Mayonnaise Cake
intro
A tender, ultra-moist vintage chocolate cake born from Great Depression-era ingenuity, using mayonnaise for rich texture without separate eggs or oil.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep Oven and Pan
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9-inch (23cm) round cake pan evenly with 1 teaspoon (5g) of unsalted butter, then line the bottom with a cut circle of parchment paper to prevent sticking.
Whisk Dry Ingredients
In a large 3-quart mixing bowl, combine 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup (50g) unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon (5g) baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon (1.5g) fine table salt. Whisk continuously for 30 seconds until fully blended, breaking up any small clumps of cocoa.
Fold in Wet Ingredients
Add 1 cup (225g) full-fat mayonnaise, 1 cup (240ml) warm (110°F/43°C, not boiling) water, and 1 teaspoon (5ml) pure vanilla extract to the dry ingredient bowl. Stir gently with a rubber spatula for 45 seconds, just until no dry flour streaks remain; do not overmix to avoid a tough crumb.
Pour Batter into Pan
Scrape all chocolate batter from the mixing bowl into the prepared 9-inch pan, spreading it evenly with the spatula. Tap the pan firmly on the counter 3 times to release trapped air bubbles that would cause holes in the baked cake.
Bake Until Set
Place the pan on the middle rack of the preheated 350°F (175°C) oven. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, testing doneness at the 30-minute mark by inserting a wooden toothpick into the cake center; it should come out with 2 to 3 moist crumbs attached, not wet batter.
Cool and Finish Cake
Remove the baked cake from the oven and let it rest in the pan on a wire cooling rack for 15 minutes, then turn it out onto the rack to cool completely for 30 more minutes. Dust the cooled cake top evenly with 2 tablespoons (15g) of powdered sugar before slicing.
Tips
2.Avoid overmixing the batter once wet ingredients are added—overworking the flour develops gluten, which makes the cake tough instead of tender and soft.
3.Let the cake cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar; warm cake will melt the sugar, creating a sticky, wet surface instead of a light, powdery coating.
OMG I was so skeptical about putting mayo in a cake but this was INCREDIBLE. So moist, not weird at all—my whole family asked for seconds at Sunday dinner! I added a quick chocolate cream cheese frosting on top and it was chef’s kiss. Total game changer, I’ll never go back to dry boxed cake again.
Brought this to our neighborhood potluck last weekend and people were begging for the recipe! It was so easy to throw together even with my toddler hanging on my leg the whole prep time. The crumb is perfect, not too sweet, pairs so well with fresh berries.
Really solid cake! Super moist as advertised, I was worried the mayo flavor would come through but it totally doesn’t. Only reason I’m not giving 5 stars is I baked it for 35 minutes exactly and the edges were a little crispier than I like, next time I’ll check at 30 minutes. Overall great easy recipe though, will make again.
This is exactly the mayo cake my mom used to make back in the 60s! I lost her old recipe card years ago and have been searching for something that tastes just like it. Thank you so much for posting this, it brought back so many happy memories when I took the first bite.
Y’all, this is the easiest fancy-ish dessert I’ve made all month. 15 minutes of prep? Are you kidding? I made it after work on Wednesday to have for the week and it stayed moist the ENTIRE time, no stale dry bites even on day 4. 10/10 for meal prep friendly bakes.
I swapped the all purpose flour for a 1:1 gluten free baking flour and it turned out amazing! Still super moist, no weird gritty texture that some GF bakes have. Only note is I had to add 5 extra minutes of bake time because of the flour swap, just in case any other GF bakers are curious.
Made this in my tiny dorm oven with a whisk and a cheap cake pan and it still turned out SO good. No fancy equipment needed, no weird ingredients I had to special order. My roommates are already begging me to make it again this weekend for our movie night.
I wanted to love this! The texture was perfect and super moist, but I accidentally used olive oil mayo instead of regular and it had a weird savory aftertaste. Total user error on my part, but just a heads up to everyone to stick to plain regular mayo, not the fancy flavored stuff!
Made this for my kid’s birthday because they hate super sweet frosted cakes, and they loved it! I dusted a little powdered sugar on top and added some rainbow sprinkles and they thought it was the fanciest cake ever. Win for dad baking!
Added a teaspoon of instant espresso powder to the batter and it made the chocolate flavor so much deeper! If you’re a coffee and chocolate fan you have to try this hack, it doesn’t taste like coffee at all just makes the chocolate richer.
I’ve been making this exact recipe for 40 years and can confirm it’s foolproof. I’ve made it for weddings, baby showers, funerals, you name it—every single time people rave. Don’t let the mayo scare you off, it’s the secret to that perfect moist texture no other cake can beat.
First cake I’ve ever made from scratch that didn’t sink in the middle! So proud of myself. The only thing I messed up was I forgot to let it cool all the way before I put frosting on it, so the frosting melted a little. Tasted amazing anyway, will definitely remember the 45 minute cooling step next time.
Y’all this cake is so tender, I served it with a dollop of whipped cream and sliced peaches on the side and it was the perfect summer dessert. Not heavy at all even though it’s so moist, perfect for these hot Georgia days when you don’t want something too dense.
Love that I didn’t have to drag out my stand mixer for this! Just stirred everything together in one bowl with a wooden spoon, no extra mess to clean up. Easy, delicious, minimal dishes? That’s my kind of recipe.
Threw a handful of mini chocolate chips into the batter before baking and they melted into little gooey pockets throughout the cake. My kids went crazy for it, they asked if we can have it as an after school snack every day this week. Win!
My wife made this last night and I made fun of her for putting MAYO in a cake. I ate half the pan. I’m not too proud to admit I was dead wrong. This is the best chocolate cake I’ve ever had, I’m even taking a slice to work for my lunch tomorrow.
Made this at 7,000 feet and it turned out great! I added an extra tablespoon of flour, reduced the bake temp by 25 degrees, and it rose perfectly with no sinking. Just wanted to leave that tip for any other high altitude folks looking at this recipe.
I don’t even usually like chocolate cake that much because it’s always dry, but this one? I had two slices after dinner and didn’t even feel guilty. It’s so moist and rich without being cloying, I’m already planning to make it for my book club meeting next month.
All the ingredients are stuff I already had in my pantry! No fancy expensive ingredients, no special trip to the grocery store needed. Tastes like a fancy bakery cake but cost me basically nothing to make. 10/10 for anyone baking on a tight budget.