Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting
If you are of a particular generation (cough, cough) this will not sound like an odd recipe at all. But, more recent generations may have never heard of it so I’d love to introduce you to this beauty of a cake. This cake should never, ever be forgotten or lost to recipe history. Basically because it is darn good. Darn good! It requires no eggs and no oil. Say what? Yup. That’s where the mayonnaise comes in. I mean, that’s what mayonnaise is; eggs and oil. It makes this cake SO incredible moist. If you need a go-to homemade chocolate cake, this is it! It is hands-down THE BEST chocolate cake you will make.
Also, just so you know, you don’t taste the coffee in this. It just accentuates and deepens the chocolate flavor. I learned that little trick from Ina Garten and it really does work. If you don’t keep coffee around, no worries, just leave it out. You’ll still have a moist and yummy chocolate cake!
Ingredients:
For the cake:
For the cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
4 tbsp. unsweetened baking cocoa
2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup water
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 tbsp. brewed coffee, black
For the frosting:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
2 tbsp. milk
2 cups (loosely packed) powdered sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
2 tbsp. milk
2 cups (loosely packed) powdered sugar
(frosting ingredients not pictured)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350f degrees. Spray a 9×9 square pan with nonstick baking spray. I like the kind of nonstick spray that has flour in it. It makes removal so much easier.
In a large bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking cocoa and baking soda.)
In a separate bowl, whisk together water, mayonnaise, vanilla extract and coffee.
You just want to use plain, brewed coffee – no additional milk or sugar added. If you don’t have coffee, just skip this step.
Now, slowly add the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients.
Stir just until combined. It may be a little lumpy but that’s okay. You don’t want to over-stir (it makes the cake tough.)
Pour into prepared baking dish. Bake for about 30-35 minutes (until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.)
Once the cake is finished, start preparing the frosting.
In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, combine brown sugar and butter and cook until bubbly. Be sure to whisk constantly so it doesn’t burn.
Take off the heat and stir in the milk. Then gradually add in powdered sugar.
Whisk until smooth.
Now, frost the cake! Note: The cake doesn’t have to be cooled completely to top with this frosting. Work quickly. The frosting hardens fast as it cools.
Slice and serve.
I just added some chocolate and caramel chips to each serving just to make it pretty.
Enjoy!
Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
35 mins
Total Time
50 mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12
Calories: 420 kcal
Ingredients
- For the cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 tbsp unsweetened baking cocoa
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp brewed coffee black
- For the frosting:
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup butter
- 2 tbsp milk
- 2 cups powdered sugar loosely packed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350f degrees.
- Spray a 9 x 9 square pan with nonstick baking spray.
In a large bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking cocoa and baking soda)
- In a separate bowl, whisk together water, mayonnaise, vanilla extract and coffee.
- You just want to use plain, brewed coffee - no additional milk or sugar added.
- Slowly add the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients.
- Stir just until combined.
- Pour into prepared baking dish.
- Bake for about 30-35 minutes (until a toothpick inserted comes out clean).
- Once the cake is finished, start preparing the frosting.
- In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, combine brown sugar and butter and cook until bubbly. Be sure to whisk constantly so it doesn't burn.
- Take off the heat and stir in the milk.
- Then gradually add in powdered sugar.
- Whisk until smooth.
- Frost the cake!
Recipe Notes
The cake doesn't have to be cooled completely to top with this frosting. Work quickly. The frosting hardens fast as it cools.
Nutrition Facts
Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting
Amount Per Serving
Calories 420 Calories from Fat 162
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 18g 28%
Saturated Fat 4g 20%
Cholesterol 18mg 6%
Sodium 368mg 15%
Potassium 68mg 2%
Total Carbohydrates 62g 21%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Sugars 45g
Protein 2g 4%
Vitamin A 2.6%
Calcium 1.8%
Iron 7.3%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Recipe slightly adapted from Taste of Home
My aunt makes this cake every year for our family reunion! It's amazing(She frosts hers with chocolate frosting, though). When she told my husband the secret ingredient was mayonnaise he liked to have fell out of his chair:)
If you add about 1cup rinsed,well drained sauerkraut it will taste like a chocolate coconut but cake. I am a product of people from the depression era.
we always take and soak the saurkraut over night then rinse and rinse in the morn makes the best coconut cake ever, and love the no bake cookies as well, they taste like almond joy bars
Wow! My daughter (14 yrs old) just made this recipe this week for a school competition. It is by far the most moist homemade cake we make. Delicious!
well I used the word "moist"twice,so that just points to the fact it is very very moist!
Love it! Yep, moist – very moist. Say it all you want! Haha! I know y'all don't know me from Adam but I mean it when I say – no mayo or coffee taste at all with this. Scout's honor. I love for folks to try it and ask what's in it. They usually will sit there with their mouths gaping for a bit…and then hopefully they go home and make it! 🙂
Brandie, I’m wondering if you can make cupcakes with this recipe, and if so, how much batter in each single cupcake (1/2 or 3/4 full)? Thank you!
