Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake
This moist, scrumptious Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake was popular when I was growing up. It’s tender and out of this world! It’s seriously one amazing Homemade Chocolate Cake!
It could be the Best Chocolate Cake Recipe you’ll ever taste, making it perfect for all the chocoholics in your life. The unusual ingredient can be our little secret!
Reader Testimonial:
Hands down the most delicious chocolate cake! I made it for someone’s birthday, everyone there agreed it was the best.
Why You Must Make
- The magic “mayo” helps add the moisture that many chocolate cakes are lacking.
- Even though I thought overbaked it by a couple of minutes, it was moist and delicious!
- The frosting is just as yummy as the cake!
This cake was declared a hit by the whole family, and the neighborhood chocoholic relayed that it was the Best Chocolate Cake Recipe he had ever had (via his wife, who left me a glowing review via voice mail). Not a single soul thought it was dry, despite the fact that it could have come out of the oven at the 28-minute mark.
Ingredient Notes:
- Kitchen Staples – All-Purpose Flour, Granulated Sugar, Butter (salted is OK)
- Cocoa powder (affiliate link)- I use the Ghirardelli brand.
- Baking Soda and Baking Powder (affiliate link) – PRO-Tip: Check expiration dates as baking powder often expires in your pantry before you can put a dent in it!
- Real Vanilla Extract (affiliate link)- Never use imitation vanilla. The taste of real vanilla is so much better.
- Full Fat Hellmann’s Mayonnaise (affiliate link) or Best Foods, do not use a salad dressing, like Miracle Whip
- Eggs – I always use large eggs unless otherwise specified. Have them at room temperature for easier incorporation. You can put them in a bowl of very warm, not boiling water, to help take the chill off.
- Brewed Coffee – Coffee helps accentuate the chocolate flavor without adding a coffee taste, so don’t worry about adding this ingredient if you don’t like coffee. You will not taste it.
- Semisweet Chocolate (affiliate link) – I prefer Ghirardelli bars over chocolate chips for better qua
- Powdered Sugar (affiliate link) – Sift whenever using powdered sugar for frosting so there won’t be lumps.
How to Make
Expert Tips:
- Read through the recipe first to see if you have all the ingredients needed before starting.
- PRO-Tip: Get your eggs out of the refrigerator an hour or two before you plan to start mixing, to take the chill off. Room-temperature eggs incorporate into the batter more easily than cold ones.
- PRO-Tip: Measure properly. Using Dry Measuring Cups (affiliate link) for flour and sugar, and Liquid Measuring Cups (affiliate link) for liquids. They’re not interchangeable, so it’s worth mentioning.
- Scoop up the flour from your bin, bag, or container with your measuring cup, then use an Offset Spatula (affiliate link) to cleanly sweep the excess from the top. The scoop and swipe method is used universally by bakers for consistency.
- Though measuring by weight is definitely the most accurate method, many home cooks do not own a Kitchen Scale (affiliate link).
- The mayonnaise can be measured in a dry measuring cup.
- If you want a level cake tops, use Cake Strips for Baking (affiliate link), soaked in water, around the perimeter of each cake pan. PRO-Tip: You can also make your own using an old terry cloth towel and safety pins.
Tips for Cutting the Perfect Slice of Cake
I’m frequently asked how to cut a perfect slice of cake. Today, I’ll reveal all my secrets for cutting this Chocolate Cake Recipe!
- I popped this layer cake into the refrigerator for a few hours to help the frosting firm up. When I was ready to cut a wedge, I grabbed a wide serrated knife and ran it under very hot water.
- PRO-Tip: Cut chilled and serve at room temperature.
- Next, I wiped the knife dry with a clean cloth or paper towel and cut the cake with a sawing motion. I reheated and dried the knife for the second cut, making sure both cuts met at the center.
- I used a Metal Spatula AKA a Cake Server (affiliate links) to remove the first slice. Voila! Note that the cake will taste better served at room temperature, but slices more cleanly when cold.
Frequently Asked Questions
You must remember that mayonnaise is made of oil, vinegar, and egg. Each of these components offers its own benefits to the texture of a cake. No wonder this chocolate mayonnaise cake recipe is so incredible!!
The oil makes the cake moist and tender. Check. We want that! The vinegar helps accentuate the chocolate flavor. Check. Who wouldn’t want that in a chocolate cake??? And, finally, the egg helps the batter retain moisture. Yes, no dry cakes are wanted!
PRO-Tip: Plus, all of the above (moisture, tenderness, and intensified chocolate flavor!) can be obtained with just a measuring cup full of mayo. Please use a good name brand, like Hellmann’s, for the best results when making this homemade chocolate cake! Do not use reduced-fat mayonnaise as the results will not be the same.
Well, if you’ve read this far, you know the answer is yes. Though I have never tried it, I’ve read that you can substitute 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise for every egg in a cake recipe. A great tip if you’re out of eggs and desperately need to bake a cake!
Though real mayonnaise contains eggs, the eggs and mayonnaise are cooked in this cake. Therefore, there is no need to refrigerate this cake. If you live in a hot climate or make this cake in the middle of the summer, the frosting will do better if it is kept cool. Just make sure to cover well as there’s less moisture/humidity in your fridge, which will dry out your cake faster, then bring the cake to room temperature before serving.
Yes, this cake freezes well. Cool and wrap the unfrosted layers in plastic wrap, then foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. If you’d like to freeze the frosted cake, first freeze the cake uncovered to allow the frosting to firm up. Then wrap well in plastic wrap. Remove the plastic while the cake is frozen and let the cake defrost overnight in the refrigerator.
This cake recipe came about during the Great Depression. With the shortage of many items, using mayonnaise instead of eggs and oil for cake became popular. In fact, the recipe started appearing on mayonnaise jars!
