Chocolate Depression Cake

I love the name of this, puns abound. That this type of recipe was common during the depression, that it may be a balm for depression, and that you make three depressions in the dry ingredients to add the wet.

Anyway, this recipe was recently handed down from my great-grandmother on my mom's side. I haven't made it yet, but it's nearly identical to another depression cake recipe I have. My recipe calls for oil instead of butter, but we all know butter makes you batter better. I also note that there's no salt in this recipe. I'm going to experiment at some point with adding 1/2 tsp of salt.

If you're feeling decadent, doubling the recipe (and the pan size) is encouraged.

In a 9 x 9 ungreased baking pan sift 1 1/2C flour
1 C Sugar
3 heaping teaspoons cocoa
1-teaspoon soda

Make three indents in the sifted ingredients
Place 1 teaspoon Vanilla in one
1 Tablespoon Vinegar in the second
5 Table spoons Melted butter in the third

Pour 1 cup of cold water over the top and mix until all ingredients are incorporated.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. It’s heavy, but really tasty.