This chocolate mayonnaise cake is the first chocolate cake I ever developed, and it's been popular with cake decorators and my clients alike ever since. It's super moist, bakes up with a soft, tight crumb, and has a BIG chocolate flavor thanks to Dutched cocoa powder and my secret ingredient, mayonnaise. If you love the texture of my vanilla cake recipe, this is the chocolate version of that.
Quick Glance at the Recipe: Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake
- Recipe Name: Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake
- Why You'll Love It: Rich, moist, and sturdy enough to stack, carve, or cover in fondant.
- Time and Difficulty: 20 minutes prep + 30 to 40 minutes bake. Intermediate.
- Main Ingredients: Cake flour, Dutched cocoa powder, mayonnaise, butter, sugar, and eggs.
- Method: Bloom the cocoa in boiling water, then mix with the reverse mixing method and bake in three 8"x2" pans at 335º F.
- Texture and Flavor: Soft, tight crumb with a deep, dark chocolate flavor.
- Quick Tip: Let the cocoa and water cool until warm, not hot, before you add the mayo and eggs.
Jump to:
- Quick Glance at the Recipe: Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake
- What Makes This Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake So Good⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Reader Review
- Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake Ingredients
- How To Make Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake Step-By-Step
- Cake Batter and Frosting Calculator
- Cake Batter and Frosting Calculator
- Cups of Batter Needed
- Cups of Frosting Needed
- Make This Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake Your Own
- Common Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake Problems To Avoid
- Final Thoughts
- Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake FAQs
- More Chocolate Cake Recipes To Try
- Ready To Master Cake Decorating?
- Leave Me A Review⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Recipe
What Makes This Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake So Good
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I know mayonnaise sounds a bit odd in a cake, but if you think about it, mayo is just eggs and oil in fluffy form. Two things that go great in cake.
- Mayonnaise. It adds moisture and richness, and I updated my original recipe to use it because it gives the cake a better taste and texture.
- Dutched cocoa powder. It's smoother, darker, and more chocolatey than natural cocoa. That's where the deep, almost reddish color comes from.
- Boiling water. Whisking the cocoa into boiling water first gets it nice and smooth before it goes into the batter.
- The reverse mixing method. Mixing the butter into the dry ingredients first gives you that nice tight crumb that's still soft and moist.
- Butter AND mayo. The butter makes the cake stable enough for stacking and sculpted cakes, so I use this same recipe for wedding cakes and carved cakes.
I never put much thought into cocoa powder until I started testing chocolate cake recipes for my wedding cake clients. Everyone raved about the recipe on the back of the Hershey's can, but when I tried it, it tasted bitter to me and not at all what I was looking for. This is the cake I came up with instead. Looking for a quick one-bowl option? Try my easy chocolate cake.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Reader Review
My go-to chocolate cake recipe! Yummy and moist, but sturdy enough for stacking or carving!!
Catherine F.
Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake Ingredients
I always weigh my ingredients with a digital kitchen scale because measuring in cups is not exact, and who wants to waste butter and vanilla at today's prices?
- Mayonnaise. I use Best Foods (it's called Hellmann's in some parts of the country). Go with a nice neutral mayonnaise. You can replace it with other mayos too. Most mayo has salt in it, so you don't need to adjust the salt. Mayo is made with eggs, so this cake is not egg free unless you're using an egg free mayo, and the recipe has whole eggs in it too.
- Dutched cocoa powder. I like Cacao Barry Extra Brute because it has a fantastic flavor and it's easy to find online. Here's my guide to Dutch processed cocoa powder if you're not sure what you have. Only have natural cocoa? Reduce the baking powder to 1 ¼ teaspoons and increase the baking soda to 2 ¾ teaspoons.
- Water. Boiling, to whisk with the cocoa powder.
- Cake flour. Gives this cake its soft, tight crumb. Bleached or unbleached both work. Don't have any? You can use my cake flour substitute. The texture will just be slightly different.
- Granulated sugar. For sweetness and moisture.
- Unsalted butter. At room temperature, for the cake and the buttercream. Forgot to set it out? Use my room temperature ingredient hacks.
- Eggs. Large, at room temperature.
- Baking powder and baking soda. You need both for the right rise.
- Vanilla extract and salt. In both the cake and the buttercream.
- Pasteurized egg whites and powdered sugar. These make my chocolate buttercream light and creamy without cooking anything.
See the recipe card for the full list of ingredients with quantities.
How To Make Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake Step-By-Step
Before you start, preheat your oven to 335º F and prep three 8"x2" cake pans with cake goop or your favorite pan release. Make sure your butter and eggs are at room temperature, and grab your stand mixer.
