Introduction
Oh, hey there! Come on in, pull up a chair. I’ve got a recipe for you today that might raise an eyebrow, but trust me, it’s pure magic. We’re talking about Mayonnaise Cake! Now, before you make a face, hear me out. This isn’t some weird, mayo-flavored concoction. Think of the mayonnaise as the ultimate secret weapon for creating a chocolate cake that is unbelievably moist, tender, and absolutely delicious. It’s a classic for a reason, often passed down through generations, and it’s one of those recipes that surprises everyone who tries it. If you’re looking for an easy, no-fuss chocolate cake that delivers big on flavor and texture, you’ve found it!
This recipe is incredibly simple to whip up, requires minimal ingredients you likely already have in your pantry, and produces a cake so moist it practically melts in your mouth. Seriously, it’s a game-changer. Whether you’re baking for a potluck, a birthday, or just a Tuesday, this cake is always a hit.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Fast: No creaming butter and sugar required! Just mix wet and dry ingredients.
- Easy: Simple pantry staples, straightforward steps, perfect for beginners.
- Giftable: This cake travels well and makes a wonderful homemade gift.
- Crowd-pleasing: Everyone loves a moist, rich chocolate cake, and the secret ingredient is a fun conversation starter!
Ingredients
Gathering your ingredients is the first step to this chocolatey goodness. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Cake
- 4 cups all-purpose flour: Just your standard flour is perfect here.
- 2 cups granulated sugar: For sweetness and tenderness.
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder: Use a good quality one for the best chocolate flavor.
- 4 teaspoons baking soda: Our leavening agent, reacting with ingredients to make the cake rise and be light.
- 2 cups mayonnaise: The star! Don’t worry, you won’t taste it. It provides the fat and eggs needed for incredible moisture.
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract: Enhances all those lovely flavors.
- 2 cups water: Helps bring everything together into a smooth batter.
- Frosting (Optional)
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder: More chocolatey goodness!
- 1 cup butter, melted: Provides richness and structure to the frosting.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract: For that classic frosting flavor.
- 5 cups powdered sugar: The base of our smooth, sweet frosting.
- ½ cup milk (or more, if needed): To get that perfect, spreadable consistency.
How to Make It
Alright, let’s get baking! You’ll be amazed at how quickly this comes together.
First, you want to preheat your oven. Get it ready at 350°F (175°C). While it’s heating, grease and flour a 9×13 inch baking pan, or two 8 or 9-inch round cake pans. You can also line the bottoms with parchment paper if you like, just to be extra sure it won’t stick.
In a really large bowl, whisk together all your dry cake ingredients: the flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, and baking soda. Give it a good mix to make sure everything is evenly distributed. This is important for a consistent texture.
Now, for the wet ingredients! Add the mayonnaise and vanilla extract right into the dry ingredients. Don’t mix yet! Pour in the water last. Starting to look like cake batter now!
Using a wooden spoon or a sturdy spatula, mix everything together. Start in the center and work your way out, mixing until just combined. Be careful not to overmix – you want a smooth batter with no dry streaks of flour left, but mixing too much can make the cake tough. A few small lumps are okay.
Pour the batter evenly into your prepared pan(s). If you’re using a 9×13, just one pan is perfect. If using rounds, divide the batter between the two.
Pop the pan(s) into your preheated oven. For a 9×13 pan, you’ll typically bake it for 30-35 minutes. If you’re using round pans, it might be slightly less, around 25-30 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Once baked, remove the cake(s) from the oven and let them cool in the pan for about 10-15 minutes before attempting to remove them. If using round pans, invert them onto a wire rack to cool completely. For a 9×13, you can usually just let it cool mostly in the pan before frosting.
While the cake is cooling, let’s make that easy frosting (if you’re using it!). In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter and cocoa powder until smooth. Stir in the vanilla extract. Gradually add the powdered sugar, alternating with splashes of milk. Mix until you get a smooth, spreadable consistency. If it’s too thick, add a little more milk, a tablespoon at a time. If it’s too thin, add a little more powdered sugar.
Once your cake is completely cool (this is important, or the frosting will melt!), spread the frosting evenly over the top. Slice, serve, and prepare for the rave reviews!
Substitutions & Additions
This recipe is pretty forgiving and a great canvas for additions!
- Cocoa Power: Want an even deeper chocolate flavor? Try using Dutch-process cocoa powder instead of natural unsweetened cocoa. It gives a slightly different color and taste profile.
- Coffee: Replace the water with hot coffee (brewed or instant mixed with hot water). Coffee is a fantastic way to enhance chocolate flavor without making the cake taste like coffee.
- Add-Ins: Stir in a cup of chocolate chips, chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans are great), or even some shredded coconut into the batter before baking.
- Spice: Add a pinch of cinnamon or even a tiny pinch of cayenne pepper to the dry ingredients for a subtle, warm undertone that pairs beautifully with chocolate.
- Frosting Swaps: Not feeling the chocolate frosting? This cake is also delicious with a simple vanilla buttercream, a cream cheese frosting, or even just a dusting of powdered sugar.
Tips for Success
- Measure Correctly: Especially the flour and cocoa powder. Spoon them into your measuring cup and level off with a straight edge. Don’t scoop directly from the bag, as this can compact the ingredients, leading to a dry cake.
- Don’t Overmix: Once the wet and dry ingredients meet, mix just until the dry streaks disappear. Overmixing develops gluten, which can make your cake tough.
