One-Bowl Chocolate-Mayonnaise Cake Recipe (2024)

made this after wanting to for months. it's so easy and everything about it is perfect except maybe I'd add a pinch more salt and... don't use kraft mayo. it has onion powder in it and i could absolutely taste it. I usually use hellman's. I'll check the label next time.

Let this cool fully before you try to flip it out of the pan. I have made a fool of myself.

This is a less-sweet version of cake than you will be used to; but it's delicious. If you'd like a little more sweetness, drop a handful (or two) of chocolate chips onto the top of the batter before you put it in the oven. When it comes out, you can spread the chocolate across the top like frosting.

I call this the ultimate “never show a child or an idiot a half-finished thing.” For those who complained about the mayonnaise in the batter, many would have loved it if they hadn’t known. I have now made this in most of its iterations. My favorite configuration is hot coffee, 1 1/2 oz chopped bittersweet chocolate, vanilla, AP flour, baked in a deep 8” cake pan. I thought the earls gray tea gave an interesting taste what with its hint of bergamot, but I prefer coffee.

Generous 1/4 c of chips = 2 oz

Gee, how many complaints! First of all, THANK you, Melissa! I can't believe nobody thought of, e.g., slicing the cake through the middle horizontally and spreading a schmear of raspberry, strawberry or cherry jam or orange marmalade on one layer. Or you could, when it first comes out of the oven, poke lots of holes in it and pour, say, brandy over it. Or you could abandon the chocolate and make it bright and lemony w. lemon juice and zest. Of course, you MUST have GOOD mayo!

I like to make vegan mayo out of aquafaba, and had a huge jar left of the stuff. So, during my lunch break I took a crack at this cake. Used freshly brewed coffee and my homemade vegan mayo. Greased the pan with sunflower oil. Round pan, 32 minutes. This cake is nothing to write home about, but that's what makes it beautiful. So simple, so easy, needs no fanfare, and you don't feel that guilty for eating two slices back to back. Fixes any chocolate craving and easy to convert to vegan. 10/10

Made this as written with the coffee option and the full two ounces of semisweet chocolate. It’s delicious! Moist and very dark. It does remind me a bit of cake made from a box mix, but I’m not complaining.

worst cake I have ever tasted. and now we are out of mayonnaise for sandwiches,

Made this with the coffee plus chopped chocolate option since previous users that chose to do this gave favorable reviews. This cake batter was so easy that I felt the urge to put in some extra effort & add a chocolate glaze—for those who like that idea but want an easier route, I think another user’s idea of adding extra semi-sweet chocolate chips to the top of the cake batter would work just as well as any glaze for that added touch of sweetness. Didn’t taste the mayo at all & loved this cake!

I think the key here is that this is a Depression-era recipe. This is not a recipe aiming for decadence. I think people are reading the line "cakes rely on eggs and fat for tenderness and richness" in the description, clinging onto the word richness for whatever reason, and getting misled.I used hot coffee and Japanese mayo (I really wanted a way to use up my bottle of Kewpie) and the recipe worked great. Can't taste the mayo at all. Might be good as a base recipe to experiment from.

I used Mexican cocoa powder and Mexican chocolate plus 1/4 tsp of pasilla chile powder. Delish.

Great outcome for level of effort. Agree that taste & texture are similar to boxed cake. Used a shot of espresso + water for the liquid, added the 2 oz bittersweet chocolate, and sprinkled top liberally w/ semisweet chocolate chunks, all of which I would recommend to maximize flavor. Baked in an 8" round for approximately 33 minutes, would have been better at 31-32 minutes. Used Trader Joe's brand organic mayo, TJs cocoa powder, and a mix of TJ's and Bakers's bittersweet choc-- No fishiness.

Taste to effort ratio is through the roof. Made cupcakes, 23 mins. Coffee made the chocolate shine through. Eating them now with a glass of unsweetened iced coffee.

It looked great out of the oven and it is moist but not chocolate enough, despite cocoa and chocolate, and terrible after taste. Might give it another try but dubious.

This cake was somewhere in between spongy and fudgey for me, which means IT WAS GOOD! I added some chocolate chips to melt on top and spread the goodness over the sides, then topped it with some rather tasty raspberries. Perfect Valentine cake!

This cake has a nice flavor, not too sweet, but very dry. I would add more mayo next time or add some oil.

People stop complaining. This is the easiest thing ever to bake. A must try.

Easy and toothsome. I was careful not to overbake it, and it was moist. I used an earl grey tea bag in the water but next time will use coffee. Also added the extra bittersweet chocolate mentioned. Will definitely make this again.

I used 1 tsp. espresso powder to the batter, sprinkled demerara sugar and chocolate chips on top before baking. Also used GF Measure for Measure flour. It was delicious! No one could believe that it was made with mayonnaise or GF flour!

Don't skip the addition of 2 squares of bittersweet chocolate; it really makes this cake something wonderful.Baked with King Arthur Gluten Free Measure for Measure flour, coffee, and subbed half the sugar with baking stevia (the light and fluffy kind.) Frosted with chocolate fudge frosting per request of the birthday boy, but I think the cake didn't really need it; it's wonderful on its own or with just a light dusting of powdered sugar.

Agree with others that this tastes like boxed cake - so interesting! However, it was easy and while not a masterpiece, it fit the bill for an easy and fast dessert.

A serviceable cake, nothing special. The mayonnaise is a cute historical quirk (and no, you don't taste it) but I don't find it hard to crack and few eggs and pour some oil, and I wouldn't normally keep mayonnaise on hand.

I made it with coffee, but that didn’t really come through in the finished cake. It was tasty however, and quick to make for a last minute dessert. I will make it again and maybe experiment with adding cinnamon.

This is one of the best cakes I’ve ever made! Super easy and just delicious! I don’t know why people are complaining about the mayo? Follow the recipe and you will have a perfect chocolate cake. I used a 9-inch cake pan and baked it for 32 minutes - perfect!

Made exactly per the recipe. Batter tasted good, but the cake leaves an awful bitter aftertaste. Is that the baking soda? I’m not sure where I went wrong.

This was a great cake during ww2 and after!

My family has been making a similar recipe to this, for many years (oil & vinegar rather than mayo). But rather than "mixing vigorously", we sift the flour and cocoa powder to eliminate lumps and we stir the batter, to prevent the formation of air bubbles and the over-development of gluten (which would make for a rubbery texture).I find it disappointing to come to Times for a recipe that - IMO - has many flaws.

The comparison with boxed cake, ie The comparison with boxed cake i.e. cake made from cake mix, is an interesting one. If I recall correctly, most cake mixes, have you dump the dry ingredients into a bowl and add oil and water. So, truly quite similar!

Used 1.5 oz of semisweet chocolate chips in place of the bittersweet chocolate, which made it lightly sweet. Coffee is always the way to go for chocolate cakes, and kewpie mayo was the thankless star of the show. An understated and delicious cake for such little effort and cost.