Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake is a rich, moist chocolate cake made with mayonnaise instead of oil or butter. Cocoa powder gives it plenty of chocolate flavor, while the mayonnaise keeps every bite soft and tender.
This is one of those old-fashioned cake recipes that sounds a little unusual until you try it. You don’t taste the mayonnaise at all—it just makes an incredibly moist chocolate cake that’s perfect for topping with chocolate frosting.
Why I Love Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake
About the Ingredients ⭐
- Flour: All-purpose flour gives the cake its structure.
- Cocoa Powder: Adds rich chocolate flavor. I like using dark cocoa powder.
- Baking Soda & Baking Powder: Help the cake rise and stay light.
- Eggs: Add structure and richness.
- Mayonnaise: Hellmann’s mayonnaise makes the cake incredibly moist without adding a mayonnaise flavor.
- Sugar: Adds sweetness to balance the cocoa.
- Chocolate Frosting: Heavy cream, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla make the creamy chocolate topping.
Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list below
How to Make Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake
Mix the Dry Ingredients: Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder.
Mix the Batter: Beat the sugar and eggs for 3–4 minutes until light and creamy. Mix in the mayonnaise. Gradually add the dry ingredients, alternating with the water, until combined.
Bake: Pour the batter into a greased 9×13-inch baking pan. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely.
Make the Chocolate Frosting: Beat the heavy cream, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla on high speed until stiff peaks form.
Frost the Cake: Spread the chocolate frosting over the completely cooled cake before slicing.
Tips I Found Helpful 💙
- Use full-fat mayonnaise: It gives the cake the best moisture and texture.
- Don’t overmix: Mix just until the dry ingredients are incorporated.
- Cool completely: The cake needs to be fully cooled before adding the chocolate frosting.
- Watch for stiff peaks: Stop whipping the frosting once stiff peaks form so you don’t overbeat the cream.
Questions Readers Ask Most
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Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake
Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake is a rich, moist chocolate cake topped with creamy homemade chocolate frosting.
Ingredients
Cake
- - 2 cups all-purpose flour
- - ⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I use dark cocoa)
- - 1¼ teaspoons baking soda
- - ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- - 3 large eggs
- - 1 cup Hellmann's mayonnaise
- - 1⅓ cups water
- - 1⅔ cups granulated sugar
Chocolate Frosting
- - 1½ cups heavy cream
- - 1¼ cups powdered sugar
- - ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- - ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder.
- In a large bowl, beat the sugar and eggs on high speed for 3–4 minutes, until light and creamy.
- Add the mayonnaise and mix on low speed until combined.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients, alternating with the water and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix just until combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth the top.
- Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool completely before frosting.
For the Chocolate Frosting
- Add the heavy cream, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla to a large mixing bowl.
- Beat with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
- Spread the frosting evenly over the completely cooled cake.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
For the best texture, use full-fat mayonnaise and avoid overmixing the cake batter. Keep the frosted cake refrigerated because the chocolate frosting is made with heavy cream.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 500Total Fat: 27gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 88mgSodium: 285mgCarbohydrates: 60gFiber: 2gSugar: 40gProtein: 6g
Hello,
The mayonnaise chocolate cake is my family cake. A family gathering is not a true party if it doesn’t include a mayonnaise cake, and poor man’s pudding (pouding au chômeur) of course. Nowadays, the cake is often prepared using mayonnaise, but at the time it was usually prepared with Miracle Whip.
Was wanting to know if you can use miracle whip?
NO you need to use Hellmanns
Made this today and boy was it good! I was a bit worried with how thin the batter was but it rose beautifully. I made the cake with Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 gluten free flour because my daughter in law is gluten intolerant. I let the cake sit while the oven preheated to allow the flour some time to soak up some of the moisture and ….. you can’t tell its gluten free! It’s definitely going to be my go-to recipe from now on!
I have made this several times with Miracle whip. It turns out great but it is a little sweeter.
I became a bit confused. The main ingredients listed for the cake do not include vanilla, but in the instructions we are told to add vanilla? The only vanilla listed In ingredients is 1/2 tsp in the frosting. I added 1/2 tsp in cake anyway. Perhaps you could clarify?
I have made this recipe several times over the years, and every time the middle of the cake sinks. Should there be some baking powder in the recipe??
There is baking soda in it
This cake was great… would this hold up doing cupcakes and how long in the oven? Thanks!
it would do fine for cupcakes.