When I think of a homemade chocolate cake this is the one that comes to mind. It's one of my favorites; tender, moist, and fudgy with a creamy mocha buttercream frosting.
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❤️ Why you'll love it
- Ultra moist chocolate cake recipe.
- Mocha butter cream has a rich texture but holds up well.
- Has been popular since the Great Depression - maybe before.
This old fashioned mayonnaise cake recipe has a luscious mocha buttercream frosting and is 3 layers of fudgy decadence.
I've adapted it from the original recipe found on the back of the Hellman's Mayonnaise jar in the early half of the 1900s.
Make it today and you'll understand why it's been a favorite for generations - don't wait for special occasions!
🧾 Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
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- bittersweet chocolate
- extra dark cocoa
- all purpose flour
- baking soda
- baking powder
- sugar
- brown sugar
- real mayonnaise (be sure to get mayonnaise and not salad dressing)
- eggs
- vanilla extract
- powdered sugar
- butter
- sour cream
- white corn syrup
🔪 Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Sift dry ingredients into a large bowl and set aside.
- Beat sugar and mayonnaise; add eggs and vanilla.
- Melt chocolate in a medium bowl; add cocoa and coffee (or hot water).
- Add dry ingredients to egg mixture in 4 batches, alternating with chocolate mixture. Bake.
Mayonnaise cake frosting
- Cream the butter with an electric mixer until fluffy.
- Sift the powdered sugar and cocoa together.
- Melt the chocolate.
- Add the cocoa mixture to the butter and mix. Add the remaining ingredients and whip.
🥄 Equipment
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You'll need the following items to make this recipe successfully.
🥫 Storage
Chocolate mayonnaise cake can be stored at room temperature in a cake holder or carefully covered with plastic wrap. It will be fine for up to 4 days or so.
It freezes well for up to 4 months when stored in an airtight container.
📖 Variations
To make a chocolate mayonnaise sheet cake -
- Follow the instructions through creating the batter. Nothing will change.
- Grease and flour a 13x9-inch baking pan.
- Pour batter into the pan and smooth the top with a spatula or knife.
- Hold it about 3 inches off the counter and drop it (don't do this with glass dishes!). It sounds weird but it breaks up and large bubbles.
- Bake it for 30 - 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Start checking it at 25 minutes.
- Cool in the pan until completely cool.
- Frost the top of the cake with a thick layer of your favorite frosting.
💭 Tips
Expert Tip: I dust my cake pans for chocolate cake with cocoa. That way any cocoa that clings to the crust of the cake it the same color as the cake. Just do it the same way you do with white flour...spoon a little into a greased pan and shake it around until it covers all surfaces then dump it out.
- For best results make sure all ingredients are at room temperature before you begin.
- If you've had a problem with cakes sticking to the pans in the past then place a round of parchment paper in the bottom of the pans and grease it then dust with cocoa. The bottom will come loose without a problem and you can just peel the parchment paper off after it's done.
- Don't scoop the flour from the container when measuring. Use a spoon and spoon the flour lightly into the measuring cup. Level it off with the flat edge of a butter knife.
- Don't use reduced fat, olive oil, canola oil, fat free, Miracle Whip or other mayonnaise variation. Use the old fashioned, full fat mayonnaise - I suggest Hellman's or Dukes mayonnaise, depending on where you live.
- Pour batter into the pans and bake immediately. Once the leavening is wet it starts to lose strength and your cake won't rise as well.
- Don't over bake your cake. Check it by inserting a wooden pick into the center of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean with a few crumbs clinging to it the cake is ready..
- Place a couple of thin dowels or straws through the stacked cake when you are frosting the sides and top - this will keep it from sliding around. Just remove them and smooth the top before serving.
👩🍳 FAQs
Adding mayonnaise helps make the cake extra moist and tender plus the acidic component in the mayo really enhances the chocolate flavor. Be sure to use real mayonnaise and not salad dressing (like Miracle Whip).
I don't recommend it. This recipe was developed using all-purpose flour.
📚 Related recipes
- This classic vanilla layer cake is perfect for birthdays!
- Orange layer cake is another vintage recipe you'll love.
- Red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting is a southern favorite.
- Try this rich chocolate frosting on any homemade cake!
🍽️ Serve with...
Cake and ice cream are a classic combination! Serve a thick slice of this cake with:
- homemade vanilla ice cream
- homemade chocolate mint Oreo ice cream
- homemade chocolate chocolate chip ice cream
📞 The last word
In my experience this cake goes fast!
