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    Home » Recipes » Cakes & Cupcakes » Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

    February 6, 2021 · Updated January 17, 2023

    Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

    5 from 2 votes
    11 Comments

    · by Amanda Gajdosik

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This post may contain affiliate links. This blog generates income via ads.

    a pin to share the recipe for chocolate mayo cake

    This recipe was originally published on February 2, 2018 and was updated on February 6, 2021. Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake is a time-tested family favorite recipe. It’s moist, chocolatey, and supremely easy to make! Mayo in cake might sound weird to you, but just try it once and you’ll be hooked!

    An overhead shot of a chocolate mayonnaise cake that is frosted and scattered with spirnkles.

    I grew up eating this cake. I never knew it was a weird concept until I was older and people would look at me aghast, “Mayonnaise in cake?!” Yes! And, preferably, a cake that’s covered in cream cheese frosting.

    At its heart, this is a chocolate cake. It has a deep and rich flavor and a supremely moist crumb. It’s very easy to whip up, as evidenced by the fact that it was one of the first things I learned to make as a kid.

    A corner piece of chocolate mayonnaise cake is pulled out from the rest of the cake on a cooling rack that has been covered with parchment paper.

    Here’s what you’ll need to make your own!

    Ingredients for this recipe:

    • Mayonnaise (Duke’s or death, I will always say it!)
    • Sugar
    • Eggs
    • Vanilla Extract
    • Flour
    • Cocoa Powder
    • Baking Soda
    • Baking Powder
    • Espresso Powder
    • Salt
    • Whole Milk

    Why do you put mayonnaise in cake?

    What do you put in cake to make it moist? Eggs and oil! What is mayonnaise made out of? Eggs and oil! And that is why you put mayo in cake!

    A piece of chocolate mayonnaise cake sits on a piece of parchment paper on a cooling rack. There are sprinkles and crumbs scattered around and milk jars in the background.

    Necessity is the mother of invention. During the Great Depression, there was a necessity for eggs and oil to make cakes, but a lack of availability of the fresh stuff. God bless the housewife who figured out that mixing mayonnaise into a cake was a very real, and very delicious, option!

    A white banner with black lettering and the Instagram camera icon showing readers where to follow on Instagram.

    And since then, it’s been a common ingredient in baked goods. At least in my family! This recipe was handed down to me from my mother, who learned it from my grandmother. I’ve made a few changes over the years, in the hopes of creating a perfect mayo cake that still boasts old-fashioned flavor.

    An overhead shot of pieces of chocolate mayonnaise cake on a piece of parchment paper set over a cooling rack.

    And by gosh, I have done it! And now you can too!

    How to make mayonnaise cake:

    1. Sift the dry ingredients. And then whisk them to combine. This ensures there are no lumps in the dry ingredients.
    2. Mix the sugar and mayonnaise. Then add the eggs and vanilla extract. There’s no whipping until light and fluffy, just a quick mix!
    3. Add the dry ingredients. Alternating with the whole milk. Standard cake batter procedure.
    4. Bake the cake. In a pan lined with parchment paper and lightly coated with baking spray.
    5. Cool and frost the cake. With cream cheese frosting! Obviously.
    • A glass bowl filled with the dry ingredients for mayo cake that have been whisked together.
      Sift and whisk the dry ingredients.
    • A glass mixing bowl filled with the wet ingredients for mayo cake.
      Mix the wet ingredients.
    • A glass mixing bowl filled with chocolate mayo cake batter.
      Make the mayo cake batter.
    • Chocolate mayo cake batter is being poured into a prepared baking pan.
      Pour into prepared pan and bake.

    Does the cake taste like mayonnaise?

    No! Not at all! This recipe produces a deeply rich and chocolatey cake. There is a certain tang to it, similar to if you use sour cream in cakes. But this is a sweet dessert recipe and it definitely tastes like one!

    An overhead shot of a frosted and cuts chocolate mayonnaise cake on a piece of parchment paper set over a cooling rack.

    You may also enjoy:

    • Chocolate Pistachio Bundt Cake
    • Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
    • Chocolate Covered Strawberry Tart
    A white banner with black lettering and stars asking readers to leave a recipe rating or comment.
    Print Recipe
    5 from 2 votes

    Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

    Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake is a time-tested family favorite recipe. It’s moist, chocolatey, and supremely easy to! Mayo in cake might sound weird to you but just try it once and you’ll be hooked!
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time25 mins
    Total Time35 mins
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: chocolate cake recipe, chocolate mayonnaise cake, mayo cake, mayonnaise cake
    Servings: 24 servings
    Calories: 163kcal
    Author: Amanda Gajdosik

    Equipment

    • 9x13 baking pan

    Ingredients

    • 2 ¼ cups flour
    • ½ cup cocoa powder
    • 1 tsp. baking powder
    • ½ tsp. baking soda
    • ½ tsp. salt
    • 1 tsp. espresso powder
    • 1 ¼ cup sugar
    • 1 cup mayonnaise at room temperature
    • 2 large eggs at room temperature
    • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
    • 1 cup whole milk at room temperature

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 cake pan with baking spray and set aside. If desired, line the pan with parchment paper before spraying with baking spray for even more easy release.
    • In a large bowl sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder. Then whisk to combine and set aside.
    • In a separate bowl, mix together the sugar and mayonnaise until thick. Stir in the eggs and vanilla extract.
    • Add ⅓ of the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients and stir to combine. Then add ½ of the whole milk. Repeat the process of stirring in the dry ingredients, followed by milk, and then ending with dry. Scrape the bottom of the bowl to be sure ingredients are fully combined.
    • Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for 25 – 28 minutes, or until edges begin to pull away from the side of the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
    • Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on wire rack.
    • When cake has cooled, cover with prepared cream cheese frosting.

    Notes

    • For even more chocolate, add ½ cup of cocoa powder to the regular cream cheese frosting recipe!

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1piece | Calories: 163kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 159mg | Potassium: 68mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 42IU | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 1mg

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    Comments

    1. thesweetworldsite says

      February 02, 2018 at 5:41 pm

      I've heard of cakes with mayo, but have never tried making one! Thanks for sharing this recipe! Here are calzones that I made for dinner and really loved them. Hope you try them and enjoy them too 🙂
      https://thesweetworldsite.wordpress.com/2018/01/31/calzone/

      Reply
      • Amanda says

        February 05, 2018 at 6:27 pm

        It's so stinking easy! Give it a go!

        Reply
    2. marymtf says

      February 04, 2018 at 12:08 am

      You mean mayonnaise? What does that do for the cake? What if you don't have Dukes where you live?

      Reply
      • Amanda says

        February 05, 2018 at 6:31 pm

        yes, mayonnaise! It's the eggs and oil in this cake instead of using actual eggs and oil. It's absolutely amazing!

        Reply
    3. Anne says

      February 06, 2023 at 6:56 pm

      My grandma had a recipe for Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake VERY similar to this. She would always frost it with a brown sugar frosting, which paired PERFECTLY with the cake. It would really bring out the slight tartness of the mayo in the cake (in a GOOD way). Love this and will have to make one soon!

      Reply

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