Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

Name: Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 2 cups all purpose flour; 2/3 cup cocoa; 1.25 tsp baking powder; 1/4 tsp baking soda; 3 eggs; 1.66 cup sugar; 1 tsp vanilla; 1 cup mayonnaise; 1.33 cups water; 3 cups powdered sugar; 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter; 1.5 tsp vanilla; 3-4 tsps water

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Our CHOCOLATE MAYONNAISE CAKE WITH PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING is the perfect chocolate cake. Moist and delicious cake topped with a sweetened peanut butter frosting, this tender cake comes together easily for a scratch made confection for the ultimate in chocolate cake.

A slice of chocolate cake with caramel frosting is on a white plate alongside a fork. The remaining cake is partially visible in a pan next to the plate. The cake has a rich, moist texture and a smooth layer of frosting on top.

Homemade cakes are very special things. I remember as a kid, every year for my birthday my Momma would get a lady in our community, Ms. Louisa to make me a chocolate cake. I looked forward to that soft cake every year. While Ms. Louisa and my sweet Momma have now passed on, I am left with the memories and love in the form of recipes that I proudly hand down to my sweet girls.

Like most foods, desserts can trigger a memory or a nostalgic feeling of comfort and always give us a warm fuzzy feeling in the process. Taking recipes like this one can do the same for the people you love too. It is a way, we can always be together through good food and even better memories.

Ingredients

This chocolate cake recipe is a mild, almost milk chocolate recipe. We use all of the expected ingredients in a scratch made cake with the exception of one secret ingredient. Mayonnaise!

Not sure about this? Well, let me just tell you, it is the thing that makes this cake a two slicer. It helps keep the cake moist but also keeps it from being too sweet. While we love decadent chocolate cake recipes like our COCA COLA CAKE, this is a great alternative for a less sweet experience.

A slice of chocolate cake with caramel frosting on a white plate, with a fork beside it. The background shows the rest of the cake in a blue baking pan on a wooden surface.

What You’ll Need

All purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and sugar. – scratch made dry ingredients.
Cocoa – we use regular cocoa and not dark for this recipe.
Eggs – for the perfect crumb.
Vanilla and water.- no milk or cream or butter..
Mayonnaise – instead of oil or butter, we use this to help keep the cake nice and tender.

See recipe card for full ingredient list and quantities.

Instructions

For baking cakes, we recommend always measuring your dry ingredients. This will insure an accurate cake every time. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

A person holds a bowl with three raw eggs above a mixing bowl. Surrounding ingredients include flour, sugar, cocoa powder, butter, and a measuring cup with water. The setup is on a kitchen countertop with a stove on the left.

In a large mixing bowl, add eggs.

A person is preparing ingredients for baking on a stovetop. A mixing bowl and various ingredients, including flour, cocoa powder, and butter, are arranged on a wooden board. A hand is holding a measuring cup over the bowl.

Mix in sugar.

Top view of a person adding vanilla extract to a mixing bowl on a stovetop. The bowl contains eggs and other baking ingredients. Surrounding the bowl are flour, baking soda, a recipe sheet, butter, cocoa, and a mixer. A whisk and measuring cup are also visible.

Add vanilla extract.

A person is preparing ingredients for baking, with a white mixing bowl containing eggs and a scoop of another ingredient. Surrounding the bowl are various ingredients in small containers, such as flour and cocoa, on a wooden board over a stove.

Measure and add mayonnaise.

A person is pouring a liquid ingredient into a bowl containing eggs and other ingredients on a wooden board. The kitchen counter has flour, cocoa, a whisk, and a recipe sheet nearby. The setting is on a stovetop with a black surface.

Next, add in water.

A person is holding a measuring cup filled with flour over a mixing bowl on a wooden board. The kitchen counter also has jars of ingredients, a spatula, and a sheet of paper nearby.

Then, mix in all purpose flour, half at a time, mixing well until combined with wet ingredients.

A person is holding a small glass bowl of cocoa powder over a mixing bowl containing yellow batter. The scene is set on a black stovetop with a wooden cutting board, a jar, a spatula, and measuring spoons nearby.

Mix in cocoa.

Top-down view of a kitchen counter. A person is holding a can labeled "CARNATION," pouring contents into a brown mixture in a white mixing bowl with a whisk. Nearby are a wooden cutting board, a white bowl with powder, a wooden container, and a recipe sheet.

And baking powder.

A person is preparing chocolate cake batter in a mixing bowl on a wooden cutting board. The ingredients include flour and cocoa powder. Measuring spoons and a spatula are nearby on a black stovetop. The person is wearing a smartwatch.

Mix in baking soda.

A person is spraying a blue baking dish with cooking spray. A mixing bowl filled with brown batter and a white spatula lie nearby on a black stovetop. A wooden cutting board is positioned under the baking dish. Other baking ingredients are visible.

Prepare a 9×13 pan with non stick spray.

A blue baking dish filled with brown batter sits on a wooden cutting board on a black stovetop. Nearby are a glass container, a metal container with a white lid, a small wooden container, and some papers on a metal tray.

Pour cake batter in and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Idea internal temperature for a cake is 205 degrees. Cool completely.

A kitchen countertop setup with a gas stove. In the center, a wooden board holds baking ingredients: a bowl with peanut butter, a cup with flour, and a container with a measuring cup inside. Nearby is a bottle of vanilla extract and a piece of paper.