One of the things I like to do is bake this chocolate mayonnaise cake recipe as a sheet cake in a 13x9 inch pan, let it cool, frost it, and then cut it into squares. I flash freeze the squares individually on a cookie sheet then pop them in individual freezer containers.
They're perfect for tucking into school lunches. Be careful though - if you use freezer bags the frosting will be a mess.
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake
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Ingredients
Cake
- 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, high quality 70% cacao, chopped or chocolate chips
- 1 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder, I used Hershey's Special extra dark
- 1 ¾ cups dark coffee or water, boiling
- 2 ⅔ cups all purpose flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 ⅓ cups mayonnaise, (I prefer Hellman's or Dukes to anything else....but do not use reduced-fat or fat-free)
- 2 eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Fudge Frosting
- 2 ¼ cups butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups confectioners' sugar
- ¾ cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder, I used Hershey's Special extra dark
- ½ cup coffee, hot and double strength
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- 10 ounces dark chocolate, chopped and melted
- 1 tablespoon white corn syrup
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Grease three 8 -inch cake pans and dust with cocoa.
- Melt the chocolate in the microwave just until softened and you can stir it smooth - about 1 minute.
- Combine melted chocolate and cocoa in a bowl. Whisk in boiling coffee (or water) and stir until the mixture is smooth. Set aside.
- Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Set aside.
- With an electric mixer on medium-high speed beat the sugar and the mayonnaise until blended.
- Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Add the egg yolk.
- Beat in the vanilla.
- Change to low speed. Add the dry ingredients in four additions, alternating with the chocolate mixture.
- Beat well after each addition.
- Divide cake batter evenly among the cake pans.
- Bake about 30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
- Cool cake for 10 minutes in pans.
- Loosen cakes from sides of pans, turn out, and cool completely before frosting.
Frosting
- In a bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment beat the butter on medium speed about 6 minutes or until pale and fluffy.
- Sift together the confectioners' sugar and cocoa powder.
- Reduce mixer speed to low.
- Add the confectioners' sugar mixture, beating until well blended.
- Continue beating on low and add the coffee, sour cream, vanilla, and salt.
- Beat 1 minute.
- Increase the speed to medium and whip for 2 minutes.
- Add the melted chocolate and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes more.
For sheet cake
- Follow instructions for mixing the batter.
- Grease and flour a 13x9-inch baking dish.
- Pour the batter in the baking dish and smooth top.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes at 350°. Start checking for doneness at 25 minutes just to be on the safe side.
- Cool completely in pan and frost with your favorite frosting.
Notes
- Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature before you begin.
- I dust my cake pans for chocolate cake with cocoa.
- If you've had a problem with cakes sticking to the pans in the past then place a round of parchment paper in the bottom of the pans and grease it then dust with cocoa. The bottom will come loose without a problem and you can just peel the parchment paper off after it's done
- Don't use reduced fat, olive oil, canola oil, fat free, or other mayonnaise variation. Use the old fashioned, full fat mayo - I suggest Hellman's.
- Place a couple of thin dowels or straws through the stacked cake when you are frosting the sides and top - this will keep it from sliding around. Just remove them and smooth the top before serving.
Nutrition Facts
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We'll never share your email or send you spam. Pinkie swear.First published July 2010. Last updated with step by step images and editorial changes March 8, 2022.
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Barbe
This cake was delicious. I gave it only 4 stars due to recipe errors. The cake batter does not state how much salt to use (I used a pinch). The frosting instruction does not state to put in corn syrup (I added it and all was well)… great cake- needs recipe corrections c 2.
Janice
Do you think I can substitute canola Mayo in for butter in the frosting. I can’t eat butter due to the saturated fat.
Marye
I've never tried. Im sure you could substitute some sort of margarine?
Kim A
Did anyone have frosting that turned out like a wet ganache, rather than a fluffy buttercream frosting? I found the hot coffee melted the creamed butter, making it a very wet frosting that did not hold up between layers.
Mary
Can we use milk chocolate instead of dark chocolate? Thank you
Marye
Yes, or semi sweet. But it will have less of a chocolate flavor.
Marye Audet
No
Marye Audet
Nope. It's correct.
Hayley
Wow, the new photos of the cakes look AMAZING! Such huge progress (the old photos do also look quite delicious too FYI).
Marye Audet
Thank yoU!
Austin Cook
i love to eat cakes and bake them too that is why i am always on the lookout for cake recipes,`:
Neé Neé
Mary - how much salt should we use?
maryeaudet
Just a fourth teaspoon