Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake Recipe
Our chocolate mayonnaise cake is rich, moist and dense, and made even more decadent by a chocolate buttercream frosting. It’s the stuff that dreams are made of.
This mayonnaise cake recipe from the 1950s will quickly become your favorite chocolate cake for that special occasion!
An easy recipe, if you follow my tips to make this incredibly moist cake, you can say goodbye to all those old dry chocolate cakes of the past.
With such easy-to-follow instructions, this old fashioned mayonnaise cake is a one-bowl cake is so quick to make you’ll say goodbye to boxed cake mixes! Promise!
Ingredients
Before starting, head to the grocery store and get all the ingredients you need. For equipment, be sure to have an 8 X 8 or 9 X 9 square baking pan.
- Mayonnaise
- Sugar
- Vanilla extract
- All purpose flour
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Baking soda
- Eggs
How to make the best chocolate mayonnaise cake 1956
First preheat your oven to 350 F.
1. Mix the mayonnaise, sugar and vanilla together in a large bowl and set aside.
2. Sift the flour, cocoa and baking soda together.
3. Add the flour mixture alternatively to the mayonnaise mixture, and add the cold water
4. Pour batter into a 9 X 9 greased and floured baking pan.
5. Bake at 350F for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
6. Cool completely and frost with a dark chocolate buttercream frosting.
Tips
- Use fresh ingredients. Baking ingredients like flour and baking soda, even cocoa have expiry dates.
- Grease and flour your baking pan to make it easy to serve.
- I use Hellman’s Real Mayonnaise, always use real mayonnaise, not a salad dressing blend.
- Let the cake cool completely before frosting, or you will have a runny mess on your hands.
- Always preheat your oven.
FAQS
What pan should I use for my cake?
I just love using a bundt pan for cake recipes, but this time I decided to use a 9X9 square pan and I’m glad I did! The cake rises beautifully, and because you grease and flour the pan, it will drop out quite nicely on an inverted cake plate.
How do you make buttercream frosting?
The dark chocolate buttercream frosting completes this rich and decadent cake. You can see my buttercream recipe right here.
How to serve chocolate mayonnaise cake
Usually, the entire cake is covered in chocolate frosting, or you can use your own favorite frosting recipe.
For an added bit of color, try adding some sliced fresh strawberries to the top of the cake.
To get nice clean slices, always use a large knife warmed in hot water.
And serve with a big scoop of French Vanilla Ice Cream!
How to store chocolate mayonnaise cake
You should let the center of the cake cool to room temperature first.
This is best done by removing the cake from its pan and placing it on a wire rack.
Once cool, store in an airtight container. Your cake should last on the shelf for 2-3 days.
Recipe variations
It’s possible to make this recipe completely gluten free and vegan!
Just use gluten-free flour and Hellman’s Vegan Mayonnaise.
Where did I get my inspiration for this recipe?
Why would you put mayonnaise in a chocolate cake?
The answer: It results in an incredibly moist chocolate cake.
Yup, you heard right. When you think about it, it all makes sense, since mayonnaise is full of eggs and oil right? Until I found this old fashioned mayonnaise cake recipe in Grandma’s Recipe Book that she had clipped from a Hellmann’s Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake ad, I had no idea. It’s no secret ingredient.
Since making my very own chocolate mayo cake, lots and lots of folks have shared that their Mom or Grandma used to make it for them too!
I was so surprised many of you said that this chocolate cake recipe reminded you of the cakes from your childhood! This old fashioned recipe really struck an emotional chord with so many and that makes any baker happy!
Kind of full circle, don’t you think?
Why do I call this awesome chocolate cake recipe old fashioned? Well…..
My grandparents lived on a farm through the Great Depression. So I’m sure you understand that they would use up everything they could. They couldn’t afford to waste anything.
Things like envelopes became note paper, and at some point, my Grandma must have come across an old financial ledger that wasn’t being used.
So what did she do? Yes, you’re right. That’s when she started to write down her famous recipes.
She would also clip recipes from the weekly newspaper. That’s how I found so many, including this one from Hellman’s Mayonnaise.
Many of these recipes were from the 40’s and 50’s, so maybe I should use the word ‘vintage’ instead. But when I think of my Grandma, vintage doesn’t come to mind.
She was a delight and certainly very old-fashioned by today’s standards.
I remember visiting during the summer months and staying for a week or two. We always had so much fun, playing with the neighborhood kids, catching frogs in the creek behind their house, and watching thunderstorms on the summer porch.
And every once in a while, when it wasn’t too hot, Grandma would bake. Often it was her famous date & nut cookies, but sometimes, if my brother and I had been on our best behavior, she would bake a chocolate mayo cake.
