📋 Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake Recipe

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

5 from 5 votes

📋 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!

Course desssert

Cuisine American, Canadian, North American

Keyword birthday cake, chocolate, mayonnaise

Special Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

making frosting and decorating 20

Total Time 1

Servings servings

Calories 434kcal

Author Terri Gilson

Equipment

2 9-inch round pans

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 teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Frosting

US Customary - Metric

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/176 degrees C and grease two 9-inch pans (I use Wilton cake release)

MAKE THE CAKE

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa, and sugar.
3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 ½ cups white granulated sugar, 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder, ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
Stir in mayonnaise.
1 ½ cups mayonnaise
Gradually add water and vanilla to flour mixture and blend until smooth.
1 ½ cups water, 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Pour cake batter into prepared pans.
Bake at 350 degrees F/176 degrees C for 30-35 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.
Cool, then remove from pans onto a wire rack.
When the cake is completely cool, cut off the dome with a sharp knife or cake wire cutter.

FROSTING

I recommend using my Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Whipped (used in main images) or my Chocolate Frosting without Butter (used in process images)
1 Chocolate Frosting

ASSEMBLE & FROST THE CAKE

Place one of the cakes, cut side down, on a serving plate and add frosting to the top of the cake (this is your filling).
Place the second cake on top of the filling (cut side down) *If you are doing a crumb coat, do this now.
Add frosting to the cake in thick dollops, then, using a decorating spatula or butter knife, spread it outwards from the middle of the dollop of frosting (this ensures that you don't get crumbs in your frosting).
Keep working away from the middle of the dollops of frosting until the cake is covered, and use a butter knife to make the swirls.

DECORATE THE CAKE

Decorate with colored celebration candy pearls or sprinkles
Colored Celebration Candy Pearls

Notes

Expert Recipe Tips:

Use real mayonnaise (not salad dressing) – Stick with a true mayonnaise like Hellmann’s or Best Foods for the best texture and flavor. Miracle Whip has added sugar and spices, which can slightly alter the taste and sweetness of the cake.
Don’t overmix the batter – Once the ingredients are combined and smooth, stop mixing. Overmixing can lead to a dense cake instead of a soft, tender crumb.
Weigh your dry ingredients for accuracy – If you have a kitchen scale, weighing flour and cocoa powder ensures consistent results and prevents a dry cake.
Use room temperature ingredients – Room temperature mayonnaise blends more easily with the other ingredients and helps create a smoother batter.
Check for doneness early – Every oven is different. Start checking your cakes around the 28-minute mark with a toothpick or cake tester; it should come out clean or with just a few crumbs attached.
Level the cake layers before frosting – Trim off any domed tops so your cake stacks evenly and doesn’t shift when frosted.
Chill before frosting – Once baked and cooled, refrigerate or freeze the layers for about 20 minutes before frosting. This helps minimize crumbs and makes spreading the frosting much easier.
Use generous dollops of frosting – Applying thick dollops before spreading helps prevent crumbs from mixing into the frosting and gives the cake that beautiful, swirled texture.
Enhance flavor with coffee – For an even richer chocolate flavor, substitute half of the water with cooled brewed coffee. It deepens the chocolate taste without adding any coffee flavor.
Make ahead for better flavor – Like many chocolate cakes, this one tastes even better the next day once the flavors have had time to meld.

Storage:

Store this chocolate mayonnaise cake recipe at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days (if it lasts that long), if you are using a non-perishable frosting. Store it in the fridge if you're using perishable frosting.

Freezing: You can freeze this cake completely frosted (IF you use either one of my chocolate frosting recipes) in a sealed container for up to 3 months

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