Mom's Black Magic Cake (made with mayonnaise)

I don't know where Mom got this recipe, but it predates Hershey's Black Magic Cake, which first appeared on their can for cocoa powder in 1972. My guess is that it is from the 1950s. Plus, Mom's cake uses mayonnaise in its batter.

The mayonnaise cake originated during the Great Depression when eggs and oil were scarce. Mayonnaise, which is essentially an emulsion of egg yolk, oil, and vinegar, was a convenient substitute for these ingredients. In fact, some mayonnaise brands even included the recipe on the jar. Using mayo in a cake recipe simplifies the process by combining multiple ingredients into one, resulting in a velvety texture that’s difficult to resist.

Many blogs credit Hellmann’s with having created the mayonnaise cake in 1937. General Foods, the parent company of Hellmann’s and Best Foods, debuted its version in its 1937 dessert booklet Cakes and Cookies With Personality: Exciting New Recipes for Cakes, Cookies, and Frostings. The recipe came from Mrs. Paul Price, the wife of a General Foods sales executive. Though Hellmann’s probably wasn’t the first to make mayonnaise cake, they did popularize it. The company used the recipe in advertisements to promote their mayonnaise, touting the dessert as a "rich, moist cake” without the need for eggs or shortening. To this day, both Best Foods and Hellman’s share mayonnaise cake recipes on their websites. It is a great recipe to have on hand when a cake is desired but there are no eggs or oil in the house.

Although Mom's recipe does add an egg, the classic chocolate cake made with mayonnaise uses the same ingredients and amounts minus the egg and water instead of coffee.

2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
4 Tbsp. cocoa [one similar recipe uses 1/2 cup cocoa]
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup cold strong coffee
1 tsp. vanilla

Grease a 9 x 9 inch baking pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the mayonnaise, coffee and vanilla and combine well.

Pour into prepared pan and bake for 35 - 40 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

Frost with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting