The Secret to Making Perfect Chocolate Cake May Surprise You

Kiersten Hickman/Taste of Home

It was the closing night of my godson’s school play, and I wanted to make him a chocolate cake. As I scrolled through Taste of Home’s numerous chocolate cake recipes, our chocolate mayonnaise cake recipe stopped me in my tracks. Mayonnaise in a cake…really? 

If the concept of having mayonnaise in a cake makes you cringe, let me just say this: Don’t knock it till you try it. If you’re not a pro and are preparing a cake at home, here’s how to make box cake taste homemade!

Why Mayo?

Although mayonnaise is associated with sandwiches and savory dishes, it’s actually the perfect wet ingredient to make the most delicious, moist cake you’ve ever had in your life. Mayonnaise is simply a concoction of oil, egg yolk, and some type of acid (either vinegar or lemon juice). Oil and eggs are certainly not uncommon ingredients to put in a cake. However, the vinegar is what most find to be the odd ingredient of the bunch. Vinegar doesn’t seem like something that goes in a sweet, delicious dessert. This is, however, is where I was so incredibly wrong. 

Turns out, acids (like vinegar) helps to sharpen the flavor of your ingredients. So having vinegar in a chocolate cake will give it an even richer taste. Curious to the genius behind putting mayonnaise in cake, I decided to give it a try. 

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Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

First, this specific chocolate mayonnaise cake recipe is very easy to make. In just under 10 minutes I was able to mix up the ingredients and get it in the oven—which I think is a record for any type of baking experience of mine. After the cake cooled, I smeared on that delicious brown sugar frosting and immediately cut myself a slice. And, wow, it was moist. It is by far the moistest cake I have ever had in my entire life. I embarrassingly scarfed down two slices while vowing to never, ever bake cake without mayonnaise ever again. 

Now if the idea of having vinegar in chocolate cake still freaks you out, don’t worry, our homemade mayonnaise recipe is perfect for you. It’s made with lemon juice instead of vinegar. 

On the other hand, maybe you’re like me and are currently flabbergasted by this amazing secret ingredient. If that’s the case, then we have a ton of other surprising ingredients to put in a chocolate cake that will take that cake to the next level. 

Bake Better Cakes With These Tips

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The things that Grandma added to her cake batter might sound strange to modern ears, and were often the result of hard times. Pinched pennies during the Great Depression or rationed ingredients during wartime meant staples like eggs, buttermilk and white cane sugar were hard to come by. But as the old adage says, necessity is the mother of invention. And our mothers' mothers were nothing if not inventive. (Take a look at these Depression-era recipes.) You may have heard of tricks like using tomato soup in spice cakes or carrot cakes, but your grandma's rich, delicious chocolate cake is where the real invention took place. So what are some of these unexpected ingredients?

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Mayonnaise It sounds strange, but if you think about it, mayonnaise is basically eggs and oil and something tangy—usually vinegar or lemon juice. All of which are classic ingredients in cakes (more on vinegar later). Mayonnaise surged in popularity as a cake ingredient during the Great Depression, when it made a convenient substitute for more hard-to-get or expensive ingredients like milk, butter, sour cream or buttermilk. Our Mayonnaise Chocolate Cake Recipe still tastes great today.

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Sauerkraut This is one of the strangest ingredients on our list, but there are cooks who swear it makes the best chocolate cake ever. Sauerkraut has the magic combination of acid to tease out the full flavor and rich color of the chocolate, moistness to help the cake stay dense, and a texture that is highly reminiscent of coconut. The drawbacks of sauerkraut—saltiness and a tendency to clump—are easily solved by rinsing it in cold water and giving it a quick pulse or three in a food processor. Check out these comforting depression-era desserts.

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Mashed Potatoes Potatoes are widely accepted in bread, so why wouldn't they be good in other baked goods? Mashed potatoes give the cake a moist, dense structure, and also make the cake a bit (just a bit!) healthier...as some of the fat is gone, and fiber and nutrients are added. And as an option, you can make your cake with sweet potatoes instead! Try this recipe for Contest-Winning Chocolate Potato Cake.

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Vinegar Vinegar became popular as a cake ingredient during World War II, when eggs were scarce and subject to rationing. It reacts with the baking soda to render a fluffy, light cake, and works with the flour to set the cake as it bakes. Vinegar makes the batter more acidic, which results in an attractive dark brown cake (instead of a pale or red one). Its tanginess also helps to bring out the depth of the chocolate flavor. You'll be surprised by just how tasty this vinegar-and-chocolate cake is.

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Beets It's not known what prompted the use of beets in cake, although it seems to have started in the American Midwest during the 1960s. During WWII, bakers swapped in beet sugar for heavily rationed white cane sugar. Beets bring natural sweetness, help retain moisture and add density. Beets also contribute a rich color. Recipes call for various preparations—grated raw beets, pureed cooked beets and canned diced beets all show up. Ready to give it a try? Start with our Chocolate Beet Cake.

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Baby Food

One step further than pureed beets is baby food! Store-bought baby food shows up as a substitute for oil—but not every kind of baby food works. Look for ones that are pure water and pureed fruit. The best for chocolate cake is prunes; their color adds a rich, dark hue to the cake, and the flavor is distinctive and delicious. Looking for variations? Try this famous chocolate cake from Matilda.

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Applesauce Applesauce is widely accepted in baked goods these days as a quick switch for more fat-laden ingredients. But its long history in baking that had more to do with convenience than health. Again, it was during a period of rationing (this time, World War I) that applesauce gained a foothold in American baking. While applesauce in spice and fruit cakes is almost expected these days, applesauce in chocolate cakes is a delicious surprise. If you enjoyed this recipe, then you've got to try our favorite chocolate ripple cake. Try our uber-tasty cupcake recipe!

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Boiling Water This is a trick your grandmother knew, and it's becoming common again. Boiling water brings out the full flavor in cocoa powder, a process called "blooming." Some grandmas went for hot coffee instead—the cocoa blooms nicely but the coffee is nearly undetectable in the final flavor mix. Try this old-school technique with Sandy's Chocolate Cake.