We often squabbled over who would get the corner piece; you know, the one with all that fudgy chocolate frosting?
But usually, my Grandfather would solve our squabbling and take it for himself!
My husband Mark loves chocolate cake, and I’ve made several different recipes. I even recently made him the Ding Dong Cake from iambaker.net! Now that was a lot of work, but definitely worth the effort.
I’m so grateful that I have all of Grandma’s recipes to this day, and you will see some of her other recipes on the blog.
I’m starting to work my way through them, so stay tuned! Her Chocolate Fudge Cake is amazing! And be sure to check out our Orange Cranberry Bundt Cake Recipe!
Want even more chocolate? Grandma’s homemade chocolate pie is to die for!
Wrapping up
As I mentioned above, Grandma was an amazing cook, raised on a farm, and had to provide hot and hearty meals to the farm hands every day for their noon dinner.
I can only imagine what time she had to get up to make the meal since we’re talking early 1900’s with no modern-day appliances to ease the work! Well, fast forward to today and her recipes still live on.
This cake is the real deal. No boring boxed cake mix or a chocolate cake that dries out after the first slice.
Moist, melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness that a really good chocolate cake delivers. You will be asked for this cake over and over, at birthdays, potlucks, bake sales, and just because.
Chocolate cake is a very important part of our daily life, in my humble opinion, and this mayonnaise cake is about to become a big part of yours!
Enjoy!
THANKS SO MUCH for following and being part of the Pie Lady Bakes community where you will find vintage recipes like Mom and Grandma used to make, but that are so easy!
If you haven’t already joined, here is the link where you can sign up for my weekly e-mail newsletter. This way, you won’t miss any of my new recipes and it’s absolutely free!
See you soon!
Judy
★★★★★
If you have made this delicious chocolate mayonnaise cake, I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to give it a 5 star rating!
★★★★★
Old Fashioned Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake Recipe
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 4 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup water - cold
Instructions
- Mix the mayonnaise, sugar and vanilla together in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
- Sift the flour, cocoa and baking soda together.
- Add the flour mixture alternatively to the mayonnaise mixture, and add the cold water
- Pour batter into a 9 X 9 greased and floured baking pan.
- Bake at 350F for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Icing:
- Ice with a Dark Chocolate Buttercream and serve with a big scoop of French Vanilla Ice Cream!
VIDEO
Nutrition
These are estimated values generated from a nutritional database using unbranded products. Please do your own research with the products you’re using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.
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Judy Kahansky
Judy Kahansky is an experienced writer and baker, creating delicious desserts (including pie!) for over 40 years. She loves to take classic and vintage recipes and update them to fit the busy lives of her readers. When not baking, Judy and her husband Mark are passionate golfers, travelers and dog lovers, spending as much time as they can with their sweet pup Millie.
Can I double the recipe to make a 9 X 13 cake?
Absolutely! It’s a great cake for potlucks and when you need to feed a crowd.
Easy and good
I made this cake when I was little and lost the recipe. Every recipe for chocolate mayonnaise cake i made since then just wasn’t the same until found this one! Super moist and delicious 🙂
Can I use Dukes mayo, I’m a southern girl, and that’s all I ever buy.
Hi Sallie, sure, whatever mayo you wish to use!
Hello,
Will this recipe work for a 8inch round springform pan ?
Hi, I’ve never baked it that way myself. You could try baking it in two round layer pans though.
Finding this recipe brought tears & joy to my heart … it was the first cake I ever made at the ripe old age of 8 years old!! My mother rarely allowed us in the kitchen and some how in time my siblings became the great cooks and I became the baker.
I made it for my daughter & son-in-law for Valentine’s Day. It was extremely easy to make, I did have everything in my pantry except the Mayo, ha. I couldn’t use your suggested frosting as is (I’m allergic to raw eggs) so I omitted the egg. The frosting was very thick. For sure I could have thinned it out a bit, but it worked well for my Chocoholics. =) Funny thing, they were watching a video about a famous “Chocolate Cake Shake” and the rumor was that Mayonnaise was the secret ingredient … neither commented about it being weird so I didn’t confess it was in my cake. =)
~Thank you for reminding me of a wonderful moment in time.
That’s a great story, thanks for sharing!
looking for a reply to my comment
Hey Dennis I hope the replies help you out. I would love to see a photo of your cake the next time.
Hi Judy! mayonaise cake is wonderful, and I enjoy making them, but, for some reason, mke cake doesn’t rise very much. I used a nine by thirteen glass cake dish, is that my mistake?
