The Sad Cake is moist, chewy, and delicious! It stirs up easily in a saucepan. A mixer is not necessary; just like a brownie, it shouldn’t be beaten. You simply stir the ingredients together with a spoon and pour the batter into a prepared pan. Could it be much simpler than that?
As summer slips away, and the crisp autumn air creeps into our days, certain foods begin to come to mind, don’t they? For me, Sad Cake is one of those foods and it is such a quick and easy to make dessert. This moist, chewy, cake has been a family favorite since the ’60s. My mother brought the recipe home from work. She has used this recipe a lot when she needed to make a dessert for potlucks, and to this day, she still says the ‘men‘ love it.
Maybe that’s because there are not a lot of frills to this cake. It isn’t particularly pretty. The cake rises nicely in the oven and then falls and the top cracks! What it lacks in visual, it makes up for in rich decadent taste. There is no need for frosting. The cake is rich enough on its own, but a small scoop of ice cream on the warm cake is heavenly, too. To make it look a little more appealing, you might consider a dusting of powdered sugar.
Click here to Print the Sad Cake recipe ◄
Sad Cake
- 2 sticks (1 cup) Butter (Not margarine)
- 2-1/4 cups Brown Sugar
- 1/2 cup White sugar
- 4 Eggs
- 2 cups Flour
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp. Vanilla
- 1 cup Nuts
Preheat oven to 350°
Place the 2 sticks (1-cup) of butter and the brown sugar into a 3-quart saucepan. (The batter will be completely mixed in the saucepan.) Melt the butter with the brown sugar on low heat. 
* Remove from the heat and add the white sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, and the vanilla. 
Do not beat. Stir until mixed. Stir in the chopped nuts.
Pour the batter into a 9″ x 13″ pan, greased and floured, or a pan lined with non-stick Reynolds Aluminum Foil. Bake 40 minutes at 350°.
*Tips - A few years ago, I bought this set of clear nesting mixing bowls. These are so wonderful! Measuring the ingredients into these before adding them to your recipe ensures that you won't forget an ingredient or miscount how many cups! Not that I have ever done that before... unless I was interrupted by a child or grandchild! (We are an Amazon affiliate and may receive a small percentage of any sales through the link above. Thanks for supporting this website.) I also mixed the flour and baking powder together with a wire whisk in the bowl. Everything was ready to go before the butter was melted. * I have to confess, I added the white sugar, two of the eggs, the vanilla and half of the flour - baking powder mixture and stirred that until somewhat blended. Then, I added the other two eggs and the remaining half of the flour - baking powder mixture. It's not necessary but easier to mix this way. I also use the non-stick wrap. I love the way you can lift the cake right out of the pan, fold the foil down, and easily cut the cake.
. These are so wonderful! Measuring the ingredients into these before adding them to your recipe ensures that you won't forget an ingredient or miscount how many cups! Not that I have ever done that before... unless I was interrupted by a child or grandchild!
Whoever came up with this recipe might have thought it was a “Sad Cake” but, in my estimation, it would have been more aptly called a bar cookie. Whatever it is called, it really is delicious, and the ‘menfolk’ love it!
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Sad Cake
Ingredients
- 2 sticks (1 cup) Butter (Not margarine)
- 2-1/4 cups Brown Sugar
- 1/2 cup White sugar
- 4 Eggs
- 2 cups Flour
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp. Vanilla
- 1 cup Nuts
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°
Place the 2 sticks (1-cup) of butter and the brown sugar into a 3-quart saucepan. (The batter will be completely mixed in the saucepan.) Melt the butter with the brown sugar on low heat.
* Remove from the heat and add the white sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, and the vanilla.
Do not beat. Stir until mixed. Stir in the chopped nuts.
Pour the batter into a 9" x 13" pan, greased and floured, or a pan lined with non-stick Reynolds Aluminum Foil. Bake 40 minutes at 350°.
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I had to click over and see what a sad cake was; sounds delicious!
It really is delicious, Joanne. It’s pretty easy to make, too.
Sounds yummy especially with the added nuts! Thanks so much for linking up at the #BloggingGrandmothersLinkParty 41.
It is one of our favorites and it’s so easy to make!
There is an ad that is blocking the instructions. I can see “ place the stick of butter,,,,,” then, do not mix” but nothing in between. Can you tell me what those missing instructions say, and what is not to be mixed?thanks
Gretchen, I’m so sorry about that. I’ve recently tried to block ads in the middle of my posts for that very reason. Hope this helps.► Place the 2 sticks (1-cup) of butter and the brown sugar into a 3-quart saucepan. (The batter will be completely mixed in the saucepan.) Melt the butter with the brown sugar on low heat.
* Remove from the heat and add the white sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, and the vanilla.
Do not beat. Stir until mixed. Stir in the chopped nuts.
At the top of the recipe there is a link to print it. If you don’t want to print it, you can at least see the directions. Hope you love the sad cake. Thanks for visiting!
Hi! Mine came out more like a cake, not moist or chewy at all. Any idea why this would’ve happened?
Hi, Gaye! Did you bake it in a dark pan? My guess is that you baked it too long. You need to shorten the baking time if you bake it in a dark pan. I’ve never had that problem. If you have a light pan, use it.
Would this be OK without nuts, or does it need the nuts to hold texture?
Hi, Shelly! I’ve never made it without nuts. I think it would be okay, but the nuts give it flavor, too. If you make it without the nuts, let me know how it goes. Other people might be interested, too. Thanks for visiting!
I was so happy to see this recipe. I’m the early 60’s Pure Cain sugar gave away cookbooks for kids. This was one of the recipes. I used to make it all the time. I’ve often wished I had that recipe again to show the grands. Thank you for posting
You’re welcome, Diane! I did not know that. A lady who worked with my mother gave this recipe to her on a handwritten recipe card. That was back in the late ’60s or early ’70s. It has been a favorite of ours for many years. Thanks for visiting!
Can you add fruit? I am excited to try since I have all the ingredients. 😁
I have not added fruit. You should try it first. I’m thinking it doesn’t need fruit. Thanks for visiting, Susan.
Thank you for posting this recipe! I lost my hand written note card that a coworker gave me in the mid seventies. It’s a nice chewy cake I made often back then.
You’re welcome, Rachel! Glad you found it here. Merry Christmas!
The pictures show pecans. Have you used other nuts?
No, Lisa. I’ve always used pecans. Other nuts will work as well, but we love the sweeter taste of pecans. Thanks for the question.
What kind of flour, plain or self rising? Thanks
It’s just regular flour, Faye. I rarely use self-rising. Enjoy the cake!
I didn’t have any nuts to add, but I did have some white chocolate chips…..I used those instead..turned out great…I have put nuts on my shopping list to use next time..thanks for nice recipe.
Thanks for sharing, Linda! I might have to try adding the white chocolate chips! You’ll like the taste and crunch of the nuts.