Using mayonnaise in a cake may sound surprising, but this cake is light, decadent, moist, and so delicious. Plus, it’s perfect for when you’re running low on supplies and don’t want to (or can’t) go to the grocery store!
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There is never a better way to celebrate a big day than with a cake. I love making cakes on The Foreign Fork! Some of my favorites are Rum Cake from The Bahamas, German Black Forest Cake, or Honey Cake.
But longer than any of those, Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake was my first love. Yes, it may have mayonnaise, but don’t knock it till you try it! I promise it’s delicious… if you weren’t the one making the cake, you wouldn’t even know it was there 😉
Recipe Origins
How did mayonnaise cake come to be? During the Great Depression, a lot of Americans didn’t have access to normal perishable items such as milk and eggs.
The beauty of the human spirit, however, is that it does not let the negativity keep it down. There were still birthdays, anniversaries, and even plain-ole-Saturdays to celebrate. But there needed to be an affordable way to do so!
Enter: Mayonnaise Cake. The mayonnaise in the cake replaces the need for milk, oil, and eggs! It seems that one of the first recipes for chocolate mayonnaise cake was invented by Hellman’s Mayonnaise to promote their product during The Great Depression.
Other versions of the recipe also involve instant coffee.The idea stuck, and to this day America enjoys a good mayonnaise cake.
Though this cake is made with mayonnaise, you can’t taste the mayo in the final product at all. The cake is light and moist and chocolate-y and all the things that you want your chocolate cake to be. It’s just made with mayonnaise!
Why Make this Recipe
- No Grocery Store Trips: Okay, well you might have to make one… But because this recipe is made entirely with non-perishable ingredients, you’re more likely to have everything that you need in your pantry right now.
- Moist Cake: The use of mayo doesn’t take away from the fact that this cake is moist and delicious!
- Fast: Making a cake has literally never been easier! Simply add the ingredients to a mixing bowl and combine. You can make the batter for this cake in less than 10 minutes!
What Do I Need to Make this Recipe?
Ingredients
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
- Mayonnaise: Full fat mayonnaise. Light versions will change the texture of the cake.
- Flour: All-purpose flour.
- Cocoa: Natural, unsweetened.
- Water: Use room temperature water for best results.
Tools
- 9” Round Nonstick Pans or 9×13 Glass Pan
- Sifter
- Electric Hand Mixer
- Wooden Spoon or Rubber Spatula
Watch the Recipe Video
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How to Make this Recipe
Step 1: Prepare the Pans
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Rub butter on 2 (9”) round nonstick pans or 1 (9×13) nonstick pan. Add the 2 tbsp all purpose flour to the center of the pan(s) and tip the pan(s) until the bottom and sides are completely coated in a light layer of flour. Set aside.
Step 2: Make the Cake Batter
Sift flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, and baking soda together in a large bowl.
Use an electric hand mixer to mix in mayonnaise.
Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to mix in water by hand.
Add vanilla and mix by hand again.
Step 3: Bake the Cakes
Pour into prepared pan(s). Bake for 25-30 minutes for 9” pan or 40 minutes for 9×13, until a toothpick comes out clean.
Stack your cakes on top of each other with chocolate frosting between the layers, and then frost with Chocolate Buttercream frosting. My favorite chocolate frosting recipe is linked in the “notes” section at the bottom of the recipe card. Use these instructions to learn How to Stack a Two Tier Cake.
Enjoy! Leave a comment on this post letting me know what you thought!
Expert Tips
- See video for an example of how to prepare your pan.
- When measuring your flour, scoop the flour into the measuring cup and use a knife to level off the cup. Scooping the flour with your measuring spoon will result in too much flour.
- Use a toothpick to check if your cake is done. If a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, then you can remove the cake from the oven!
- Use fresh flowers to decorate your cake like I did! Wrap the stems in plastic wrap so that you don’t get pollen/dirt in your cake
- Do not over mix the batter. If there are a few lumps in the batter, that is okay!
- I love this Chocolate Frosting recipe.
Storing Leftovers
Refrigerating vs Countertop
Your mayonnaise cake should be fine to stay unrefrigerated, unless you have cream cheese frosting (or Honey Cream Cheese Frosting!) on top (not recommended).
Buttercream frosting is okay to stay out of the fridge. You also can refrigerate the cake if you’d like, depending on if you like cold or room temperature cake.
Freezing
Mayonnaise does not change the cake’s ability to be frozen. Once the cake is baked, it acts exactly like a cake made with oil and eggs! Because of this, you can freeze the cake just like you would any other cake.
