This recipe for Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake makes a beautiful, tender, light-textured cake that’s incredibly moist and indulgent.
Being a food blogger, I often have friends that like to surprise me with their bakes. One of my friends made a delicious chocolate cake and proudly asked me to guess the secret ingredient. When she announced, mayonnaise, I must admit I was pretty amazed. I quickly got to work on creating my own version of her delicious cake.
Why This Recipe Works
- Mayonnaise adds richness and moisture to this incredible cake.
- Using coffee compliments the chocolate and gives an extra depth of flavor.
- Buttermilk helps give the cake extra moisture and sublte tangy taste.
Using Mayonnaise In Cake
Being made mainly made of eggs, vinegar, and oil, mayonnaise adds extra moisture, and rich flavor to cakes and produces a light tender crumb.
This cake has a deep chocolatey flavor that pairs perfectly with my Chocolate Glaze that’s smooth and creamy without being too sweet.
Ingredients Notes
- Flour– Use all-purpose (plain) flour. I recommend a good quality unbleached all-purpose flour with 4-5g of protein).
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda be sure to check the date on your package as out-of-date products may not add the lift you need.
- Cocoa Powder– I use unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder, but any unsweetened variety will do.
- Sugar– this recipe calls for granulated sugar to keep things simple, but I use superfine sugar (aka caster sugar) because I like the way it easily mixes into the batter.
- Mayonnaise – Full-fat mayonnaise is essential for moisture in this recipe as it’s replacing any other fats in the cake such as butter or oil.
- Eggs – Use large eggs.
- Buttermilk– I’ve full or reduced-fat buttermilk in this recipe with the same result.
- Coffee – I used strong, brewed coffee, but you can instant coffee or espresso powder to make yours. The stronger the coffee, the more it enhances the flavor of the chocolate.
- Vanilla Extract: You can use anything from imitation vanilla flavor to pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste.
- Salt: Regular table salt is fine to add seasoning and enhance the flavors.
How To Make Your Own Buttermilk
To make your own buttermilk at home, add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup of milk. Full-fat milk is best, low-fat or skimmed milk will still work. Stir and let stand for 5 minutes. The mixture may look a little curdled, but that’s fine.
For this recipe: 1 cup of butter milk = 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice.
How to Make Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake
- Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.
- Combine wet ingredients and mix well.
- Stir the wet mixture and dry mixture together along with coffee.
- Bake for 30 to 40 minutes.
- Make the ganache.
- Cover the cake with ganache frosting.
- Serve and enjoy!
Step by Step Instructions
In a large bowl combine flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder and salt.
In a separate bowl add mayonnaise, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Then add the cup of coffee.
Add the wet ingredients into the dry.
Mix until combined.
Add to the greased pan.
For this cake, I used the Nordic Ware Anniversary Bundt Pan which you can get at Amazon. (#paidlink).
Bake and allow the cake to cool on a wire rack.
Glaze before serving if desired (I used my chocolate glaze recipe).
Serve and enjoy!
Erren’s Top Tips
- To avoid the cake sticking to the pan, use a good quality, non-stick pan that’s greased well with baking spray or shortening (butter can cause sticking).
- Always use full-fat mayonnaise, low fat and light mayonnaise will not provide the moisture you need.
- Be sure to follow the steps of the recipe. Mixing the wet and dry ingredients separately before combining them helps to avoid overmixing.
- Try to use the best quality cocoa powder you can find. It really makes a huge difference to the flavor of your cake.
Storing & Freezing Instructions
Storage – Store covered at room temperature for up to three days.
Freezing Instructions: Freeze the cooled, unfrosted cake wrapped well for up to 3 months.
FAQs
Mayonnaise is used in a chocolate cake as a replacement for eggs. You cannot taste the mayonnaise but it adds an extra velvety texture to a traditional chocolate cake.
You can store this cake just as you would with any other cake, in an airtight container. It will last for up to three days at room temperature. To freeze, use a freezer-safe container and freeze (unfrosted) for up to three months.
Other Great Chocolate Recipes
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Let’s Make Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup brewed coffee cooled
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F/176°C
- Grease and lightly flour a 12 cup bundt cake pan.
