Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake with Mocha Buttercream

When I think of a rich chocolate cake this is the one that comes to mind. It's one of my favorite cakes; tender, moist, and fudgy with a creamy mocha buttercream frosting.

Not quite what you're looking for? Here's a classic vanilla layer cake. 

Jump to:

• ❤️ Why you'll love it
• 🧾 Ingredients
• 🔪 Instructions
• How to Frost a Layer Cake
• 🥄 Equipment
• 🥫 Storage
• 💭 Tips
• 👩‍🍳 FAQs
• 📚 Related recipes
• Origins of Mayonnaise Cake
• 📞 The last word
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

❤️ Why you'll love it

• Ultra moist cake
• Mocha butter cream has a rich texture but holds up well
• Has been popular since the Great Depression - maybe before

Old fashioned chocolate mayonnaise cake recipe has a luscious mocha buttercream frosting and is 3 layers of moist, 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!

🧾 Ingredients

Nothing unexpected here - other than maybe the secret ingredient...mayonnaise! Do get a high quality chocolate - the flavor will be better and you'll be so glad you did.

• Bittersweet chocolate chips
• Extra dark cocoa
• Strongly brewed coffee
• All purpose flour
• Baking soda
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Sugar
• Brown sugar - I prefer light brown sugar for this recipe
• Real mayonnaise - be sure to get mayonnaise and not salad dressing.
• Eggs - large eggs were used
• Vanilla extract
• Confectioner's sugar - we usually call it powdered sugar
• Sour cream
• Dark chocolate chips
• White corn syrup

🔪 Instructions

Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the green recipe card below.

Step one:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. Grease three 8 -inch cake pans and dust with cocoa - or spray with bakers release spray.

Step two

3. Melt the chocolate in the microwave just until you can stir it smooth.
4. Combine melted chocolate and cocoa in a bowl.
5. Whisk in boiling coffee (or water) and stir until the mixture is smooth.
6. Set aside.

Step three:

7. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl.
8. Set aside.
9. With a mixer beat the sugar and the mayonnaise until blended.
10. Add eggs one at a time, and finally the egg yolk.
11. Beat in the vanilla.
12. Add the dry ingredient mixture in four additions, alternating with the chocolate mixture.
13. Beat well after each addition.
14. Divide batter evenly among the cake pans.
15. Bake about 30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Step four:

16. Cool cake for 10 minutes in pans.
17. Loosen cakes from sides of pans, turn out, and cool completely.

To make a chocolate mayonnaise sheet cake

You can easily make this into a chocolate sheet cake. Here's how:

1. Follow the instructions through creating the batter. Nothing will change.
2. Grease and flour a 13x9-inch baking pan.
3. Pour batter into the pan and smooth the top with a spatula or knife.
4. 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.
5. Bake it for 30 - 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Start checking it at 25 minutes.
6. Cool in the pan until completely cool.
7. Frost the top of the cake with a thick layer of your favorite frosting.

High altitude

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King Arthur High Altitude Baking

How to Frost a Layer Cake

1. Once the chocolate mayonnaise cake layers have completely cooled brush them lightly with your hand to get the loose cocoa and any crumbs off.
2. Freeze if you have time. If not - no worries.
3. Smear some frosting on the cake plate. This will make the cake stick firmly and not slide
4. Put the first layer on the cake plate, spoon on about ¼ of the frosting and smooth it out.
5. Repeat with the second layer and top with the third layer.
6. Put three or four straws down through the cake in a 3-inch or so circle around the center. These will keep the cake from shifting.
7. Frost the sides and then the top with the remaining frosting.
8. To my original cake I added a chocolate drip made with equal amounts of dark chocolate and heavy cream, heated to just a simmer and stirred smooth the poured over the chilled cake. I also added ½ cup of chopped pecans to the top. These additions are not reflected in the recipe or nutritional information.

🥄 Equipment

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You'll need the following items to make this recipe successfully.

• High sided 8-inch cake pans
• Large bowl (I like these pyrex nested mixing bowls)
• Medium bowl
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Electric mixer - hand or stand
• Rubber spatula

🥫 Storage

Chocolate mayonnaise cake can be stored at room temperature in a cake holder or carefully covered with plastic wrap.

It freezes well for up to 4 months.

💭 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.

I've never had a problem making this simple layer cake! It just goes together so easily! Still, I wanted to share some of my best tips for making a mayonnaise cake so that it comes out exactly the way you want it to.

• Make it exactly like the recipe the first time you make it - don't make substitutions. After that you can adjust as you desire.
• 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.
• Don't overmix!
• Pour the 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..
• Let chocolate mayonnaise cake layers rest in the pans about 10 minutes after removing them from the oven.
• 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

📚 Related recipes

Omigosh, I love these recipes! Birthdays, baby showers, holidays, and celebrations of all kinds call for cake! Here are some of my favorites!

• Holy Cow Cake is a silly name for a totally addictive poke cake. You may also know it as Butterfinger cake.
• Orange Cake is another vintage layer cake recipe made with fresh orange juice and zest. I love it for Easter and other spring occasions.
• Coconut Cake is full of coconut flavor and has raspberry jam between the layers.
• Chocolate Beer Cake is a bundt cake made with dark beer like Guinness. SO dense and delicious!
• Buttermilk Pound Cake is a delicately flavored southern classic that works well with fruit, sauces, glazes, and just about anything you want to serve it with - even just a dusting of Confectioner's sugar.
• Pig Pickin' Cake is another southern classic that's made with pineapple and mandarin oranges. It's the best ever for potlucks and church picnics.
• Try this rich chocolate frosting with it instead of the mocha!

Origins of Mayonnaise Cake

I couldn't find a definite answer to my question about the origins of Chocolate Mayonnaise cake but most people believe that Hellman's came up with it in the early half of the 1900s.

Who knows? The fact of the matter is that mayonnaise cake is fudgey, moist, chocolate Nirvana. There is something about the mayonnaise that reacts with the rest of the ingredients to create a crumb that is unlike anything else.. You can't taste the mayo at all...and many recipes don't call for eggs

📞 The last word

In my experience this cake goes fast!

One of the things I like to do is bake chocolate mayonnaise cake 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.

This will go together really quickly for you. There isn't any separating of the eggs, fancy mixing, or special techniques - just a straight forward cake.

You may want to put on a retro style apron and play some  Big Band music while you put it together...don't forget the heels and pearls...

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 a 5 star rating. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 Recipe

First published July 2010. Last updated May 24, 2021 to improve instructions.