While the cake is cooling, make the frosting. We add peanut butter to a medium bowl.

A person is pouring vanilla extract into a bowl containing peanut butter. Nearby are a measuring cup with flour and a container with a measuring cup filled with brown sugar, all on a wooden cutting board next to a stove.

Mix in vanilla flavoring.

A person is using an electric hand mixer to blend ingredients in a white bowl placed on a wooden cutting board. They are adding sugar from a patterned ceramic cup into the bowl. The setup is on a stove, with a jar and paper nearby.

Add in half of powdered sugar and cream ingredients.

A person is preparing a mixture in a white bowl on a wooden cutting board. An electric mixer, a gold-colored measuring cup, and a red measuring cup with flour are nearby. The scene is set on a black stovetop surface.

Add water alternately, one teaspoon at a time with remaining powdered sugar until desired cake like consistency.

A person spreads beige frosting over a rectangular chocolate cake using a spatula. The cake is in a blue baking dish on a wooden cutting board. Nearby, there is a knife and a decorated plate with two forks.

Spread peanut butter frosting on top of cooled cake.

A close-up of a chocolate cake in a blue ceramic dish. The cake has been partially sliced, revealing its moist texture. It is topped with a thick layer of creamy brown frosting. The dish rests on a wooden surface.

Allow the frosting to set a bit before serving.

Why Brooke loves this recipe!

Recipes are like antiques. They are meant to be handed down from one generation to another. Each one holding a special memory or nostalgic memory. Here is why we love this one!

Homemade cakes make the best food gift. If you have a peanut butter and chocolate lover in your life, this cake is a tasty way to show them you love them. It is also perfect to take to any function as it is easy to carry after baking in a casserole dish!

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Variations and Substitutions

I can think of dozens of ways to make this your own. Here are a few ideas for variations and substitutions.

FROSTING – you can replace the peanut butter with butter and add a few tablespoons of cocoa and make this a chocolate on chocolate cake.
MAYO – while I believe you should try it the way its written, feel free to substitute the mayo with one cup of softened butter instead.
CHOCOLATE – using dark cocoa is also a good idea on this cake if you wanted it a bit less sweet.

Equipment

🔧 I love to share recipes that are no special equipment required but here are a few things that would definitely make this recipe easier!

Storage

This cake will stay fresh in an airtight cake keeper for a week at room temperature. Keeping it covered in the refrigerator works well if your kitchen is hot or warm in the summer months.

Freeze cake before frosting, covered well for up to a month. Thaw at room temperature, add the frosting and serve.

A slice of chocolate cake with creamy frosting on a white plate. A silver fork is placed beside the cake.

⭐ LOVE THIS RECIPE? It would mean so very much to me if you would take a moment to rate this recipe and leave me a sweet comment in the recipe card below! ❤️❤️We hope you love all of the Southern and healthy recipes we share here at The Buttered Home and would love to see you back here often!

A slice of chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting sits on a white plate next to a fork. The cake appears moist and is partially eaten, with crumbs scattered on the plate.

Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

This delicious chocolate mayonnaise cake is a tender and tasty cake topped with a decadent peanut butter frosting. While a scratch made cake, it is simple and easy to serve out of a cake or casserole pan.

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Serving Size

Ingredients

For the Cake

2 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup cocoa
1.25 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
3 eggs
1.66 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup mayonnaise
1.33 cups water

For the Frosting

3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1.5 tsp vanilla
3-4 tsps water

Instructions

For the Cake

Preheat the oven to 350°. Prepare a 9×13 baking dish or cake pan with non stick spray. In a large bowl, mix eggs, sugar, vanilla, mayonnaise and water.
3 eggs, 1.66 cup sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 cup mayonnaise, 1.33 cups water
In another bowl, sift flour, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda. Add dry ingredients to wet in two stages, mixing on low to medium speed after each addition.
2 cups all purpose flour, 2/3 cup cocoa, 1.25 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp baking soda
Pour into prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. Alternatively, the center temperature should be around 205° for perfect cake. Cool completely before frosting.

For the Frosting

Cream peanut butter and vanilla. Add in powdered sugar a cup at a time until incorporated. May need to add the water while adding the powdered sugar to reach the desired consistency of frosting. This usually takes 3 to 4 teaspoons of water.
3 cups powdered sugar, 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter, 1.5 tsp vanilla, 3-4 tsps water
Spread over cooled cake working from the center out to spread evenly.

See How To Make It!

🍴 PRO TIP!

This chocolate cake recipe is one of our favorites. The frosting can be kind of stiff, adding the water a little at a time helps get it to the consistency that you like best.

A slice of chocolate cake with frosting on a white plate, partially eaten. A silver fork rests on the edge of the plate. A blue baking dish is visible in the background on a wooden table.

🗹 RECIPE FAQ’S

My frosting is too thick, how do I thin it?

Adding a little water or milk will help loosen the frosting if too thick. I would do this a teaspoon at a time.

How to I make my frosting thicker?

Adding more powdered sugar, a tablespoon at a time works well here. Add a bit and mix in until desired consistency is reached.

Can I make this in another type of pan?

Yes, you would just need to adjust your cooking time according to the thickness of the cake. For example, a bundt pan would require more time where a sheet pan would require less. Always keep an internal thermometer handy and if your cake is 205 degrees F in the center, your cake is done and not dry.

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