This Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake recipe uses mayo in place of oil and eggs, so you only need 7 ingredients! Top it off with sweet whipped chocolate frosting!
Looking for more chocolate cake recipes? I highly recommend my Chocolate and Peanut Butter Dream Cake! It’s an epic cake recipe that’s easy to make and always a crowd pleaser!
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Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake
I know those three words may send some of you running, but don’t! Trust me!! Stick around, because this chocolate cake is absolutely divine and so easy to make.
What is Mayonnaise Cake?
This is a classic mayonnaise cake recipe using mayonnaise in place of the eggs and oil in a traditional chocolate cake recipe.
The cake itself only uses 7 ingredients and is both fluffy and moist, all at the same time. It has a delicious rich chocolate flavor that can be enhanced with an optional pinch of instant espresso powder.
To top it off, we make my favorite whipped chocolate frosting to generously spread on top in nice thick chocolate-y swirls.
An Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake from the Great Depression Era
If you are wondering where the idea ever came from for a mayonnaise cake recipe, just ask your grandparents…or anyone who lived though the Great Depression.
The classic chocolate mayonnaise cake was born during the Great Depression when many fresh ingredients were harder to come by and also harder to afford for cakes.
Mayonnaise is made from two main ingredients – oil and eggs. So, thus the mayonnaise cake was born using mayonnaise in place of the eggs and oil in the chocolate cake recipe.
This recipe has stood the test of time because the mayonnaise actually produces a wonderful cake crumb that is both moist and fluffy at the same time. So this is definitely one of those times where I say, don’t knock it ’till you try it!
Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake Ingredients
You only need SEVEN easy ingredients for this Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake recipe. Plus, one bonus optional ingredient.
- Flour
- Sugar
- Cocoa Powder
- Baking Soda
- Whole Milk
- Mayonnaise
- Vanilla Extract
Then, if you have it on hand and are feeling fancy, I like to add a teaspoon of instant espresso powder. It doesn’t add a coffee flavor to the finished chocolate cake recipe, but it does boost the chocolate intensity flavor!
Top Your Cake With the Best Chocolate Frosting
Below are the ingredients you will need to make my favorite Chocolate Buttercream recipe:
- unsalted butter
- cocoa powder
- vanilla extract
- salt
- powdered sugar
- milk (or evaporated milk)
To finish off your cake in a grand and delicious fashion, I recommend generously icing it with my favorite chocolate buttercream frosting recipe. It’s a classic chocolate buttercream recipe using cocoa powder for the chocolate addition and evaporated milk.
You can use regular milk, however if you use evaporated milk the entire cake can be stored at room temperature. I personally think this cake is best served and stored at room temp, so I recommend using evaporated milk over regular milk in the chocolate frosting.
I dare you to try this easy chocolate cake recipe with a thick layer of my favorite chocolate frosting on top and tell me you aren’t in love.
It is absolutely one of my favorite chocolate cakes and it is such an easy dessert to whip together.
Head on over to Dixie Crystals to get the full recipe I developed for them by clicking the button below:
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Didn’t work- way too dry
very good choices of recipes for old world chocolate cakes
My mother in law used to make mayonnaise cake but it included miracle whip, (no Mayo) and coffee. It is the best recipe I have ever tried for a chocolate cake! I’m thankful I have this old recipe.
My grandma use to make the cake with salad dressing can it be used as a substitute?
you dont have to add coffee cuz I dont and I use water or hot chocolat
I made this cake for the first time, and made the yummy icing too! I took it to church for fellowship meal and all but one piece got eaten up!! I love it , it was easy and delicious and very pretty!! Thanks
Mary
I came upon this recipe, in the 1970’s I made it back then numerous, times with great reviews. It’s funny I was thinking about this cake, and here it is. I will wait until it’s cooler to put my oven on, but for sure I will make it!
Hi Pat! I have never tried this – or any cake – with salad dressing, so I am not sure how it would turn out. I wish I could help more!
I have always used peanut butter frosting. My kids are all grown but this is still their favorite cake
That sounds good too. Do a half n half
Hi Jessica, Can I use two 9 inch round cake pans instead of a baking sheet? If so what would the baking time be? Thanks ahead.. Noreen
Yes you can! I don’t know the exact baking time for a different sized pan, just keep an eye on it and use the good old fashioned toothpick test to make sure it’s done!
Was perfect for a weekend family meal, this recipe is a keeper.
A friend posted this on facebook so I decided to make it. I followed recipe exactly including the evaporated milk for the frosting. The entire center of my cake was sunken in. I baked it for 10 min. Longer thinking that would solve the issue but it did not. I used a glass 9×13 pan could that be the issue? Other wise all the ingredients were exact.
Yes glass cake pans are tricky .. Aniodized aluminium works best !
Did you use Dutch-processed baking cocoa or natural cocoa? Since cocoa powder can be acidic (natural) or neutral (dutched), always stick with the type of cocoa called for in that recipe. Using the wrong cocoa can result in a flat cake, bitter soapy flavor, sunken cupcakes, etc. If you’re in a bind, you can use natural cocoa powder for dutch-process. But do not use dutch-process for natural. It’s unfortunate she doesn’t specify the proper cocoa.
If I don’t have cocoa powder can I use melted chocolate chips???
Its sound yummy I have a question to ask what mayo I can use n how mch flour how many cups thank you
Can you make this as a vanilla cake instead of chocolate? What would you replace the cocoa powder with? Flour?
1 box (16.5 oz.) yellow cake mix
1 cup Mayonnaise
1 cup water
3 eggs
Bake 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool on wire rack 10 minutes.
This chocolate mayonnaise cake looks absolutely delicious! Yummy!
This is one of those classic recipes that everyone needs to try! So good!
I have never heard of such a cake! I can’t believe how moist you say it turns out with such minimal ingredients. I can’t wait to start baking.
I never knew you could substitute eggs with mayo! This looks perfectly moist and fluffy; excited to try it!
I would’ve never thought of this, so creative! It looks like chocolate perfection.
I made this for a holiday party and everyone asked for the recipe! So moist and delicious!
10 cups of sugar. 3/4 jar of mayo. The cake is dry. Not worth the
effort.
I use 1 cup of coffee to it also.And not the espresso powder.
It’s 1 & 1/2 cups sugar..
Can you replace the milk with almond milk?
My old recipe uses water with mayo. I’ve never used milk in it. It tastes great. I’ve made this cake nd taught both my son nd daughter to make it. I’ve also substituted the cocoa for cinnamon nd nutmeg to make a spice cake. Hope you enjoy it.
Yes, it should work ok!
Jessica this is delicious! I love that there are relatively few ingredients. My daughter and I enjoy baking together and this was a perfect mom-daughter recipe! (we shared it with the entire family though!)
Followed exactly, but personally found the cake to be dry. I know ovens can vary but i don’t think it was an issue of over cooking, the cake didn’t even pull away from the pan. For the frosting I didn’t use full cups of sugar as I thought it sounded like a lot and i still found it too sweet. Im sure is just my preference.
Thank you sharing.
Back in the 80s my mother would make a mayonnaise cake from a recipe she got from her mother. She would top it with warm simple syrup right off the stove. It was a hot gooey mess and it’s still one of my favorite “quick” desserts.
So glad you enjoyed it Mel!!