- Bring your water to a boil and whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Let it cool until it's warm, not hot.
- Whisk in the mayonnaise, vanilla, and eggs to break up the eggs.
- Place your flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
- Add the butter in small chunks with the mixer on low and mix until it looks like coarse sand.
- Add half of the liquid and mix on medium for 2 minutes. This builds the cake's structure.
- Turn the mixer to low and slowly add the rest of the liquid, scraping the bowl once or twice, then mix on medium for 30 more seconds.
PRO TIP: Don't skip the full 2 minutes of mixing. If you do, your cake could collapse.
- Divide the batter between your three pans.
- Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the center is set and a toothpick comes out with a few sticky crumbs.
- Cool the cakes in the pans for about 10 minutes, then flip them out onto a cooling rack and cover them in plastic wrap so they don't dry out.
PRO TIP: For carving or stacking, wrap the cooled layers in plastic wrap and give them a short chill in the freezer before carving. Chilled cakes are SO much easier to handle.
- Whip the egg whites and powdered sugar with the whisk attachment on high for 5 minutes.
- Melt 8 ounces of the butter and stir in the cocoa powder until smooth.
- Add the rest of the butter in small chunks and keep whipping until the buttercream is light, white, and creamy.
- Add the chocolate mixture, vanilla, and salt and whip until combined.
- Switch to the paddle and mix on low until the buttercream is smooth with no bubbles. This can take up to 20 minutes.
- Trim your cooled cakes with a serrated knife, then fill and frost with the chocolate buttercream using an offset spatula.
Want to really please the chocolate lover in your life? Swap the buttercream for dark chocolate ganache. New to layer cakes? Here's how to decorate a cake step by step.
Cake Batter and Frosting Calculator
This recipe makes three 8"x2" cake layers. Use the calculator below to adjust the batter for other pan sizes.
Cake Batter and Frosting Calculator
Select an option below to calculate how much batter or frosting you need. Adjust the servings slider on the recipe card to change the amounts the recipe makes.
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(based on 2" tall cake pan)
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Cupcake Tin Size
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Cups of Batter Needed
8 cups
Cups of Frosting Needed
5 cups
Note: measurements are estimated based off the vanilla cake recipe using standard US cake pans and sizes. Measurements used are for 2" tall cake pans only. Your results may vary. Do not overfill cake pans above manufacturer's recommended guidelines.
Make This Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake Your Own
- Cupcakes. This batter bakes up beautifully as cupcakes and makes about 36.
- Gluten free. I've made this cake gluten free successfully using Bob's Red Mill 1:1 flour.
- Dairy free. Replace the butter with Earth Balance and leave out the salt, otherwise it can taste really salty.
- Marble cake. Make a batch of this batter and a batch of vanilla batter and marble them together.
- Sculpted and tiered cakes. It's strong enough for a bottom tier (with supports) and can be covered in fondant. It's a soft cake, so chill it well before you handle it. Here's how to stack cakes.
- Doctored box mix. Not into baking from scratch? Try my chocolate WASC.
Common Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake Problems To Avoid
- Sunken middle. If your cake sinks in the center, it wasn't baked all the way. Some ovens run cooler than others, so next time leave the oven closed until the 40 to 45 minute mark before you check it.
- Dry cake. It was baked too long. Start checking at 30 minutes and pull it when the toothpick has a few sticky crumbs.
- Bitter flavor. You have to use Dutched cocoa powder for this recipe. Natural cocoa tastes sharper.
- Cake too soft to handle. Give the wrapped layers a short chill in the freezer before you trim, carve, or stack.
Final Thoughts
This is the first chocolate cake recipe I ever developed, and it's still one of my favorites. People are always impressed with the flavor because it's so rich, and nobody ever guesses the secret is mayonnaise.
Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake FAQs
Can you taste the mayonnaise in chocolate mayonnaise cake?
No. Mayonnaise is just eggs and oil, so it adds moisture and richness, not mayo flavor.
Does it matter what kind of mayonnaise I use?
I use Best Foods, which is the same as Hellmann's, but you can replace it with other mayos. Most mayonnaise has salt in it, and you don't need to adjust the recipe for that.
Can I substitute the mayonnaise with sour cream, yogurt, or buttermilk?
No. Mayonnaise is eggs and oil, so it's not the same as yogurt or buttermilk, and the recipe may not turn out.
Can I use all-purpose flour instead of cake flour?
Cake flour gives the best result, but if you don't have any you can make a cake flour substitute with all-purpose flour. It's fine, the texture will just be slightly different.
How do I store chocolate mayonnaise cake?