- Use Room Temperature Mayonnaise: While the recipe doesn’t strictly require it, using room temperature mayonnaise (just let it sit out for 30-60 minutes) can help it incorporate more smoothly into the batter.
- Cool Completely: Make sure the cake is completely cool before frosting. A warm cake will melt your frosting into a gooey mess. Patience is key here!
- Prep Ahead: You can make the frosting a day ahead of time and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. Let it come to room temperature for about 30 minutes and give it a good stir before using. The cake itself can also be baked a day ahead, cooled completely, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, and stored at room temperature until you’re ready to frost.
How to Store It
Good news! This moist cake stores wonderfully.
Once cooled and frosted (or not!), store the cake covered at room temperature for up to 3-4 days. A cake dome, an airtight container, or even just covering the pan tightly with plastic wrap will work.
If you need to keep it longer, you can store it in the refrigerator for up to a week, though the frosting might firm up a bit. Just let it sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before serving to soften the frosting slightly.
You can also freeze slices or the entire cake (unfrosted is best for freezing). Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then a layer of aluminum foil. Frozen cake keeps well for up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
FAQs
Got questions? I’ve got answers!
Q: Does it taste like mayonnaise?
A: Absolutely not! The mayonnaise provides fat and moisture, similar to oil or butter and eggs, but the flavor disappears completely during baking. All you taste is rich, moist chocolate cake.
Q: Why use mayonnaise instead of butter or oil and eggs?
A: Mayonnaise is essentially oil and egg yolk emulsified together, with a little vinegar or lemon juice. It provides all the necessary fat and binding power in one ingredient, making the batter incredibly easy to mix and resulting in a uniquely moist and tender crumb.
Q: Can I use light or reduced-fat mayonnaise?
A: I strongly recommend using full-fat mayonnaise for this recipe. The fat content is crucial for the texture and moisture of the cake. Reduced-fat versions may alter the outcome.
Q: Can I make cupcakes with this batter?
A: Yes, absolutely! This batter makes fantastic cupcakes. Line cupcake tins with liners and fill them about two-thirds full. Bake time will be shorter, usually around 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Surprisingly Moist Mayonnaise Chocolate Cake
Equipment
- Oven
- Baking pan 9x13 inch or two 8 or 9-inch round cake pans
- Parchment paper optional, for lining pan bottoms
- Large bowl for cake batter
- Whisk
- wooden spoon or sturdy spatula
- Medium bowl for frosting
- Wire rack for cooling round cakes
- cupcake tins optional, if making cupcakes
Ingredients
Cake
- 4 cup all-purpose flour standard flour
- 2 cup granulated sugar For sweetness and tenderness.
- 0.5 cup unsweetened cocoa powder Use a good quality one for the best chocolate flavor.
- 4 teaspoon baking soda Our leavening agent.
- 2 cup mayonnaise Provides fat and eggs for moisture.
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract Enhances flavors.
- 2 cup water Helps bring everything together.
Frosting (Optional)
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup butter melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 cup powdered sugar
- 0.5 cup milk or more, if needed
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). While it's heating, grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan, or two 8 or 9-inch round cake pans. You can also line the bottoms with parchment paper if you like.
- In a really large bowl, whisk together all your dry cake ingredients: the flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, and baking soda. Give it a good mix to make sure everything is evenly distributed.
- Now, for the wet ingredients! Add the mayonnaise and vanilla extract right into the dry ingredients. Don't mix yet! Pour in the water last.
- Using a wooden spoon or a sturdy spatula, mix everything together. Start in the center and work your way out, mixing until just combined. Be careful not to overmix – you want a smooth batter with no dry streaks of flour left. A few small lumps are okay.
- Pour the batter evenly into your prepared pan(s). If you're using a 9x13, just one pan is perfect. If using rounds, divide the batter between the two.
- Pop the pan(s) into your preheated oven. For a 9x13 pan, you'll typically bake it for 30-35 minutes. If you're using round pans, it might be slightly less, around 25-30 minutes. You'll know it's done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Once baked, remove the cake(s) from the oven and let them cool in the pan for about 10-15 minutes before attempting to remove them. If using round pans, invert them onto a wire rack to cool completely. For a 9x13, you can usually just let it cool mostly in the pan before frosting.
- While the cake is cooling, let's make that easy frosting (if you're using it!). In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter and cocoa powder until smooth. Stir in the vanilla extract.
- Gradually add the powdered sugar, alternating with splashes of milk. Mix until you get a smooth, spreadable consistency. If it's too thick, add a little more milk, a tablespoon at a time. If it's too thin, add a little more powdered sugar.
- Once your cake is completely cool (this is important, or the frosting will melt!), spread the frosting evenly over the top.
- Slice, serve, and prepare for the rave reviews!
Notes
Tips for Success: Measure flour and cocoa powder correctly by spooning and leveling. Do not overmix the batter. Using room temperature mayonnaise can help it incorporate smoothly. Ensure cake is completely cool before frosting. Frosting and unfrosted cake can be made a day ahead.
Storage: Store covered at room temperature for 3-4 days. Refrigerate for up to a week (frosting may firm). Freeze slices or unfrosted cake wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and foil for 2-3 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
FAQs: The cake does not taste like mayonnaise; it provides moisture and fat. Mayonnaise replaces oil/butter and eggs in one ingredient. Use full-fat mayonnaise for best results. Can be made into cupcakes; bake time is typically 18-22 minutes.