Chocolate-Mayonnaise Cake

The secret ingredient? Mayonnaise. Rich, moist, and impossibly chocolaty — this is the cake your guests won’t stop talking about.

This chocolate cake is from my childhood. It evokes a time capsule of flavors and love—transporting me back to my mom’s kitchen, where my mother would bake the most delicious cakes from scratch.

This recipe holds a special place in my heart—my mother, her mother, and my mother’s mother all made it with love for their families. The recipe was passed down to me, and I carry on the tradition by sharing it with my children and grandchildren.

The Chocolate-Mayonnaise Cake became popular during World War II, when staples like eggs and butter were scarce, and housewives had to “make do” with what they had. It turns out that mayonnaise—just eggs and oil—makes a cake that’s incredibly lush without tasting like mayo.

This is a rich, slightly dense yet wonderfully moist chocolate cake. The chocolate lovers in your family will rave after their first bite. Perfect for a Valentine’s Day indulgence.

Prep Time 20 mins | Cook Time 30 mins | Cooling Time 1 hour 30 mins at room temperature. This three-layered beauty can serve up to 20 people.

EQUIPMENT

• 3 (9-inch) round cake pans

INGREDIENTS

• 1½ cups hot, strong-brewed coffee or water
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 2 cups white sugar
• ½ teaspoon plus ¼ teaspoon salt, divided
• 2 cups mayonnaise, such as Duke’s
• 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Frosting

• 1¼ cups bittersweet chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 3–4 tablespoons heavy cream
• ¾ cup butter at room temperature
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups fresh blackberries or raspberries, optional

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine coffee and cocoa

• Whisk together hot coffee and cocoa in a bowl. Let stand until room temperature, about 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Brush all surfaces of the 3 (9-inch) round cake pans with vegetable oil, then dust with flour, shaking out excess.

Cake batter

• Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, and ½ teaspoon salt in a bowl.
• Beat in mayonnaise and 1½ teaspoons vanilla on low speed.
• Alternately add the flour mixture and coffee mixture in 5 additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
• Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans. Bake in a preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs, 22–25 minutes.
• Cool the cake layers in the pans on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Remove the cake layers from the pans; cool completely on a rack for about 30 minutes.

Melt chocolate chips

• Place the chocolate chips, light corn syrup, and 3 tablespoons of the heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH until smooth, about 1 minute, stirring every 15 seconds. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes.
• Combine the butter, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, 2 cups powdered sugar, and the remaining ½ teaspoon vanilla in the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer; beat on low speed until smooth. Beat the chocolate mixture on low speed until smooth. Beat in the remaining 2 cups of powdered sugar and, if needed, the remaining 1 tablespoon of cream, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the mixture is spreadable.

ASSEMBLE THE CAKE

• Place 1 cake layer on a serving plate. Spread ½ cup of frosting over the top.
• Top with the second cake layer. Spread ½ cup of frosting over the top. Top with the third layer.
• Spread remaining frosting over the sides and top of the cake.
• Create rosettes around the top of the cake using a Wilton 1M open-star piping tip.
• Arrange flowers of your choice in the center and around the bottom edge of the cake.

Prepare to impress your friends and family. To add a bit of a spark, pair each delicious slice with my Fuego con Bourbon spicy bourbon coffee cocktail.  

For something lighter, try my Strawberry Angel Food Cake — a perfect contrast to all this chocolate richness. 

Enjoy!

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