Wrap unfrosted layers in plastic wrap to prevent drying out and keep them at room temperature for up to 24 hours. Never store plain, unfrosted cake in the fridge because it dries it out. Once the cake is frosted, it keeps for up to a week in the fridge or 2 months in the freezer.
More Chocolate Cake Recipes To Try
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Leave Me A Review
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If you tried this Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments. I love hearing from you!
Recipe
Equipment
- 3 8" x 2" cake pans
- 1 Electric Stand Mixer with paddle and whisk attachments
- 1 Digital Kitchen Scale
Ingredients
For the cake
- 3 oz Dutched cocoa powder
- 11 oz water
- 5 oz mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 19 oz cake flour
- 20 oz granulated sugar
- 2 ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
- 8 oz unsalted butter room temperature
For the chocolate buttercream
- 8 oz pasteurized egg whites room temperature
- 32 oz powdered sugar
- 36 oz unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 oz cocoa powder
Instructions
- Before you begin: Preheat your oven to 335º F and prepare three 8"x2" cake pans with cake goop or your preferred pan release. Make sure your butter and eggs are at room temperature.
For the cake
- Bring the water to a boil, then whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Let the mixture cool until it's warm, not hot.
- Add the mayonnaise, vanilla, and eggs to the cooled cocoa mixture and whisk to break up the eggs.
- Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
- Turn the mixer on low (setting 1 on a KitchenAid) and add the room temperature butter in small chunks. Mix on low until the mixture looks like coarse sand.
- Add half of the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix on medium for 2 minutes. Don't skip this step or your cake could collapse.
- Turn the mixer back down to low and slowly add the rest of the liquids, stopping once or twice to scrape the bowl. Once combined, turn the mixer up to medium for another 30 seconds.
- Divide the batter evenly between the three prepared pans.
- Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the center is set and a toothpick comes out with a few sticky crumbs. Start checking at 30 minutes.
- Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, or until the pans are cool enough to touch, then flip them out onto a cooling rack. Cover with plastic wrap so they don't dry out and let them cool completely.
For the chocolate buttercream
- Place the egg whites and powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Combine on low, then whip on high for 5 minutes.
- Set aside 8 oz of the butter and melt it in the microwave until JUST melted. Don't overheat it. Mix the melted butter with the cocoa powder until smooth.
- With the mixer running, add the remaining butter in small chunks and keep whipping until the buttercream is light, white, and creamy. Give it a taste. If it still tastes buttery, keep whipping.
- Add the chocolate mixture, vanilla, and salt and whip until combined, scraping the bowl if needed.
- Switch to the paddle attachment and mix on low until smooth and creamy with no bubbles. This can take up to 20 minutes.
To assemble
- Once the cakes are completely cool, trim them, then fill and frost with the chocolate buttercream.
Destiny says
Hey Liz! I love your recipes! Can I double and half this chocolate cake recipe or even triple? Also, can I double and half your most popular vanilla cake recipe or even triple? Thank you!
The Sugar Geek Show says
You can adjust recipes up or down any way you need to. Just adjust the servings in the recipe card and it automatically adjusts the amounts
Marcella says
Never made one with mayo lol but I am loving your recipes. Question may I sub buttermilk for water? Just curious. Many thanks in advance.
The Sugar Geek Show says
I haven't tested this recipe with buttermilk but if you do and it works for you let me know know 🙂
Margaret Schickler says
Hi Liz
I am interested in making this cake and frosting. It sounds and looks so delicious. I have read the instructions several times and unless I mised something, I am a bit confused with the frosting recipe. Your recipe indicates to reserve and microwave 8 oz of butter, but I don't see where you add it to the frosting? The recipe also says to add the chocolate mixture and I do not see where you make a chocolate mixture. Does the cocoa powder get mixed into the melted butter? Can you clear up the confusion for me?
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yes, combine the melted butter with cocoa powder and mix until smooth then add into the buttercream
ibraym Arenas says
hello i need to make a cake for a family party , i only have square 9 x 13 pan , how much cups of batter would you recommend for a nice cake , around 30 people thank you
The Sugar Geek Show says
I would make a double batch
Eunice says
Hi Liz, this cake tastes great! I have baked this twice. The first time as cupcakes and they were rather crumbly. As I tend to under-mix, I decided to beat longer on my second try - I made 3 cake layers as well as cupcakes. The cakes and cupcakes were a little less crumbly but still tender. Both times they are a bit gummy in the mouth even though I think I've baked them well. How can I make them (1) less crumbly and (2) less gummy?
