Duke’s Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake is an incredibly moist and chocolaty cake that has been popular in the south for generations. So easy to make and uses only simple ingredients.
Probably everyone who was raised in the South has eaten this cake a multitude of times. It’s one of those recipes that really stands the test of time. It is sure to bring back memories for many people. Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake is a southern classic.
Mayonnaise may sound like a strange addition to a cake, but when you think about it, it’s really just oil and eggs. And southerners do love their mayonnaise and put it in and on everything including burgers, sandwiches, casseroles, even cake.
Duke’s Mayonnaise is the mayonnaise brand of choice for many southerners, but it is a very regional product and not widely available outside of the south. You can substitute any brand of mayonnaise.
Many southerners feel almost a cult-like allegiance to Duke’s Mayonnaise and that probably has as much to do with its history as it does the taste.
Duke’s Mayonnaise is a southern made product that came about because of some good ole southern ingenuity and hard work from Mrs. Eugenia Duke. During World War 1, Mrs. Duke started selling sandwiches to soldiers to make extra money. It wasn’t long before people were asking her for her mayonnaise recipe. She eventually began selling her sandwiches to more and more people and is said to have bought her first delivery truck after selling her 11,000th sandwich.
It wasn’t long before she decided to scrap the sandwiches and focus on making the mayonnaise. In 1926 she sold her recipe and brand to the CF Sauer Company. The company proceeded to hire Mrs. Duke as their chief salesperson and the original salesforce selling Duke’s Mayonnaise for the company consisted of all women. It is still produced in Greenville. SC where Mrs Duke began selling sandwiches all those years ago and is made with her original recipe.
Mrs. Duke and Duke’s Mayonnaise are definitely deserving of being celebrated for their important contribution to the food industry in the south and what better way to celebrate than with chocolate cake? Mayonnaise makes this cake exceptionally moist, even days after it is baked. An insanely rich and chocolatey frosting makes it hard to resist.
If you want to purchase Duke’s mayonnaise online you can buy it here
.
Duke's Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 1/2 cups Duke's mayonnaise,, use full fat
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups cold water
Chocolate Icing
- 1 cup butter,, softened
- 1 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 to 6 cups confectioners' sugar
- 6 or more tablespoons of milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grease and flour two 8-inch cake pans.
- Sift cocoa, flour, baking soda, salt and sugar into a medium bowl.
- Combine mayonnaise, vanilla and water in an electric mixer at low speed. Once smooth, slowly add in dry mixture until just incorporated (do not over beat).
- Pour batter into cake pans and bake for 30 minutes or until done.
- Cool on wire racks.
- For icing, In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and cocoa with whisk attachment until smooth. Add vanilla. Add confectioners' sugar alternately with milk until icing reaches a spreadable consistency.
- Spread a portion of the icing on top of one layer of cake. Stack the other layer on top. Use remaining icing to cover the top and sides.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Source: Duke’s Mayonnaise
Linking up with The Country Cook’s Weekend Potluck
Disclosure: This post contains an affiliate link. If you click the link and make a purchase, Spicy Southern Kitchen will earn a small commission at no cost to you.
Hi. I was wondering about adding chocolate chips. Your thoughts? Would it work well?
Barbara Bake’s, $100 Cake; uses a Bundt pan 10 c./2 1/4 qt. (9 x 13′), bake time 35 min., my mom baked it 30 min.
Duke’s has more ingredients, suggest using the 12 c./3 qt. (10′ x 3 1/2′) and start with the 30-35 min. as your minimum bake range checking the cake as you go. Measure you bundt pan with water to the rim to find it’s size, but that is not the amount of batter used, filled 2/3 full. Size small is 5 1/2 c./1 1/3 qt. (6 1/2 x 3 1/2). It is tempting to use milk, and add in 2 tsp. espresso powder, but I’ve seen recipe Tips- that used Hot coffee, added in alternately in with the wet & dry ingredients makes it moistest.
CAn I make this in a 9x 13 ?
Yes, but I’m not exactly sure what the baking time would be.
I bake my 35 to 40 mins in a 9X13 pan
Compares favorably with Cheddars and its delicious. God blessed Dukes and those who saw their light.
Thanks so much for this fab recipe. I made this chocolate mayo cake (Helman’s mayo it’s all I can get) for a friend’s birthday. She turned 80 today. Absolutely delicious. I put a butterscotch frosting on the cake. I froze the cake first. I made the frosting the next day and let it cool to room temp and it was easy to ice the cake. Best moist chocolate cake recipe I have ever made. My friend loved it too. You just can’t beat a good coffee and a delicious piece of cake!