- In a large mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, add the buttermilk, mayonnaise, eggs, and vanilla. Mix well to combine.
- Stir the mayonnaise mixture and the coffee into the flour mixture until combined. The batter will be thin. Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Bake until a cake tester comes out with just a few crumbs attached, 30 to 40 minutes.
- Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for ten minutes before turning it out. Remove the cake from the pan and allow it to cool completely.
Tips + Notes
- It’s very important to allow your cake to cool. If you move it while it’s still warm it is likely to fall apart.
- Always use full-fat mayonnaise, any other mayonnaise will not give you the desired results.
- Try to use the best quality cocoa powder you can find. It really makes a huge difference to the flavor of your cake.
- It’s very important to allow your cake to cool. If you move it while it’s still warm it is likely to fall apart.
- Always use full-fat mayonnaise, any other mayonnaise will not give you the desired results.
- Try to use the best quality cocoa powder you can find. It really makes a huge difference to the flavor of your cake.
Chelsea says
Can I use espresso powder in place of the coffee, and if so, how much would you recommend?
Erren's Kitchen says
Hi Chelsea! Yes, you can use espresso powder in place of the brewed coffee! Since espresso powder is much more concentrated, you’ll want to use less of it. I recommend using about 1 to 2 teaspoons of espresso powder dissolved in 1 cup of water to replace the coffee. This will give you the same liquid volume while providing a strong coffee flavor to enhance the chocolate in the cake.
If you prefer a more intense coffee flavor, you can adjust the amount of espresso powder to taste.
Please let us know how it turns out!🥰
Sherrie W. says
Curious if I can use regular cake pans and how long it would bake for???
Erren's Kitchen says
You absolutely can! 9×13-inch rectangular pan: Bake at 350°F (176°C) for 25 to 30 minutes. Start checking for doneness around the 25-minute mark. The cake is done when a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached. Two 9-inch round cake pans: Bake at 350°F (176°C) for 20 to 25 minutes. Check for doneness starting at 20 minutes.
Hope that helps!
cas navy says
Hey, I used to make a cake like this but it had zucchini in it. Would it be too wet if I added that as well as the mayo? Or, perhaps, half and half?
Actually, that recipe used espresso powder, so maybe I can use the powder instead of the liquid coffee?
I just might try it. Get a little veggie goodness in my decadent cake!
Erren's Kitchen says
Your idea of adding zucchini to this cake sounds like a great way to sneak in some extra veggies while keeping the cake moist! I haven’t tried it, but you surely can!! Zucchini is often used in baking for its moisture content, so it could work well with the mayonnaise to maintain that rich texture. If you’re worried about it being too wet, you could start by using half the amount of zucchini you’d normally add and see how the batter looks.
As for the espresso powder, swapping it in for the liquid coffee should be fine. Espresso powder usually gives a more concentrated coffee flavor, so it might even enhance the chocolate taste. Just be mindful that without the liquid coffee, the batter might be slightly thicker, so you might need to adjust the consistency with a bit of extra liquid, like milk or even a little more buttermilk.
Please let us know how it turns out!
Jennifer Burke says
I need the frosting recipe too!!
Erren's Kitchen says
Sure!! This is the glaze that I used on top of the chocolate mayonnaise cake. Hope you love it!
https://www.errenskitchen.com/chocolate-glaze/
Shirley Phillips says
Do you know if I cauld do this Mayo etc with a Gluren Free cake mix?
I’m just getting used to Gluten Free
Erren's Kitchen says
You absolutely can! You can use a gluten-free cake mix to make this recipe. Simply substitute the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free cake mix of your choice. The rest of the ingredients and steps remain the same. Just ensure that all other ingredients you’re using (like baking powder, cocoa powder, and mayonnaise) are also gluten-free to avoid any cross-contamination. I haven’t tried this before, so please let us know how it turns out!
Marilyn Bagen says
OMG, this cake is so moist and flavorful!! I made it for my son’s birthday (41) and it was an incredible hit! This will be my go to recipe for any chocolate cake!
Erren's Kitchen says
That is so wonderful, Marilyn!! Thank you so much for trying my recipe for such a special occasion!