I hate to admit it but…I’m not a great baker. I’m a woman of many skills, but if you ask me to make a great cake from scratch, it just ends up dry and too dense, so I do rely on a trusty boxed cake mix to do the heavy lifting for me. However, I find that some cake mixes can taste just as bad as how I make them, but at a cheaper price and with less time wasted.
When searching for the best way to improve boxed chocolate cake mix, a few obscure solutions popped up; some people put sour cream, others put Coca-Cola, but the strangest one I discovered is mayonnaise. According to Food.com: “The mayonnaise in this cake makes it really moist. You cannot tell that the mayonnaise is in it.
“Since mayonnaise is made with eggs and oil, there is no need to add oil to this recipe, and it uses fewer eggs.”
The best part is its gooey texture (or discover how to make chocolate cake with sweet potato here).
Testing this out for myself, this is not only a simple method but also a great activity to do with children this summer holiday.
For this recipe, I combined Betty Crocker’s cake mix instructions and the cake mix chocolate mayonnaise cake at Food.com.
Ingredients
- Betty Crocker’s Devil’s Food Cake Mix (do not add oil or milk as instructed on the box)
- Two medium eggs
- One and a 1⁄3 cups water
- One cup mayonnaise
- One cup chocolate chips (I used Magic Stars)
- Icing or powdered sugar (I used Betty Crocker’s chocolate fudge mix)
Method
To begin, I preheated the oven to 180°C for my electric oven (180°C for fan or gas mark 4). I then greased and floured my cake pan to ensure the cake released easily after baking.
In a large mixing bowl, I combined the cake mix, eggs, water, and mayonnaise (the liquids were not necessary to add in the bowl before the powder).
Next, I mixed the ingredients together thoroughly by hand using a whisk (you can also use an electric mixer) until the batter is smooth and well blended. The batter will be a bit more ‘liquidy’ than a traditional cake.
Once mixed, I stirred in the chocolate magic stars using a large spoon. For the next step, I poured the batter into the prepared cake pan and spread it evenly.
I baked the cake for about 30 minutes, then removed it from the oven and let it rest for 30 minutes to an hour.
To test doneness, the food expert advised: “Insert a toothpick into the center of the cake; if the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done.”
You can also touch the top of the cake to feel if it’s spongy and springy; if not, put it back in the oven. My cake tin has a detachable side, so I removed it once the cake cooled down for a bit, but if you have a normal tin, I would transfer the cake to a plate or a cooling tray.
Once completely cool, I tasted a tiny piece of the cake, and it was so soft and gooey, which was a pleasant surprise. I then cut my cake in half and spread the ready-made frosting in the middle (this is why you don’t need to add sugar to the mixture).
To decorate, I added the frosting on top and scattered a few leftover chocolate stars. Honestly, if you love a moist cake, then you need to try this recipe.
The finished product reminded me of the chocolate cake in Matilda, and the children in my house stuffed their faces as if they were Bruce! We could not taste the mayo at all, and once you take your first bite, you fall into a heaven of chocolatey goodness.