This single layer Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake recipe is ideal for those smaller gatherings. It’s topped with a decadent homemade fudgy chocolate frosting and garnished with chocolate curls.

Ingredients to Make Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake Recipe

This single layer chocolate cake is ideal for those times you need a smaller cake with less servings. While I love baking big beautiful Southern cakes they’re not always suitable for every type of gathering. Can you use mayonnaise in baking? Yes you can! What does mayonnaise do? Using mayonnaise in cake batter eliminates the eggs and adds moisture to the cake. It’s a throwback to 100 years ago when it first appeared during the Great Depression when eggs and dairy were hard to come by. It has a long and entangled history with it going mainstream in the 1930’s when chocolate mayonnaise cake was introduced by the wife of a Hellman’s salesman and was included in their cookbook. In the 1940’s Kraft joined the mayonnaise cake craze when they introduced their Miracle Whip Cake. Fast forward a few decades and we still love making this iconic chocolate mayonnaise cake. It has a moist and tender texture and chocolate flavor, with the bonus of being simple, just like grandma used to make. Ingredients to make moist Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake Recipe: (Scroll down for full printable recipe card.)

Flour: All purpose flour
Leavening: Baking powder, baking soda and salt cause the cake batter to rise.
Cocoa Powder: Unsweetened cocoa powder.
Sugar: This recipe uses a combination of white sugar and light brown sugar.
Mayonnaise: Mayo replaces eggs in the cake batter.
Liquid: Whole or low fat buttermilk will give the best taste.
Flavoring: Vanilla extract adds creamy floral notes to the flavor.
Chocolate Chips: Semi-sweet chocolate chips. You could use dark chocolate or milk chocolate chips.
Chocolate Frosting: Powdered sugar, cocoa powder, butter, vanilla extract and warm milk.

ingredients-to-make-chocolate-mayonnaise-cake

How to Make the Best Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake Recipe

What’s the best mayonnaise to use for baking mayonnaise cake? Use a brand that you already enjoy and it will work like a dream. Mayo is the secret ingredients that keeps this chocolate cake moist.

Heat Oven and Prepare Pan – Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-inch round springform pan or 9×9-inch square cake pan with baking spray. Set aside.
Dry Ingredients – Use a whisk to combine flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Wet Ingredients – Add buttermilk, mayo, and vanilla to the flour mixture. Stir by hand to combine or use an electric mixer to beat just until smooth.
Chocolate Chips – Fold in chocolate chips by hand. Pour evenly into prepared pan.
Oven – Bake per the recipe until a toothpick inserted into the center comes back clean.
Cool the Cake – Cool in the pan on a wire rack then remove outer ring and place onto a platter.
Make Chocolate Frosting – Whisk together powdered sugar and cocoa. In separate large bowl use an electric mixer to cream butter and vanilla. Lower speed of mixer, adding sugar-cocoa mixture. Beat into butter on low speed, adding hot milk 1 Tablespoon at a time repeating until smooth. Frost top of the cake allowing it to drip down the sides.
Garnish: Top with chocolate curls.

Tips for Making Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

Kitchen Tools You’ll Need: One 9-inch springform pan or 9×9-inch cake pan, a hand mixer or a stand mixer, large bowl, medium bowl, measuring cup and measuring spoons, a silicone spatula to scrape the batter from the bowl, an offset icing spatula, a cooling rack and a sheet pan and small spatula with a sharp edge to make the chocolate curls.
Best Mayonnaise for Baking: Using mayonnaise in baking isn’t a new concept, but one that’s been proven time and time again to be effective in making moist cakes and cookies. Use your favorite mayonnaise i.e. Duke’s, Hellmann’s Mayonnaise, Kraft Mayonnaise or Blue Plate.
How Do You Make Your Own Buttermilk? If you don’t have buttermilk on hand no worries you can make your own. To make your own buttermilk: To each cup of whole milk, add 1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar or lemon juice. Let stand on the counter for 5-10 minutes, then stir and proceed with the recipe.
Alternative to Chocolate Curls: If you prefer, you can serve this cake with or without the chocolate curls. You could top it with chopped nuts or grated chocolate.
Serving Options: Serve this cake as a small batch dessert for entertaining, for the holidays, birthdays. Valentine’s Day, anniversaries, graduation parties, tea parties or any celebration.

What You’ll Love About this Cake

It’s a delicious single layer small batch dessert.
It’s easy to make using classic pantry ingredients.
Mayonnaise replaces egg in the batter and this creamy condiment in undetectable.

Storage and Leftovers

Leftovers: Store leftover Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake in an airtight container chilled or at room temperature for up to 5 days. This chocolate mayo cake keeps best when chilled in the fridge.
Freezer: You can bake this cake and freeze it for up to 3 months. When doing so, wait to add the frosting and the chocolate curls after thawing in the refrigerator before serving.

How To Make Chocolate Curls for Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

Chocolate curls may look fussy but once you master them they form a fun topping for cakes and cupcakes with very little fuss. The key is to use a sharp edged spatula to scrape the chocolate from the back of the sheet pan.

How to Make Chocolate Curls:

Melt 4 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate with 1 tablespoon vegetable shortening in the microwave in 30 second increments, stopping to stir each time. Repeat until smooth.
Pour onto the back of a metal baking sheet or 13 x 9 inch baking dish.
Use an offset spatula to spread evenly, very thin.
Place pan into freezer for 15 minutes to set or chill for 30-45 minutes.
Using the sharp edge of a small metal spatula, start on the shortest edge of the chocolate pushing the chocolate to roll into curls.
Use a skewer or toothpick to arrange on cake.

More Southern Style Cake Recipes to Make

This luscious Coconut Cream Cake is made in a 13 x 9 inch cake pan.
Easy Honey Bun Cake starts with a cake mix and no one will ever know.
My Easy Carrot Cake Recipe is made completely from scratch topped with cream cheese frosting and toasted pecans.
This single layer Flourless Chocolate Cake is naturally gluten free.
Sour Cream Coffee Cake is topped with a cinnamon spiced sugar topping.
Cherry Coca Cola Cake is a cherry twist on an old fashioned Coca Cola Cake.
Chocolate Cake Pops recipe from Ghiradelli.

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