Maybe I should add that I'm not in the US; I'm from tropical Singapore 🙂
The Sugar Geek Show says
Are you using any ingredients that are not the same as what are listed?
Eunice says
I'm using the ingredients as listed but am wondering if there were differences anyway - like, maybe my cake flour just isn't the same...
Do you think I can be more aggressive with the beating? Or maybe tweak an ingredient - if so, where should I start?
PS: my family likes this cake so much that they've requested that I bake it again in a few days!
Sara says
Hi! I was hoping you could tell me what the difference between bleached and unbleached cake flour is? Also, is it possible to use the bleached in this recipe if it is all that I have available? Thank you in advance for your help!
The Sugar Geek Show says
The only difference is the color. It's perfectly ok to use bleached or unbleached if you're not concerned about the color
Dawn says
I have two questions. 1) Can I use this recipe to make a 1/2 sheet cake and would I need to double or triple the recipe? and 2) My oven has a regular bake setting and a convection oven setting, which would be better for baking this cake?
The Sugar Geek Show says
The triple recipe will be enough. I bake in a regular oven 🙂
Deborah Hill Hand says
Liz, this cake looks yummy. The frosting looks light and creamy. Can't wait to bake one got my family. My mother used to bake a German chocolate cake from scratch for holidays. It was delicious.
Veralyn says
Wow!!!!!!!! I have never been a chocolate cake person, but I married into a chocolate loving family. I found that I don't mind the chocolate pudding cake, but I was asked to make a chocolate cake for this weekend and knew I had to make something GOOD!! I can't eat boxed cake anymore because I am allergic to some of the ingredients, so I searched for a moist cake. I compared your recipe to some of the others I found and the logic/science behind your ingredients and process made the most sense for the desired result. I followed the recipe, weighed the ingredients, did not make any substitutions. This cake came out perfectly!!! My husband and I were both nibbling all the crumbs after leveling the top of the cake.
I am going to be making a mint chocolate pudding (more of a mousse) for the filling and decorating it with whipped cream frosting. I am actually excited for this chocolate cake!
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yay that makes me so so happy!! I'm so glad that you liked the recipe! It's one of my favorites too and the first chocolate cake I ever developed <3
Veralyn says
Just letting you know the chocolate mint pudding with the whipped cream frosting was delicious!!!!! It was gone in no time, luckily I had some of the trimmings with the filling and cream before the party because the cake was gone by the time I made it to the table. Everyone was asking for the recipe so I will send them here. I will definitely be making this again!
Andrea Noll says
Hi Liz!
I was wondering if it matters what kind of mayo I use? I have a jar of Hellmann's but I'm worried becuase it has salt in it... would I need to adjust for salt?
Thanks!
The Sugar Geek Show says
Most mayo has salt in it 🙂 Helmans is a great mayo!
Mona says
Hi Liz, I just noticed on your video it says Add 1/3 of your liquid ingredients and mix on 1 minute whereas in the written recipe it says Add 1/2 of your liquid ingredients and mix for 2 minutes. Which would be more accurate?
Thanks x
P.s. I actually tried this recipe for cupcakes yesterday and everyone in my family Loved it! But as I'm from the UK, I always have to substitute the Cake Flour for McDougall's "00" grade extra fine premium plain flour and it works like magic.
Ally Carlon says
Hi there,
I just tried this recipe and got a sunken middle the same as one of the other comments, I think you may be right with it needs longer before the oven door is opened.... But the real issue I have is taste. I wonder if UK mayonnaise is different to US? I checked ingredients and found it hard to find one here without mustard in it but I did get an organic jar - ingredients oil, egg, spirit vinegar and salt. There is a distinct tanginess to my cake, but a lovely texture. Can I use egg and oil instead of mayo? I’ve made the best vanilla recipe and that comes out great.
Thanks
Ally
Prena Kalidas says
Hi Liz, in South Africa we dont get Dutch processed, only natural cocao powder. Amazon does not deliver the cocoa powder either. Can the dutch processed be replaced with natural, and if so does the levening increase?
The Sugar Geek Show says
If you can't get dutched cocoa powder then reduce the baking powder to 1 tsp and increase the baking soda to 2 tsp
Paige says
Hi, if you make a marble cake do you use the vanilla with this, or the yellow cake recipe? Thanks
Paige says
*vanilla cake recipe
Kay says
Hi
Do you have a gluten free sugar free high altitude cake recipe? Do you preference monk fruit, Swerve or another sweetener for cakes?
Thank you!
The Sugar Geek Show says
Sorry I don't. I use bobs red mill 1:1 baking mix to make any cake gluten free and I prefer monkfruit or swerve baking mix for sweetner