Chocolate Depression Cake sounds like something out of an early 2000's Tumblr meme but it's actually a delicious (and vegan) dessert from the 1930's. During the Great Depression, nearly a quarter of the U.S. population was unemployed. Times were tough and food was scarce. Out from the darkness came Wacky Cake, made entirely without milk, eggs, or butter since dairy was outside the budget of most Americans at the time. The butter is substituted with oil, which helps to keep the cake moist. Eggs, which are the leavening agent – the ingredient that helps the cake rise –are replaced by baking soda and vinegar.