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This simple Water Cake is made with pantry staples –
no eggs, no milk, and no butter required. Just flour, sugar, oil, water, and baking powder come together to create a soft, lightly sweet, crumbly cake.
It’s budget-friendly, easy to make, and perfect when you want a simple homemade dessert without complicated ingredients.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- No eggs
- No dairy
- Minimal ingredients
- Budget-friendly
- Light and crumbly texture
- Customizable with extracts and zest
This is the kind of recipe that proves you don’t need fancy ingredients to bake something delicious.
What Is Water Cake?
Water cake is a simple oil-based cake made without dairy or eggs. The structure comes from flour and baking powder, while oil keeps it moist.
It’s similar to a basic sponge cake, but slightly more crumbly and tender.
My grandmother has made versions of this cake for years — it’s simple, reliable, and surprisingly good.
Ingredients for water cake recipe
- 3½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1¼ cups sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
- 250 ml vegetable oil
- 400 ml water
- 1–2 tsp lemon or orange zest (optional)
That’s it — five core ingredients, plus optional flavorings.
Flavor Variations
This cake is intentionally simple, but you can add:
- Lemon or orange zest
- Almond extract
- Rum extract
- Strawberry extract
- Orange liqueur
Or serve with:
- Fruit preserves
- Whipped cream
- Fresh fruit
What Flour Works Best?
All-purpose flour works perfectly.
You may see recipes calling for Italian Type 00 flour — it can be used in equal amounts, but it’s not necessary. Standard unbleached all-purpose flour gives consistent, reliable results.
How to Make Water Cake
- Cool completely before slicing.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Line a 9×9-inch baking dish with parchment paper (a 9-inch round pan works too).
- In a bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.
- Add water, oil, vanilla, and zest (if using).
- Mix until just combined – do not overmix.
- Bake 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Texture & What to Expect
This cake is:
- Light
- Soft
- Slightly crumbly
- Not overly sweet
It’s not rich like butter cake – it’s simple and humble.
How to Store
Wrap tightly and store:
- At room temperature for up to 3 days
- In the refrigerator for up to 7 days
Because it’s oil-based, it stays moist longer than butter-based cakes.
FAQs
Water cake relies on baking powder for lift and oil for moisture.
The structure comes from flour and proper mixing, not eggs.
It won’t be as fluffy as a traditional sponge cake, but it will be soft and tender.
Yes. This recipe contains no eggs, milk, or butter, making it naturally vegan – as long as you use plant-based sugar (if that matters to you).
Common reasons:
Overmixing the batter
Expired baking powder
Too little baking powder
Incorrect oven temperature
Mix just until combined and make sure your leavening is fresh.
Yes. Replace ¼ cup of flour with ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder for a simple chocolate version.
You may need 1–2 tablespoons extra water if the batter feels too thick.
You can reduce sugar slightly (by 2-3 tablespoons), but the cake may be less tender. Sugar contributes to both sweetness and structure.
More cake recipes:
Water Cake
Ingredients
- 3½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1¼ cups sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla, optional
- 250 ml oil
- 400 ml water
- 1 –2 tsp citrus zest, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Line a 9×9-inch pan.
- Mix dry ingredients.
- Add water, oil, and vanilla.
- Stir just until combined.
- Bake 40–45 minutes.
- Cool before slicing.
Notes
- Do not overmix the batter.
- Add zest or extracts for extra flavor.
- A round 9-inch pan works as well.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is an awesome recipe ! Yessss
I TRIED THE WATER CAKE RECIPE AND AM DISAPPOINTED? IT IS TOO SOGGY AND DENSE. DOES NOT HAVE A NICE TEXTURE. I WAS INTRIGUED BY THE RECIPE AND NOT SURE IF i GOOFED. I AM DISAPPOINTED; I AM NOT SURE IF WHERE I MIGHT HAVE ERRED?
Not sure what went wrong. Do you mind giving more details?