No. You’d never guess there was mayonnaise in this cake recipe unless someone tells you!
You May Also Like:
- Salted Caramel Chocolate Cheesecake Cake from Aimee at Shugary Sweets
- Flourless Double Chocolate Cake
- La Bete Noire
- Chocolate Bundt Cake Recipe
- Flourless Chocolate Cake with Marshmallow Frosting
- Frozen Chocolate Mousse Cake
- More Chocolate Desserts
- More Best Cake Recipes
Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake Recipe
A retro chocolate layer cake that has stood the test of time!
Ingredients
Cake:
- 2 cups flour
- ⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 3 eggs
- 1 ⅔ cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 cup mayonnaise (I recommend using Hellmann's or Best Foods and not Miracle Whip)
- 1 ⅓ cups cold coffee
Frosting:
- 10 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 ½ cups (3 sticks) butter, room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Grease two 9-inch cake pans, line them with rounds of parchment, and grease the parchment; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and baking powder; set aside.
- In a large bowl or mixer, beat eggs, sugar, and vanilla on high for 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in mayonnaise at low speed until blended.
- Alternately beat in flour mixture with coffee, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Divide evenly between prepared pans.
- Bake for 26-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean.
- Let cakes cool for about 20 minutes, then remove to cooling racks (remove parchment if it's stuck to the cakes) to cool completely.
- Place chopped chocolate into a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave, stopping to stir frequently until the chocolate is melted and smooth.
- Let the chocolate cool until lukewarm, stirring occasionally.
- Beat butter in a large bowl until smooth and creamy (I used my stand mixer with the paddle attachment). Sift powdered sugar over the butter and beat until well blended, about 2 minutes. Beat in vanilla.
- Add melted chocolate and beat until well blended, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Frost as desired.
Notes
Make sure your baking powder hasn't expired or your cakes won't rise properly. Baking soda has a much longer shelf life.
Recommended Products
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 571Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 569mgCarbohydrates: 89gFiber: 3gSugar: 68gProtein: 6g
81 Comments on “Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake”
Just watched your video and now having a huge craving for chocolate! I should know better than to come to your site– cravings are bound to happen. (smiling) So moist and delicious and that photo angle or your hero shot is stunning. Wishing you a super weekend.
cake looks good but the only thing I would do is omit the coffee for water or hot chocolate cuz I not a coffee drinker and do not like the taste of it
Hi, Doris! My husband feels the same way. If I don’t overdo it, he doesn’t seem to mind, but it has to be a light touch 🙂
Recipe for Mayo Chocolate Cake
In your instructions, you state to use Hellmans Mayo, not Miracle Whip. Would this cake not be as good? Have you ever tried Miracle Whip? Thanks
Hi, Linda,
It has a different proportion of ingredients. It’s the eggs and oil in the mayo that are key to adding moisture, so not sure if Miracle Whip would work as it’s lower fat/lower calorie than Hellmann’s. I would guess that it wouldn’t be as good, though. Hope that helps!
Hi another great recipe. Please can you show weights instead of cups. Uk recipes don’t use cups and USA and Australian cups differ. Makes a recipe hard to use in the uk.
I hope to someday, Cath. Not all converters are the same so it makes me nervous to post in weights without retesting 🙂
Hi Liz,
I am handicapped and can’t stand for long time’s, would I be able to use a Dunkin Hiens’ box cake and add the mayo? When would I add the Mayo, and would it still taste the same?
thank you Liz for all the wonderful food.
Loretta
Hi, Loretta!
Good question—and I don’t think I can give you a definitive answer without a lot of testing. I’m not sure it would taste any better than following the box instructions if you’d use mayo instead of the eggs and oil. I think I’d just make the DH cake using the box instructions and maybe make the frosting from the recipe. Wish I could be more help!
P.S. Thanks for your kind words 🙂
This cake is so dreamy, Liz! It would disappear so fast at our house!
This is such an elegant implementation of this traditional recipe! Looks delicious!
such a sensationally recipe for me, really appriciate some great stuff i tried this so many times and its the best recipe because i can add stuff from my thoughts too 🙂 happy women’s day btw
My grandma would make a chocolate mayonnaise cake. When I was younger I thought it was strange but now it brings back some pretty special memories.
I made this while in Belgium for my in-laws and family. Using Belgian chocolate! It was a hit! The best chocolate cake I’ve ever made or eaten.
Oh, I can only imagine how delicious this was with Belgian chocolate! Lucky you! Thanks so much for your lovely review.
Hands down the most delicious chocolate cake! I made it for someone’s birthday, everyone there agreed it was the best. I am planning on making another this week just for us! Great job Liz as always xoxo
SO glad it was a hit, Joanne! It’s one of our favorites, too. xo
I am not going to lie, I was skeptical at first. But this cake is so delicious! It’s unbelievably moist, thanks to mayonnaise!
I would love to try it! How long would you bake for cupcakes?
Hi, Jessica,
I have not tested this recipe with cupcakes, but usually they take approximately 20 minutes. You can always bake just one cupcake as a test to see how long it takes, and how full to fill the cupcake liner. Let me know how it goes!
It’s amazing how well the mayo works in this cake! Yum!
This is everything you want in a chocolate cake!
All I can say is. YUM!!
This cake was really amazing! I made it for my son’s birthday and everyone loved it!
Mayonnaise cake is a retro dessert worth preserving. SO chocolaty and delicious!
This cake is so moist and delicious! My kids request this all the time!
That is one gorgeous looking chocolate cake!
I have never heard of mayo in a cake before but I am definitely curious about it. I imagine it knocks the moisture of this cake out of the park!