Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

Great for kids

This recipe is ideal if you are out of eggs but want to put together a delicious chocolaty cake for tea. Children love making this cake as it is so easy. Using mayonnaise also results in a beautifully light and moist cake.


By Caroline Marson
Cookery advisor All recipes by Caroline Marson

Ingredients show imperial units

Makes a 18cm cake

  • 275g self raising flour
  • 225g caster sugar
  • 1½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 200g jar of mayonnaise
  • 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 225ml boiling water
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
For the icing:
  • 2 level teaspoons instant coffee
  • 2 level tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 2 tablespoons warm water
  • 75g butter , softened
  • 225g icing sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) mark 4. Line an 18 cm cake tin with greaseproof paper.
  2. Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl and stir in the caster sugar and baking powder. Beat the mayonnaise well into the flour – it is very important to beat thoroughly into the dry ingredients.
  3. Dissolve the cocoa in the boiling water and stir this gently until it’s smooth. Add to the flour mixture with the vanilla essence and give it a quick stir. Stir everything thoroughly until all the ingredients are blended but this time don’t beat the mixture because that will spoil it. Just keep stirring it gently until all the lumps are gone.
  4. Pour the cake mixture into the tin. Bake for about an hour or until the centre feels springy and a skewer comes out clean. Leave the cake in the tin to cool before turning out onto a wire rack.
  5. For the topping, dissolve 2 teaspoons of coffee and 2 tablespoons of cocoa in 2 tablespoons of hot water. Add the soft butter and the icing sugar.
  6. Beat the mixture thoroughly ensuring there are no lumps and spread it over the cake.
Rate it
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Measuring spoons and Jugs

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Comments on this recipe

  • Caroline

    Easy to make - just waiting to see the response, tastes good to me!

    Posted on 24 Jun 2008 at 15:04
  • Jenny Saxelby

    I used to make chocolate sponge using mayonnaise years ago, but lost the recipe. This is absolutely divine.

    Posted on 19 Dec 2008 at 17:51
  • juliet

    This is completely remarkble I've never had chocolate cake like this

    Posted on 05 Mar 2009 at 12:06
  • Sarah

    Splendid... Just splendid

    Posted on 05 Mar 2009 at 12:29
  • Niki Allen

    Everyone who has tasted this worships at my oven! It's simplicity belies the end product.
    Enough icing if wanted, I think, to slice cake in two and add a little to middle.

    Posted on 10 Mar 2009 at 16:26

Comments on this recipe