Food and Recipes Desserts Cakes Sheet Cakes Chocolate Mayonnaise Sheet Cake 4.9 (7) 7 Reviews If you've never known the glory of a mayonnaise cake, you're in for a treat! The Southern pantry staple ingredient yields an ultra-moist and tender cake. By Southern Living Test Kitchen Southern Living Test Kitchen The Southern Living Test Kitchen has been publishing recipes since 1970, four years after the first issue of Southern Living Magazine appeared on newsstands. The Southern Living Test Kitchen team includes a team of professionals with deep expertise in recipe development, from pastry chefs and grilling experts to nutritionists and dietitians. Together, the team tests and retests, produces, styles, and photographs thousands of recipes each year in the state-of-the-art test kitchen facility located in Birmingham, Alabama. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on July 2, 2023 Save Rate PRINT Share Close Photo: Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Active Time: 20 mins Total Time: 2 hrs Servings: 12 to 15 Jump to recipe Chocolate mayonnaise sheet cake is a surprise to many home bakers—and an extra special treat to people who love chocolate cake. Mayonnaise, an emulsification of oil, eggs, and vinegar, is really just a shortcut for blending eggs and oil, a common step in making a cake. The result? Chocolate mayonnaise sheet cakes are rich, tender, and decadent—and you'll absolutely never know there's mayonnaise in them. Don't trust us? Bake one for yourself, and leave us a review if you're as amazed by the chocolate mayonnaise cake magic. Ingredients for Chocolate Mayonnaise Sheet Cake For the average baker, most of the ingredients for chocolate mayonnaise sheet cake are already in your pantry or fridge. For this recipe, you'll need: All-purpose flour: This yields a better cake than cake flour. Unsweetened cocoa: For the rich chocolate flavor. Baking soda: To help the cake rise. Ground cinnamon: Much like Texas Sheet Cake, cinnamon adds warmth to this chocolate cake. Table salt: Even sweet things need a little salt. Baking powder: Also to help the cake rise. Shortening: To grease the cake pan. Eggs: You'll need 3. Light brown sugar: We like the hint of caramel that brown sugar adds. Vanilla extract: Essential for baking. Mayonnaise: This is in place of oil or butter. Hot water: To help the cake batter come together. Chocolate-Cream Cheese Frosting: Your own recipe or ours. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox How To Make Chocolate Mayonnaise Sheet Cake Full instructions for chocolate mayonnaise sheet cake are below, but before you get started, here's a brief recap: Step 1. Combine dry ingredients: Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk well, or sift. Step 2. Make batter: In a stand mixer, mix together eggs, sugar, and vanilla until the batter is thin and ribbons form when the whisk is lifted out of the mixture. Then add the mayonnaise, and beat until combined. Finally, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, alternating with the hot water. Mix until combined. Step 3. Bake cake: Add batter to cake pan that's coated with shortening and flour. Bake until done. This will take about 30 to 35 minutes at 350°F. Step 4. Frost cake: Let the cake cool, and cover with your preferred frosting. We like a chocolate-cream cheese frosting. How To Store Chocolate Mayonnaise Sheet Cake With the cream cheese frosting, you'll need to store the chocolate mayonnaise cake in the fridge. Cover the cake pan with plastic wrap, and store up to one week. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients 2 cups all-purpose flour 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon table salt 1/4 teaspoon baking powder Shortening 3 large eggs 1 2/3 cups firmly packed light brown sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 cup mayonnaise 1 1/3 cups hot water Chocolate-Cream Cheese Frosting Directions Combine dry ingredients: Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk together flour and next 5 ingredients in a medium bowl. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Prepare pan: Grease (with shortening) and flour a 13- x 9-inch pan. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Make batter: Beat eggs, sugar, and vanilla at medium-high speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer about 3 minutes or until mixture is very light brown and ribbons form when beater is lifted. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Add mayonnaise, and beat at low speed until combined. Add flour mixture to egg mixture alternately with hot water, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Bake cake: Pour batter into prepared pan. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Bake at 350°F for 30 to 35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Cool completely on a wire rack (about 1 hour). Spread Chocolate-Cream Cheese Frosting on cake. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Frequently Asked Questions What does mayonnaise replace in a cake? Mayonnaise replaces oil and eggs in a mayonnaise cake. Some mayonnaise cakes will still call for eggs, because they help the cakes rise and create structure, but the mayonnaise adds more tenderness and richness. Rate It Print