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Home » Recipes » Courses » Desserts » Cake

Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

Published: Oct 27, 2019 by Terri Gilson · Modified: Aug 23, 2022 · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links · 15 Comments

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Pinterest pin with white text on pink background in the middle and 2 photos of chocolate mayonnaise cake
Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake with slice in front and cake in the back

I was a little surprised when my bestie requested a Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake for her birthday this year. I thought it was a bit of a weird cake request. But then I got to thinking and it started to make sense...

Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake with slice in front and cake in the back

This old fashioned mayonnaise cake was something we grew up with and therefore it's comfort food. It's also a rich and delicious, decadent cake, so why wouldn't you want it for your birthday? But it made me wonder: why put mayonnaise in a cake?

Jump to:
  • 💭Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake History
  • 🥘 Ingredients
  • 🎂Cake Frosting for Mayonnaise Cake
  • 🍽Equipment
  • 🌡️Storage
  • 👪 Serving Size
  • 💭TIPs for a perfectly crumb-free frosted cake
  • ⭐ Reviews
  • 📋 Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake Recipe
  • 🍰 More Chocolate Cake Recipes!

This easy old fashioned Mayonnaise Cake uses mayonnaise in the batter to replace the eggs and oil for a rich and delicious chocolate cake that's super moist. It's perfect for birthday parties, a special occasion or any celebration!

This cake has been around a long time; long before my childhood. And in my experience, I've noticed it's the good recipes that tend to stick around; it has stood the test of time. I found a copy of  the recipe tucked away in my recipe binder from 2002, although this cake has been in existence since at least the 1930's. I'm not sure where it originally came from (likely someone at work) but the note on it said they got it from their Dad; it was a cake his Mom used to make during the Great Depression.

💭Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake History

When the Great Depression hit North America families were forced to stretch their budgets and “make do” with minimal and cheaper ingredients when it came to cooking. Dessert became a luxury for most and affordability was achieved through ingredient substitution. For example, shortening was substituted for butter, water was substituted for milk, and baking powder was substituted for eggs. Since mayonnaise replaced several ingredients in a cake, it just made sense! This cake was also very popular during the second world war when again, certain foods were scarce due to rationing.

🥘 Ingredients

So why put mayonnaise in a cake?  Mayonnaise is thick and rich and serves as a great substitute for several ingredients. Specifically, it does the job of the eggs, which is to hold everything together in a cake. And it replaces the oil, which like butter, serves to keep the cake tender. Mayonnaise also has salt in it. Water is used in place of the milk to make this cake more economical, as milk is obviously more expensive. And since milk's most important role in baking a cake is the part it plays in making the batter wet enough for the chemical reactions to take place, replacing milk with water during hard economic times was a no-brainer.

So why do we still eat chocolate mayonnaise cake today if we aren't dealing with scarcity, rationing and severe poverty? Well, because not only is this cake pure comfort food for those of us that grew up with it, it's rich, moist, delicious, easy and budget- friendly! In other words, why wouldn't we eat chocolate mayonnaise cake?!

For this old fashioned mayonnaise cake recipe, you'll need:

  • all-purpose flour
  • baking soda
  • white granulated sugar
  • unsweetened cocoa powder
  • mayonnaise * I use Hellman's, but you could substitute Miracle Whip and use light/low-fat or full-fat mayonnaise
  • water
  • baking powder
  • vanilla extract
  • Frosting recipe:  Chocolate Whipped Buttercream recipe

*see recipe card for quantities

Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake with slice in front and cake in the back

When I first mentioned mayonnaise cake to my family, honestly, they weren't all that keen on it. Yet the mayonnaise gives the cake such an unexpected decadent, rich and moist texture that when my family tasted this cake, all their negative preconceived notions dissipated -they LOVED this cake!

🎂Cake Frosting for Mayonnaise Cake

Finding the ideal frosting/icing for a cake is an art in and of itself. It really can make or break a cake. I used my Chocolate Whipped Cream Buttercream Frosting because it's the lightest, airiest and not-too-sweet homemade frosting you'll ever taste! And it has no butter, as butter was a luxury and not something that would have been used in cake frosting during that era anyway. But most importantly, chocolate frosting is the perfect pairing for this cake and this one is my personal go-to icing. 

You simply replace a little of the powdered/icing sugar with cocoa and voila! you have the best chocolate frosting ever!

Stand mixer paddle attachment with icing on it in the foreground (on plate) and orange bowl of whipped frosting in background

I also love this Chocolate Frosting (without butter) as it's a little quicker and easier to make!

Old fashioned sour cream chocolate cake with no butter chocolate icing birthday cake

The very best part of this easy recipe it that it's simple to make and there's no fancy decorating required!

🍽Equipment

You'll need two 9-inch round cake pans. (affiliate link) and an electric mixer for this chocolate mayonnaise cake recipe.

🌡️Storage

Store this chocolate cake recipe at room temperature in a airtight container for up to 3 days, if you are using a non-perishable frosting (like my Chocolate Frosting (without butter) Freeze it in a sealed container for up to 3 months if it lasts longer than that!

👪 Serving Size

This homemade chocolate mayonnaise cake makes 12 servings. However, you can half, double or triple the recipe by clicking on the blue serving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust. You'll just need additional cake pans.

💭TIPs for a perfectly crumb-free frosted cake

To avoid crumbs in your icing:

  1. Use Wilton cake release (see NOTES) 
  2. Brush your crumbs off  the cake with a pastry brush before icing it
  3. Put it in the freezer for 10 minutes BEFORE you frost but AFTER you do a crumb coat.
  4. Use a flat spatula and be sure to use generous amounts of icing when frosting the cake.. * Don't worry about smoothing it for this cake, it's meant to have a casual swirled look. You can see how to do that by clicking HERE.

