Name: Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour; 1 cup sugar; 4 Tablespoons unsweetened baking cocoa; 2 teaspoons baking soda; 1 cup water; 1 cup mayonnaise; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 3 Tablespoons brewed coffee, (black); 1/2 cup packed brown sugar; 1/4 cup butter; 2 Tablespoons milk; 2 cups powdered sugar (loosely packed)

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This Homemade Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake uses mayo instead of eggs and oil to make it so moist. Topped with a homemade brown sugar frosting!

AN OLD-FASHIONED CAKE RECIPE

This cake should never, ever be forgotten or lost to recipe history. It’s an old school recipe that doesn’t require eggs or oil. That’s where the mayonnaise comes in. I mean, that’s what mayonnaise is; eggs and oil. It makes this cake SO incredibly moist. If you need a go-to homemade chocolate cake, this is it! And it is all topped off with the most delicious homemade brown sugar frosting. Perfection!

Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake slice on a plate, topped with chocolate chips.

DO I NEED TO ADD COFFEE TO CHOCOLATE CAKE?

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!

Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake with Homemade Brown Sugar Frosting recipe, slice shown on a plate with chocolate chips.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)

all-purpose flour
sugar
unsweetened baking cocoa
baking soda
water
mayonnaise
vanilla extract
brewed coffee
brown sugar
butter
milk
powdered sugar

all-purpose flour, sugar, unsweetened baking cocoa, baking soda, mayonnaise, vanilla extract — *(frosting ingredients not pictured)*

HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE MAYONNAISE CAKE:

Preheat oven to 350f degrees. Spray a 9×9-inch 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.)

flour, baking soda and cocoa mixed together in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk together water, mayonnaise, vanilla extract and coffee.

water and mayonnaise whisked together in a bowl.

You just want to use plain, brewed coffee – no additional milk or sugar added. If you don’t have coffee, just skip this step.

vanilla extract added to milk and water in a bowl.

Now, slowly add the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients.

coffee and milk mixture poured into cocoa flour mixture.

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.)

whisking chocolate cake batter in a bowl.

Pour into prepared baking dish. Bake for about 30-35 minutes (until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.)

chocolate cake batter poured into a white square baking dish.

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.

brown sugar and butter bubbling in a sauce pan.

Take off the heat and stir in the milk. Then gradually add in powdered sugar.

powdered sugar stirred into pot with butter and brown sugar.

Whisk until smooth.

brown sugar frosting whipped together in a pot.

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.