When you’re stuck at home with limited ingredients on hand, this Lemon Depression Cake is the easiest way to satisfy a sweet tooth. The best part is, there is no eggs, milk or butter required!

Lemon Depression Cake Recipe

Lemon Depression Cake is similar to our Vanilla Depression Cake in that it gets its name from the Great Depression.

It was a popular cake due to its ability to be made easily without the need for milk, sugar, butter or eggs, because the ingredients were then either expensive or hard to obtain.

We took that traditional depression cake recipe and switched it up a bit to give you a more lemon filled flavor that is perfect for Spring and Summer munching.

This cake is also known as “Crazy Cake” and “Wacky Cake” because it uses non-traditional cake ingredients.

This cake is both dense and moist and is filled with a light lemon flavor. If you love lemon, you’ll love this!

Ingredients Needed:

• Flour
• Sugar
• Baking soda
• Kosher salt
• White distilled vinegar
• Canola oil
• Water
• Lemons, zested and juiced
• Yellow food coloring

How to Make A Lemon Depression Cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9×9 square glass baking dish.

In the baking pan, mix the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt until combined.

Next, using your fingers or a spoon, make 3 impressions into the dry ingredients.

Pour the lemon juice in one impression, the oil into another impression, and vinegar into the last impression. Don’t worry if they mix into each other.

Now add lemon zest to the dry ingredients (just sprinkle on top).

Pour the water over all ingredients and mix until combined.

Mix in the yellow food coloring (you only need a few drops to give it that nice yellow color).

Bake in the oven for 35 minutes.

Once done, allow to cool completely before frosting.

Check out our cream cheese frosting recipe below too!

Serve and Enjoy! You can also store any leftovers in the fridge for about a week.

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 – 8oz pkg cream cheese, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 Cups Powdered sugar

Cream Cheese Frosting directions

Using a mixing bowl, combine the softened cream cheese and mix until smooth

Add in the vanilla and powdered sugar and mix until combined

Spread onto the cooled cake. You can also top off with some more lemon zest, a slice of fresh lemon and mint.