Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake (Depression Cake)

Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake is a moist chocolate cake in a sheet pan with chocolate buttercream frosting. One of my favorite recipes from Grandma!

Mayonnaise Cake is sometimes touted as “cake without eggs or oil,” which I find to be hilarious. Because mayonnaise is made with eggs and oil. It’s also sometimes called depression cake, wacky cake, or just plain mayo cake or mayonnaise cake.

Chocolate and Mayonnaise Cake?

As a child I hated mayonnaise. Despised it. I would get SO upset if accidentally came on my food. So imagine my surprise when I caught a glimpse of my most beloved cake being made and it contained, gasp, mayonnaise!!!

For whatever reason, it was years until I had it again. Seeing an article on nostalgic recipes jogged my memory, so I requested the recipe from my mother.

Simple ingredients make a splendid basic chocolate cake. A sheet cake made in a 9×13 pan. Just an easy cake made with ingredients you probably already have.

Why You’ll Love This Mayo Cake

A decadent cake that uses pantry ingredients- what’s not to love!

• Cheap to make – This isn’t called a “depression cake” for nothing! I’d be willing to bet you already have these ingredients on hand.
• Bold chocolate flavor – In addition to the cocoa powder, I have one secret ingredient that really sends this flavor over the top.
• Quick and easy – From start to finish you can have this cake ready to enjoy in under an hour.

Ingredients for Mayonnaise Cake

I’d be willing to bet you have all, if not most, of these ingredients already on hand.

• Flour – All purpose flour will work perfectly for this quick cake recipe. Always make sure to sift when measuring.
• Baking soda – This will act as a leavening agent to give our chocolate cake recipe the perfect rise.
• Cocoa powder – Unsweetened cocoa powder is what gives this delicious chocolate cake its rich chocolate flavor.
• Instant espresso powder – This is optional, but it really helps to bring out that bold chocolate taste. It’s the secret ingredient for many chefs and will help even the most bland cocoa powder taste like a million bucks.
• Fine sea salt – Adding a little bit of salt to baked goods helps to bring out the natural flavors and balance sweetness.
• Milk – Milk keeps things moist. Try to use a 2% or even full fat milk for the most impact.
• Sugar – This is a rich cake, but not an overwhelming sweet cake. While it seems like a lot of sugar, this is also a LARGE cake and needs to balance out unsweetened cocoa.
• Mayonnaise – If you notice, this cake has no eggs or oil. Well, that’s exactly what mayo is made from! So we can easily swap them for mayo. Try making homemade mayonnaise!
• Vanilla extract – Pure vanilla extract brings a warmth to any baked good you add it to. You can try making vanilla at home too.
• Chocolate frosting – You can make our homemade easy chocolate frosting, use store bought, or even your favorite homemade recipe.

How to Make Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

You’re going to love how easy it is to make this chocolate mayonnaise cake recipe.

1. Prepare oven and pan. Preheat the oven and coat a baking pan with cooking spray or vegetable shortening. Set aside.
2. Soft dry ingredients. Sift or whisk together the flour, baking soda, cocoa powder and espresso powder (if using). Set aside.
3. Beat wet ingredients. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together milk, sugar, mayonnaise, and vanilla.
4. Combine wet and dry ingredients. Slowly add dry ingredients, mixing well after each addition, but only until just mixed.
5. Bake. Pour batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake until it passes the toothpick test. Allow to cool completely.
6. Top with frosting. Frost with our best chocolate frosting recipe or another frosting recipe of your choice.

Espresso Powder

One of my biggest tricks (or secret ingredient) is instant espresso powder. Yep- I keep a jar in my pantry at all times.

Did you know that just 1 teaspoon added to any chocolate dessert will amplify the flavor tremendously? Like double! I highly suggest getting the caffeine free kind though, otherwise that after dinner slice of cake might keep you up later than intended. Especially for the kiddos!

Variations

There are plenty of ways you can make this chocolate mayonnaise cake your own. Here are a few ideas.

• Cake pans – You can use whatever pan you choose, however baking times will vary and since there are so many sizes, I can’t really give you a guide. If you use two round pans, reduce cooking time to about 22-25 minutes.
• Frosting – Use whatever frosting you prefer on chocolate cake. My favorite is just a basic Chocolate Buttercream. You could also use cream cheese frosting or… white chocolate cream cheese frosting!
• Add ins – Take the chocolate flavor up a notch by throwing some chocolate chips into the batter! You could even add in some chopped nuts.

Storage and Freezing

I wouldn’t make it longer than 24 hours in advance. Regardless of how you store it, cakes start to lose moisture the moment you take them out of the oven.

How to Store Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

You do not need to keep it chilled. In fact, chilling cakes can dry them out faster. I recommend storing covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container at room temperature and then eating them up fast.

Can I freeze chocolate cake?

This is a tricky one. You can store this chocolate cake in the freezer, but I do not recommend freezing the frosting.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake (Depression Cake)

4.27 from 61 votes

Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake is a moist chocolate cake in a 9×13 pan with chocolate buttercream frosting. One of my favorite recipes from Grandma!

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 30 minutes mins

Total Time: 40 minutes mins

Servings: 16 pieces

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Equipment

• Toothpicks
• Whisk
• Stand Mixer
• Sifter
• 9×13 Baking Dish

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder , optional
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Best Chocolate Frosting

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 9×13 baking pan with cooking spray or vegetable shortening. Set aside.
• Sift or whisk together the flour, baking soda, cocoa powder and espresso powder (if using). Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together milk, sugar, mayonnaise, and vanilla.
• Slowly add dry ingredients, mixing well after each addition, but only until just mixed.
• Pour the cake batter into the prepared 9×13 baking dish.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes or until it passes the toothpick test. Allow to cool completely.
• Frost with our Best Chocolate Frosting recipe or another frosting recipe of your choice.
• If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.

Nutrition

Calories: 204 kcal, Carbohydrates: 25 g, Protein: 2 g, Fat: 10 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 5 mg, Sodium: 227 mg, Potassium: 43 mg, Sugar: 12 g, Vitamin A: 10 IU, Calcium: 5 mg, Iron: 1 mg

Author: Jessica Formicola

Calories: 204

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cake from scratch, chocolate mayonnaise cake, homemade chocolate cake

Did you make this recipe?I’d love to see your recipes – snap a picture and mention @savoryexperiments or tag #savoryexperiments!

Check out all the delicious recipes from our Grandmas:

• Grandma’s War Time Peanut Drop Cookies from Lovefoodies
• Easy Grandma’s Lemon Custard Pie from Life Currents
• Grandma’s Light-as-a-Feather Doughnut Recipe from Blessed Beyond Crazy
• Granny’s Ooey Gooey Oatmeal Bars from Who Needs A Cape?
• Granny Gertrude’s Blueberry Rice Pudding from Hot Eats and Cool Reads
• Grandma’s Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake from Savory Experiments