Admittedly, I’ll find a way to work Duke’s mayonnaise into any dish, but I swear this chocolate cake recipe is a classic Southern trick. You’re probably thinking, Mayonnaise in a cake? Really? Chicken salad is one thing, but this is a step too far! Stay with me, though, because this is one recipe you need to taste to believe.
I first encountered chocolate mayonnaise cake when living with a friend from Lynchburg, VA. An impressive Southern home chef, even in her early 20s, when most of us were subsisting on pasta and grilled cheese, she made a decadent chocolate mayonnaise cake one crisp fall Saturday for a football watch party. One bite and I was hooked!
Of course, it hasn’t taken much convincing for a mayo fiend like myself to give it a try. But, for all of those who hadn’t witnessed the secret ingredient making its way into the mixing bowl, they were simply left wondering how a cake could be so impossibly moist. The addition of mayonnaise makes for an incredibly luscious cake, one that puts boxed cake mixes to shame (though, you can certainly try this mayonnaise move on a boxed mix to doctor it up).
RELATED: A Southern Classic Recipe: Banana Pudding From PeregrinPinYou can SEE how impossibly moist this secret-ingredient chocolate cake is. Imagine how it tastes!
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Where did this mayonnaise secret come from? Some say it originated during the 1930s when the Great Depression led to a scarcity of eggs and oil. Looking for a cheap, accessible alternative that would work successfully in baked goods, the oily quality of mayonnaise was a hit.
Generations later, even with eggs and oil readily available, we’re still making this unlikely treat, and now, it’s become a classic Southern dessert passed down through the years.
And, one last thing to address: Do you have to use Duke’s mayonnaise, specifically? Well, that’s up to you, but I’m not messing with a timeless Southern tradition!
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Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Heather Bien
Duke's mayonnaise adds extra moisture and a decidedly Southern twist to classic chocolate cake.
A Virginia native and professional writer of over 10 years, Heather is passionate about home decor, cooking and entertaining, travel, ballet, and coffee. You can find more of Heather's work in Southern Living, Martha Stewart, The Knot, Apartment Therapy, and Virginia Living.
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All photography by Heather Bien.