Wrap your unfrosted cake in cling wrap. Then, wrap the cling wrap layer in aluminum foil. Both of these layers will keep your cake fresh for up to 3 months.
What Frosting Should I Use?
What a good question. The frosting is important! Some good frosting choices for your Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake are:
- Chocolate Buttercream
- Vanilla Frosting
- Strawberry Frosting
- Raspberry Frosting
- Chocolate Ganache
- Salted Peanut Butter Frosting
- Marshmallow Fluff Frosting (If you’re looking for another great cake, I love this Chocolate Orange Cake with Marshmallow Frosting!)
Recipe FAQs
Mayonnaise cake is popular because it’s delicious, but it’s also popular because it’s simple. The mayonnaise acts as the fat supplement in the cake, meaning that you can make a perfectly wonderful chocolate cake with just flour, sugar, cocoa, and some mayonnaise.
The special ingredient eliminates the need for milk, butter, or even eggs! A simple water and mayonnaise will do the trick.
This is helpful for a few reasons. If you don’t have access to or can’t keep normal perishable ingredients (such as milk and eggs), mayonnaise is a long-term substitute.
For example, during 2020 when the grocery stores were empty, I made my boyfriend this cake for his birthday because it is made entirely with non-perishable ingredients (just like these 6 Recipes You Can Make with Non-Perishable Ingredients). It’s beautifully versatile and resilient.
If there are leftovers of your Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake, they should last for about a week. Make sure that they stay wrapped up or in a completely airtight container. You’ll know your cake is ready to throw out when it starts to get dry and crumbly.
If you liked this recipe, be sure to leave a comment letting me know! And don’t forget to post a photo of your cake on Facebook or Instagram with the #TheForeignFork and tag @TheForeignFork.
If you liked this cake recipe, you might also like these recipes I’ve picked out just for you:
- Raspberry Roll
- Sacher Torte
- Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Chocolate Molten Lava Cake
- Canadian Christmas Fruit Cake
Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake
Equipment
- Sifter
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter (or vegetable lard), for flouring
- 3 cups + 2 tbsp all purpose flour, divided
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder, unsweetened
- 2 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ cups mayonnaise
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Rub 2 tbsp butter on 2 (9”) round nonstick pans or 1 (9×13) nonstick pan. Add 2 tbsp all purpose flour to the center of the pan(s) and tip the pan(s) until the bottom and sides are completely coated in a light layer of flour. Set aside.
- Sift 3 cups flour, 1 ½ cups granulated sugar, ⅓ cup cocoa powder, 2 ¼ teaspoon baking powder, and 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda together in a large bowl.
- Use an electric hand mixer to mix in 1 ½ cups mayonnaise.
- Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to mix in 1 ½ cups water by hand.
- Add 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla and mix by hand again.
- Pour into prepared pan(s). Bake for 25-30 minutes for 9” pan or 40 minutes for 9×13, until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Frost with Chocolate Buttercream frosting. My favorite recipe is linked in the “notes” section at the bottom of the recipe card.
- Enjoy! Leave a comment on this post letting me know what you thought!
Notes
- Mayonnaise: Full fat mayonnaise. Light versions will change the texture of the cake.
- Flour: All-purpose flour.
- Cocoa: Natural, unsweetened.
- Water: Use room temperature water for best results.
- See video for an example of how to prepare your pan.
- When measuring your flour, scoop the flour into the measuring cup and use a knife to level off the cup. Scooping the flour with your measuring spoon will result in too much flour.
- Use a toothpick to check if your cake is done. If a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, then you can remove the cake from the oven!
- Use fresh flowers to decorate your cake like I did! Wrap the stems in plastic wrap so that you don’t get pollen/dirt in your cake
- I love this Chocolate Frosting recipe.
P. Zajac says
Where’s the link to Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting you said was “linked” in the notes section?
The Foreign Fork says
It was in the Expert Tips section and I just added it to the notes section! Thanks for pointing that out.
Jo Ann says
I found this recipe in an old cookbook many years ago, it is a family favorite. I have used miracle whip in place of the mayo.. it does indeed give it zip.
The Foreign Fork says
I will need to try that one day Jo Ann!!
Sharron Rogers says
Going try this one
The Foreign Fork says
Enjoy it Sharron!
Allie says
I love Mayo, but I’ve never put it in a cake before. This is amazing!
The Foreign Fork says
It’s a super unique ingredient but you truly can’t taste it! So glad you agree 🙂 Thank you for the review!
Mary Nolan says
What type of mayonnaise please
The Foreign Fork says
Hi Mary! I use Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise in my cake 🙂