Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

This is such a great, easy recipe! First published in the 1920’s, chocolate mayonnaise cake is a Great Depression and World War 2 era recipe that substitutes mayonnaise for eggs and oil, which were either too expensive or in short supply at those times. Mayonnaise is comprised of mainly oil and eggs, plus a hit of vinegar, which acts as a leavening agent, so it’s an ideal substitute for the items in short supply. I do think it’s interesting that mayonnaise was plentiful, and apparently inexpensive, but the raw ingredients to make it were scarce, but oh well! The result is this great little cake. And trust me–it doesn’t taste like mayo! The mayo itself coats the dry ingredients and then melts into them making a moist, flavorful, dense but fluffy crumb that melts in your mouth.

This recipe is so easy to make–it took all of 10 minutes to put together–and that included the time it took me to round up all the ingredients. Plus, preparation is one bowl, a measuring cup, a measuring spoon and a spatula, making clean-up a breeze. And it cooks up in about 25 minutes. But maybe the best thing of all about this recipe is that it can be adjusted to accommodate whatever serving size you want. The recipe I’m sharing will make a single layer, but can easily be cut in half if you only want a couple of servings, or doubled if you want a layer cake. Because you’re working with mayo, you don’t have to worry about coming up with a half an egg–the eggs and oil are already in the mayo, so the work is already done for you.

As for the mayo, use a full fat mayo–it really won’t work as well with low-fat versions. Plus–folks–you’re making a cake, so really–what’s the point in using a low-fat mayo? Also–please, please, please don’t use those nasty olive oil mayos that are on the market. They are terrible and will result in a bitter, angry cake that you will have to toss.

I used a chocolate cream cheese frosting for my cake, but any chocolate icing or glaze would be fine.

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Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

Author: keriawilliams

Ingredients

Servings

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ¹⁄₂ cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ¹⁄₄ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¹⁄₂ cup mayonnaise (full fat--I like Hellman's)
• ¹⁄₂ cup lukewarm water
• ¹⁄₂ tsp Kosher salt

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350*. Grease a 9" round cake pan or a 7.5" x 9.5" casserole or cake pan and put aside. Place all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl and thoroughly mix with either a spatula or a hand-held mixer.

   

1. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Place in pre-heated oven.

   

1. Bake for about 25 minutes and check for doneness. When a toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done.

   

1. Allow the cake to cool and then frost with chocolate icing of your choice.