Hi Jolene! I haven’t tried this in cupcakes but I would say about 3/4 full. Hope everyone loves it!!
Made them today and they are excellent…Thanks so much!
My recipe is very similar to yours, and I love it! Thank you for sharing this delicious cake recipe!
A wonderful cake…I made this for my children all the years they lived at home. It is so moist & chocolatey & moist,a winner!
Thank you for the sweet comments and for vouching for this cake for others!
Can this be made in a bundt pan? And if so what temp and for how long?
Yes it can…Same temp n time…Been making this cake for over 50 yrs…Always a winner
I have a recipe for mayo cake very similar to this. My family requests this cake often. I just frosted the one I made today! Thank you, Brandie for posting it!
Thanks so much Shelly! Love hearing that!!
My recipe is a little different. It makes a 9×13 size pan. I frost it with chocolate frosting. I just made this for my son's 9th birthday. I had to make two so everyone could get some.
WOW! This recipe makes a very moist cake, my family likes it very much. My mayo cake it more dense, maybe mixing all the liquids before adding to dry makes the difference.
My mom made this when rationing was on during world war 2. Her recipe made a 9 by 13 pan.
I have been eating choc. mayo cake for over 40 years. My mother made it when I was a kid, choc. frosting on hers. We love it. Moistest cake. When I make it for people, they are shocked it has mayo in it.
Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know how it turned out for you! SO, so happy you loved it!
I made this last week. It was so moist and delicious. I love the recipes for smaller families or for those who don't want too much leftover. Thanks!
Can you make CUPCAKES with this recipe? I find that not all cake recipes translate well to the cupcake form. Any thoughts here?
I would like to make a layer cake for my moms birthday, she loves this cake! Can I make 2 round 9 or 10inch cake without having to adjust the recipe? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Just made mine and as it cooled it sunk terribly. I live at 4,500 feet and wonder if has to do with my altitude? Any ideas on how to prevent the falling during cooling?
I'd like to make this for a church dinner. For a 10 x 15 dish, do you think I should double or just 1 1/2 the recipe? It looks divine! (Pun intended!)
I have made mayonnaise cake before and loved it. Looking forward to this recipe and the brown sugar frosting.
OMG ! I made this cake this morning and it's to die for ! It melts in your mouth. I did modify it a bit because I only had 1 1/2 cups of mayonnaise ( I doubled recipe ) so I put 1/2 a cup of sour cream , it came out beautifully. Thank you. I certainly will be sharing this with family and friends. 🙂
At what point do you add the cup of sugar? Does it get mixed in with the dry ingredients?
Hey there, you want to add the sugar in with the dry ingredients.
I’m confused at the sugar part too..
The sugar goes in with the dry ingredients. Sorry about any confusion! 🙂
I have made this cake all my life. Made it in Home Ec class way back in 1974. It is amazing.
My Mother (god rest her soul) made this cake for me for my birthday every year since I was 3-4 yrs. old!
My FAVORITE cake!!!
Super Moist & Indescribably Delicious!!!!!
No other cake in this world can compare to the beautiful taste and moistness of this cake!!
Sometimes Mom would use a homemade buttercream frosting. Either way – DELICIOUS!!!
Margie – what a precious memory! And what an amazing Momma!!!
I have a question. Can you use “Light” Mayonnaise to make this cake?? I am dying to try this and all I have in the house is the light mayo.
If someone can email me the answer that would be great.
I am pleased that you use coffee in this cake, coffee really brings out the chocolate flavor!!
Thanks!!
I would not use light mayo. You actually need the oils in regular mayo to make this moist 🙂
I will admit – I had my doubts. Let’s face it, mayo isn’t exactly the first thing you think of when making something sweet but …it just works! I whipped up this cake in no time – big plus – and it tastes heavenly! Great recipe to have for those times you need something quick! I can see myself making this many more times to come lol
Good, but the frosting was practically unreadable. I had to double the amount of milk to make it spreadable. Most people who tried the cake said it was delicious.
Isaiah, thanks for commenting. It’s definitely one of those frostings that you have to put on the cake while it is still warm so it will spread easier.
I would like to make a 9 x 13. How would the ingredients differ. Would I double them
Hi Sharon! Yes, I would just double the ingredients. You’ll just have to play with the baking time a bit. I’ve never done it myself so I can’t give you an exact time on that. 🙂
I made this cake day for the first time as cupcakes. Same temp for about 28 min. They turned out great! The frosting not so much! We only had dark brown sugar tho -and it was not smooth at all. Tasted great though. Any ideas why?
Hey Lisa! Glad you enjoyed the flavor! I am thinking it was the extra molasses in the dark brown sugar. Light brown isn’t as heavy on the molasses. The frosting is supposed to set up and have almost a toffee-like texture but it should be smooth and not clumpy. 🙂