been a favorite in my house for years and made for countless birthdays and holidays. 

I hope that you enjoy it as much as we do! If you want to check out some more vegan cakes try this vegan vanilla cake, vegan carrot cake, vegan bundt cake, or vegan sponge cake.

More delicious egg-free desserts

📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!

Chocolate depression cake recipe

A slice of vegan chocolate cake with chocolate frosting on a white plate with a fork cutting a piece off of it.
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4.94 from 16 rating

Chocolate Water Cake

Yield: 16
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 40 minutes
Total: 50 minutes
Author: Monica Davis
A simple easy chocolate cake made without milk or eggs that bakes up moist and delicious every time.
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Ingredients

  • 3 cups all-purpose white flour, or gluten-free flour mix if desired
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 cups water, or plant-based milk
  • 3/4 cup oil, any neutral-flavored oil will work
  • 2 tablespoons vinegar, any type will work
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3 cups vegan buttercream frosting

Instructions
 

Prepare your cake

  • Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C) and rub two 9 inch round cake pans with oil and then dust them with flour to prepare them for the batter.

Make the chocolate cake batter

  • Measure the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt, into a large mixing bowl) and give them a stir with a whisk.
  • Measure the wet ingredients (water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla) in a separate bowl (I measure them all in a large measuring container).
  • Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
  • Stir with a whisk until you have a smooth batter and you can no longer see dry flour.

Bake your cake

  • Immediately pour the batter into your prepared cake pans and bake at 350°F (177°C) for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
  • Allow it to cool for 30 minutes in the cake pan then invert them onto a plate in the refrigerator to cool completely before frosting.

Assemble the cake

  • Put your first cake top side down on your serving dish.
  • Top with a thick layer of buttercream, jam, or jelly to stick the two layers together.
  • Put your next layer on the top right side up.
  • Frost the cake with a thick layer of chocolate vegan buttercream or any other flavor you would like.

Notes

  • Spoon your flour into the measuring cup and level it off with the back of a butter knife.  Don’t scoop out the flour out of the bag with a measuring cup. This will pack the flour down too much resulting in too much flour.
  • Don’t over stir the batter or the cake will have a chewy texture.
  • Don’t let the batter sit once you have added the wet ingredients or the baking soda and vinegar will stop interacting by the time you bake the cake.
  • If you take the cake out of the oven and it deflates in the center, it is not done.  Quickly put it back in the oven for at least 5 more minutes.
  • Let the cake cool for at least 30 minutes before inverting the pans and taking the cake out.
  • Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting.  Colder cakes are easier to frost and will not have as many crumbs when you frost it.
Serving: 1slice, Calories: 454kcal, Carbohydrates: 72g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Sodium: 311mg, Potassium: 170mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 50g, Calcium: 13mg, Iron: 2mg
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