Chocolate Crazy Cake {Dairy and Egg Free}

We had some of Mr. J's friends over for a Halloween party on the weekend.  He had requested a chocolate cake that looked like a pumpkin.  I was happy to make one, but one of the little boys coming to the party is allergic to milk.

unsure of original recipe source

I wanted to make sure that he was able to eat anything that we served, so I decided to make "crazy cake"

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Ingredients:

flour - 3 cups
sugar - 2 cups
baking soda - 2 tsp
unsweetened cocoa - 1/2 cup
vegetable oil - 3/4 cup
white vinegar - 2 tbsp
vanilla - 2 tsp
cold water - 2 cups

mix together all of the dry ingredients in your pan; make 2 small wells and a large well.

Place vanilla in one small well, vinegar in the other and oil in the large well.  Cover with the water and mix together until smooth.

Bake for 30 minutes (ovens will vary - don't overbake)

Frosting:

Shortening - 1 cup
icing sugar - 4 cups
water - 2-3 tbsp (depends on consistency you want)

Using a mixer combine the above ingredients - add food colouring if desired