Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake
Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake is an old fashioned homemade cake recipe that is moist and delicious. Top with your favorite chocolate or vanilla frosting.
Mayonnaise cake has been one of our most requested cakes! It’s an old fashioned recipe that takes people back to Grandma’s house. You’ll be happy to know this cake is easy to make, too!
Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake Recipe
Mayonnaise in cake may sound strange, but most likely you’ve had mayonnaise cake and didn’t realize it. This recipe is a classic, old fashioned cake. If you’ve never made homemade cake before, this is a great place to start.
Why would you put mayonnaise in a cake?
Mayonnaise is simply oil, egg and a touch of vinegar or lemon juice. Adding mayonnaise to cake keeps the cake moist and tender. If you are craving cake and don’t have eggs, mayonnaise cake is a great alternative.
**Pro Tip: Don’t use Miracle Whip! This cake tastes best with mayonnaise.**
Does mayonnaise make cake moist?
Yes! People often add mayonnaise to box cake mixes to make them softer in texture and have more of a homemade flavor. Because mayonnaise is oil and eggs, it simply makes the cake have a terrifically moist texture.
How do you make mayonnaise cake?
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. We bake this cake in a 9×9 square baking pan. It makes a nice, small cake so for those chocolate cravings. If you’d like a layer cake, double the recipe and use two 9″ circle cake pans. Spray the pans with cooking spray.
- Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, sugar and cocoa powder in a medium bowl.
- In another bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, water and vanilla extract. We like to use a hand mixer for this recipe.
- Gradually add the flour mixture into the wet ingredients, mixing each additional as you add it. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix just until blended. Don’t overbeat the batter.
- Pour batter into prepared pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. The center of the cake should spring back when you touch it.
- Cool the cake completely on a wire rack, then frost.
What frosting is best for mayonnaise cake?
Most likely you’ll remember your grandma frosting mayonnaise cake with chocolate frosting. You’ll love our dark chocolate buttercream, sour cream frosting or traditional chocolate buttercream. You may also like to use chocolate cherry frosting, vanilla frosting or even cream cheese frosting.
Does mayonnaise cake need to be refrigerated?
Unfrosted mayonnaise cake does not need to be refrigerated. Cover it well and keep it at room temperature. Depending on what kind of frosting you use, after frosted it may need refrigerated. Cream cheese based frostings should always be refrigerated.
How long will mayonnaise cake last?
This cake will last at room temperature for 3-4 days. If you want to keep it longer than this, wrap it well and freeze it in an airtight container. Allow the cake to defrost completely to room temperature before unwrapping.
Other Chocolate Cake Recipes
- Chocolate Raspberry Cake
- Chocolate Pumpkin Cake
- Blackberry Chocolate Cake
- Gluten Free Chocolate Cake
TOOLS TO MAKE THIS CAKE
- Stand Mixer: A hand mixer will work, but I always find it easier to make frostings with a stand mixer.
- Beater Blade with Scraper: The best invention ever!
- Straight Icing Spatula: The long straight spatula makes it easy to smooth frosting.
- Wire Cooling Racks: This will help your cakes cool more quickly.
Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake
Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake is an old fashioned homemade cake recipe that is moist and delicious. Top with your favorite chocolate or vanilla frosting.
Servings 15
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 cups water
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Frosting:
- 1 ½ cups chocolate frosting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 9” square baking pan with cooking spray.
- Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, sugar and cocoa powder in a medium bowl.
- In another bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, water and vanilla extract with a hand mixer.
- Gradually add the flour mixture into the wet ingredients, mixing each additional as you add it. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix just until blended.
- Pour batter into prepared pans.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
- Cool the cake completely on a wire rack.
- Frost the cake once it is cooled.
- Garnish with sprinkles or chocolate chips.
Video

Nutrition
Calories: 309kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 325mg | Potassium: 134mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 10IU | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1.4mg
I did not see where the measurements are for the ingredients of the mayonnaise coco cake.
This was very dry and crumbly. There was nothing to hold the cake together, so it simply fell apart once baked. Disappointing.
I love this cake, but do you have instructions for high altitude baking? I found more and more bakers are including this for all of us high country folk”} We need all the help we can get:)
Besides Mayonaise, what else do you add to a cake mix?
I have made this recipe for 40 years, found it in a cookbook called Blue Ribbon recipes. The cookbook was given to me as a wedding gift. It is always a hit with friends and family, sometimes I use a stencil on the top and sprinkle powdered sugar rather than frosting.
This cake was really good, but a bit salty (IMO…my family said it was wonderful). I made chocolate buttercream frosting using dark cocoa and black cocoa. I made two 6-inch layers and stacked it, used some leftover cream cheese frosting between the layers and a hefty dose of sprinkles, frosted it with chocolate buttercream, and added more sprinkles.
Will make again!
I used Greek yogurt bit was delicious
I’m allergic to egg whites. Dukes Mayo is safe for me. Can i use it as egg substitute in any cake? If so, what measures?
Can you use Miracle Whip in lieu of Mayonnaise?