Hi Dennis – 9 X 13 dish is fine, but you would need to double your recipe. Thanks for asking!
Hi Judy! I love making mayonaise cake and they taste so good. But, I always have the problem of my cake never rises very much, the only difference is I used a 9X13 glass cake dish. Is the 9X9 pan better to use?
Hi Dennis! Check the expiry dates of your ingredients first. Sometimes things like flour, baking powder etc. expire. This cake recipe has always turned out great, I usually bake it in a 9 X 9 pan. Hope that helps!
Can you give me the recipe for the frosting???
Hi Davena. You can use our buttercream frosting recipe in our Chocolate Fudge Cake recipe. Thanks!
I grew up on mayonnaise cake it is so moist and yummy.
I am wondering if I have to ad the cocoa powder? My husband prefers a yellow cake.
Would it taste different?
Hi Peggy, I don’t see why not. There are also many mayonnaise cake recipes that don’t use chocolate. I’d love to see a photo when you do!
Could you tell me how many cupcakes this recipe would make?
Hi Kathy! I would estimate 12 cupcakes, or double the recipe to get 24. Enjoy!
Can u make this in cake layers? 8” cake pans. Also I saw a recipe that used coffee liquid instead of water, have u tried that?
Hi Brenda! You can bake this cake in l layers. Coffee does enhance the flavour of chocolate. You could try a couple of tablespoons at first. Thanks for asking and let me know how t turns out!
I made this chocolate mayonnaise cake, it is delicious, I recommended. Very easy to
make! If I want to make cup cakes, do I bake them for 35 minutes ?
Thanks !
Hi Vilma – That time sounds about right, but I always caution to use a range for baking. Maybe start at 30 minutes and go up, as everyone’s oven is different when it comes to temperature.
Hi..it looks so yummyy, so eager to try tho im new to baking., Can i use 8×8 tray instead cos i’ve this size. Will it turn out differently ?
Thank you ?
Hi Ziza, sure you can – sorry for the late reply, but your comment just popped up! Your cake will just be a bit higher in the pan, no need to change ingredients at all. Enjoy! Be sure to share a pic of your cake please. xo
what is the serving size related to the nutritional information? It’s not listed
Hi Tim, you will get 9 pieces of cake from you 9″ square pan. The servings are listed at the top of the recipe. Precisely, it would be 1 X 2″. Hope that helps.
I have never tried mayonnaise in a cake, but it totally makes sense the texture looks amazing!
Thanks Brian! It is a delicious cake to be sure.
So glad I found your recipe ! I lost my Chocolate Mayonnaise recipe recently and can not wait to try your recipe 🙂
Hi Linda! Thanks so much, yes this recipe is a keeper for sure!
I have never tried mayonnaise in a cake, but it totally makes sense the texture looks amazing!
So glad I found your recipe ! I lost my Chocolate Mayonnaise recipe recently and can not wait to try your recipe 🙂
This cake looks perfect! I’d love a big slice!
Thanks so much Allison!
Wasn’t sure if I read that right…. it sounds kind of weird but I’m intrigued. I have to try this asap! It look so good.
Hi Christie. Mayonnaise is made from eggs and oil, so it’s perfect for a rich and moist cake.
I’ve never had a mayonnaise cake. I’m intrigued and will try it. Looks luscious!
Thanks Valentina!
This cake looks perfect! I’d love a big slice!
I’ve never had a mayonnaise cake. I’m intrigued and will try it. Looks luscious!
Would you please share your Dark Chocolate Buttercream frosting?
Thank you!
Hi Michele!
Thanks for the catch. The recipe is in my Chocolate Fudge Cake post – so i’ve updated this post to include the link. You can get it here at https://pieladybakes.com/chocolate-fudge-cake/.
Best, Judy
I’ve recently moved from a lower elevation in southeast Michigan to a higher elevation in Knoxville, Tennessee. I’ve noticed that it takes a lot longer to boil eggs than I’m used to, so I’m wondering if there’s any differences in baking? I’ve been looking for a mayonnaise chocolate cake recipe for over 25 years, like the one I had at a birthday party once. This sounds perfect, and I don’t want to mess it up!
Hi Becky! I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to find an answer for you. This link takes you to a great chart from King Arthur Flour – looks like you need to add eggs to cakes. Please see http://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
Good Luck and please let me know how it turns out. I would love to see a photo!
Well I had to let you know I turned your cake gluten free and vegan. I used Bobs Red Mill all purpose gluten free flour and Hellmans new Vegan Mayonnaise. The rest of the recipe I followed as written. This cake is AWESOME:). Thanks again !!!!!!
Wow! Good for you, Teressa! So glad you enjoyed it!