If you're looking for more chocolate birthday cake ideas, check out my Genoise Chocolate Sponge Cake!

Italian Chocolate Sponge cake with summer berries, whipped cream icing and chocolate mousse

This chocolate mayo cake is perfect any time of the year.

⭐ Reviews

Did you love this chocolate mayonnaise cake? IF so, please leave a 5 star rating and comment below!

slice of mayonnaise birthday cake on white plate with cake in the background
Food Meandering Logo

📋 Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake Recipe

This easy old-fashioned Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake uses mayonnaise in the batter to replace the eggs and oil for a rich and delicious chocolate cake. It's perfect for birthday parties or any celebration!
5 from 5 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: desssert
Cuisine: American, Canadian, North American
Keyword: birthday cake, chocolate, mayonnaise
Special Diet: Vegetarian
Servings: 12 servings
Author: Terri Gilson
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
making frosting and decorating: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 ½ cups white granulated sugar
  • ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 ½ cups mayonnaise
  • 1 ½ cups water
  • 2 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting

  • 1 Chocolate Whipped Buttercream recipe
  • Colored Celebration Candy Pearls

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease 2-9 inch pans (I use Wilton cake release)
  • In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa and sugar. Stir in mayonnaise.
  • Gradually add water and vanilla to flour mixture and blend until smooth. Pour cake batter into prepared pans.
  • Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.
  • Cool, then remove from pans onto wire rack. Frost with your favorite chocolate frosting (see my recommended frosting)

Frosting

  • I recommend using my Chocolate Whipped Buttercream Frosting (see post)

Decorations

  • Decorate with colored celebration candy pearls

Notes

*See post contents for important recipe information and tips!
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating and review below!
Rate this Recipe

🍰 More Chocolate Cake Recipes!

  • Old Fashioned Sour Cream Chocolate Fudge Cake
  • Chocolate Italian (Genoise) Sponge Cake with berries
  • Microwave Chocolate Banana Mug Cake
  • Root beer Float Cake
  • Red Wine Strawberry Chocolate Fudge Cake

More Cake

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  • Ukrainian Walnut Torte
  • Caramel Apple Cheesecake Pie Recipe
  • Rhubarb Coffee Cake Recipe

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Colleen

    November 05, 2019 at 1:46 pm

    I had forgotten all about mayonnaise cake! My grandmother used to make it a lot, and we loved it. This one looks so rich and moist, and I'm pinning to try. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    • Terri Gilson

      November 11, 2019 at 8:29 am

      Thanks, Colleen!

      Reply
  2. Sharon

    November 05, 2019 at 4:14 pm

    I've never tried mayonnaise cake but have definitely used it for baked chicken so I know how versatile of an ingredient it can be! Your photos are so good too. I am seriously craving chocolate cake now! lol Thanks for the inspiration! I think I'll try this out for the holidays and maybe sub in spelt flour and coconut sugar. 🙂

    Reply
    • Terri Gilson

      November 11, 2019 at 8:28 am

      I've heard of using mayonnaise for chicken too, but never tried it! Thanks re: photos- it's a work in progress :). I hope you enjoy it and it works with the spelt flour and coconut sugar!

      Reply
  3. Isabelle @ Crumb

    November 05, 2019 at 6:31 pm

    This is one of my favourite old fashioned cakes, mostly because no one can ever guess the secret ingredient!
    Then again, I have a soft spot for weird cake recipes... mayonnaise cake is one of the tamer ones I've tried over the years, especially compared to chocolate sauerkraut cake or tomato soup cake. 🙂

    Reply
    • Terri Gilson

      November 11, 2019 at 8:26 am

      Thanks, Isabelle. I also have a soft spot for weird cakes and I've yet to try the sauerkraut, but am super intrigued by it!

      Reply
  4. Katherine | Love In My Oven

    November 08, 2019 at 12:16 pm

    Mayonnaise is the perfect secret ingredient to a moist cake! This one looks super moist! And the sprinkles are just perfection! I'd be happy with this as a birthday cake 😉

    Reply
    • Terri Gilson

      November 11, 2019 at 8:25 am

      Thanks, Katherine. Yes, I'm thinking I'll be making this for more birthdays!

      Reply
  5. Philip - Chef Sous Chef

    November 11, 2019 at 7:49 am

    My mom used to make Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake on my birthday and it was my absolute favourite. Such a great recipe!

    Reply
    • Terri Gilson

      November 11, 2019 at 8:24 am

      Thanks, Phillip! Glad it brings back happy birthday memories for you!

      Reply
  6. Kelly Neil

    November 13, 2019 at 6:16 am

    I've never even heard of mayonnaise cake until right now but I can see how it makes sense! It looks so moist and chocolatey - yum! Great, now I want cake. lol

    Reply
    • Terri Gilson

      November 18, 2019 at 7:34 pm

      haha Kelly so true. See cake want cake!

      Reply
    • Addie

      March 28, 2022 at 3:15 am

      Does this recipe work for cupcakes?

      Reply
      • Terri Gilson

        March 28, 2022 at 10:37 am

        Hi Addie: Yes, just bake them for half the amount of time you would the cake (15 minutes) and test them to see if the tester or toothpick comes out clean. They should work perfectly!
        Enjoy 🙂
        Terri

        Reply
        • Addie

          March 28, 2022 at 11:26 am

          Thanks! I will try that and let you know 🙂

          Reply

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I'm Terri, a passionate home cook and baker, an award-winning recipe developer and a busy working mom that is trying to eat healthy and fit everything into not enough hours in a day! My mission is to share not only my recipes, cooking hacks and tips with you, but also my secrets to successful weight maintenance.

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