Shannon's Dark Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake
A deep, dark chocolatey cake that is moist and almost custard-like, while still being light. The mayonnaise is an unlikely key ingredient that makes this cake so full-proof and special. The crumb is delicate, but sturdy enough to hold any kind of icing you wish to spoon on. This recipe makes 3 9-inch round layers (for a tall layer cake) or one 11 x 15-inch sheet cake. To avoid over mixing, I make this cake by hand and not with my high-powered stand mixer. Gently mixing the ingredients is important, as over mixing will result in a poor rise of the cake.
Equipment
- Mixing bowls, large and medium
- whisk
- rubber spatula
- Parchment paper for lining pans
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup dark cocoa powder I use Hershey's "special dark".
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Egg/sugar mix:
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups dark brown sugar packed
- 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise I like to use a good mayo like Hellmann's, Duke's or Best Foods.
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Liquids:
- 1 3/4 cup water
- 2 Tbs strong coffee
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare 3 - 8 inch round pans by coating the inside of each pan with shortening, then dusting with cocoa powder. I also like to cut pieces of parchment paper to match the bottom of each pan to ensure a 100% successful release. See video at the 3:41 mark for a visual.
- In a medium bowl combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and baking powder. Stir to combine.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs then add the mayonnaise. Whisk to combine. Add the dark brown sugar and whisk until smooth and caramel-like.
- Measure out 1 3/4 cups water and add 2 tablespoons strong coffee.
- Add 1/2 of the dry mixture to the egg/mayo/sugar mixture and stir gently. Add half the water/coffee and stir again.
- Repeat until all the ingredients have been incorporated. Add the vanilla and stir. It's best if this batter has a few small lumps in it. You do not need to stir until it's completely smooth.
- Pour batter into the prepared pans, and bake for 25-50 minutes.
- Cool cakes for about 10 minutes before turning them out on a cooling rack and peeling off the parchment paper.
- Make sure cakes are 100% cool before you ice them.