Old Fashioned Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake Recipe
Tender and flavorful, this old-fashioned Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake recipe is an easy chocolate cake to make from scratch that doesn’t need any eggs. It’s a perfect dessert for beginning bakers. Make this to celebrate a special occasion or any time you need a yummy treat.
Why You’ll Love this Mayo Cake
This easy chocolate mayonnaise cake is super easy to make and the flavor is worth the extra few minutes of effort.
While I typically love cake mix desserts this recipe shows you how to bake an old-fashioned mayo cake from scratch.
I’m NOT a mayonnaise person. I think it’s the devil’s condiment and I won’t eat any mayo-based salads. But sometimes you don’t have a key ingredient and you have to get creative. If you don’t have eggs, mayonnaise is the perfect hack!
Related: Chocolate Mayonnaise Cupcakes
I have a wicked sweet tooth. And once I got up the nerve to make some Mayo Cookies, I knew that I could use the same technique in a cake.
But it’s not just me, this is an old-fashioned idea which means all of our grandmothers made mayo cakes. I just plug my nose and try not to get any on me.
The results are totally worth any discomfort I have. A moist, chocolatey cake topped with a yummy frosting is the reward. And it’s a dessert you need to try.
Ingredients
This is a very basic scratch cake recipe that any non-skilled baker can make. I consider myself a decent cook, but baking? Not so much. This is so easy even I can do it.
All of the ingredients needed to make a chocolate mayo cake are things you may have at home already.
Or you can always make a Coke Cake!
How to make Mayo Chocolate Cake
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Grease and flour a baking pan and set aside.
If you are lazy like I am, I just use the cooking spray made specifically for baking.
Step 1
In a bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and cocoa powder.
Step 2
Then plug your nose, hold your breath and add the mayo.
Step 3
Add the oil and vanilla extract and beat vigorously until everything is combined
Step 4
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan
Step 5
Bake for 40 minutes or until done
I like to use a cake tester to make sure it’s cooked all through.
So easy.
How to Serve
I like to top the mayo chocolate cake with a really simple Cool Whip Frosting.
But it’s really tasty enough to leave as is if you prefer. It’s rich and yummy!
It’s a dessert that feels perfectly vintage and nostalgic. I love desserts like that. (Hello, Wine Cake).
Tips
- Full-fat mayonnaise is the best to use for adding moisture to the cake and I promise it won’t give you any mayonnaise flavor.
- If you really want to jazz up the chocolate flavor, you can add 1-2 teaspoons of espresso powder. This is one of my favorite dessert making tips!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can bake with mayo and you should! Made up of eggs and oil, mayo is an easy substitution to use especially in a baking emergency. I first learned of this trick when vacationing with my husband’s family. My brother-in-law didn’t have eggs to make his wife a birthday cake and he grabbed mayonnaise instead. I almost threw up but it was key in showing me that mayo could redeem itself.
Using mayonnaise in a cake recipe helps to make the cake tender and moist. It also somehow brings out the chocolate flavor. You know how some cakes are hard to eat because they are too sweet? Well, mayo tones that down and makes it taste balanced.
For this recipe, I’m using half a cup because I am also adding a little oil (to make sure it is super moist). But you can easily ditch the oil in any recipe and use the same amount of mayo instead. And then just skip any eggs called for.
Make this mayonnaise chocolate cake recipe next time you want a cake that is full of flavor and super easy to make!
Using the Cool Whip Frosting keeps things super easy and you don’t need to worry about having any decorating skills.
Just make sure the cake is cooled completely before frosting.
Mayo Cake. Do it.
More recipes with mayonnaise
- Tuna and Noodles is the perfect fast dinner for busy weeknights. Your serving MUST be topped with corn chips.
- This Chipotle Lime Mayo Chicken is SO tasty! Who knew mayonnaise could keep chicken so moist. It’s also the perfect vehicle to get the tortilla chips to stick.
- Chocolate Mayonnaise Cupcakes are just as easy to make as this cake!
- Green Chile Cheese Dip is a delicious hot dip that is perfect for any game day.
- This cold Bacon Cream Cheese Dip with sage has a tiny bit of mayo to smooth everything out.
- My Hot Artichoke Dip recipe calls for 1 cup of mayo but I know I never actually put that much in…
Chocolate Cake with Mayo
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 TBSP baking powder
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup oil (vegetable or canola)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease and flour a baking pan and set aside.
- In a bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and cocoa powder.
- Add the mayo, oil and vanilla extract and beat vigorously until everything is combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 40 minutes or until done.
- Let cool completely before frosting.
Baking pan? What size for the Mayo cake?
I use a 9 x 13 sheet pan for this mayonnaise cake.