1 2/3 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vinegar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Heat oven to 350 F. Mix flour, brown sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a bowl with fork. Stir in water, oil, vinegar and vanilla completely. Pour into ungreased 8x8x2-inch square pan. Bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired.

Variations:
Applesauce: Omit cocoa and vanilla. Stir in 1-1/2 teaspoons allspice into flour mixture. Reduce water to 1/2 cup and stir in 1/2 cup applesauce.

Chocolate - Cherry: Omit water. Stir 1/3 cup chopped unblanched almonds into the flour mixture. Drain 4 ounces Maraschino cherries, reserving syrup; chop cherries. Add enough water to reserved cherry syrup to measure 1 cup. Stir syrup-water mixture and cherries into the flour mixture with the remaining ingredients.

Chocolate Chip: Omit cocoa and vanilla. Stir 1/3 cup chopped walnuts into the flour mixture. Sprinkle 1/3 cup chocolate chips over batter in pan.

Double Chocolate Snack Cake, sprinkle 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips over batter in pan.

Maple Nut: Omit cocoa and vanilla. Stir 1/2 cup chopped pecans into the flour mixture. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon maple extract with the water.

Stacy's Notes: I mostly just make the plain cake, but often throw in some chocolate chips. I've put powdered sugar on the top, and I like it like that, or even plain. But Tim doesn't like a cake without frosting, so this is not his favorite. Me, I just like chocolate!