Melissa K. Norris
  • Start Here
  • Podcast
  • Articles
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Classes
    • General Store
  • Academy
Log In
Close up image of a frosted chocolate cupcake on a white plate with a cake tray full of cupcakes in the background. Text overlay says, "Chocolate Mayo Cupcakes with Caramel Frosting".

Grandma’s Heavenly Chocolate Mayo Cake & Caramel Frosting

Dessert, Recipes

Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means I will earn a commission at no additional cost to you, if you click through and make a purchase. Regardless, I only link to products we use on our homestead or believe in.
Jump to RecipePrint Recipe

Homemade chocolate cake is sooo much better than the store bought boxed mixes, without any weird processed ingredients, is super frugal and did I mention it plain tastes better. Score!

My great-grandmother passed down many things in our family, and though I never knew her, I still think of the woman she was whenever I use her recipes or sieve when making applesauce, raspberry jelly, and blackberry syrup. I know she was a God fearing woman and an excellent baker, hence her recipe for Heavenly Chocolate Mayo Cake is still our go to recipe. I wonder if she had any idea her legacy would live on in my home.
I love getting old family recipes, even when they're not from my family. There's something about reaching back through generations that make me feel connected. And if a recipe has been passed down, then you know it is going to taste amazing.

I didn't name this recipe, it was already called Grandma's Heavenly Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake. It's a from scratch, honest to goodness moist and heavenly cake. My son requested cupcakes with caramel frosting.

These chocolate mayo cupcakes are good enough to eat without frosting, but you'll love them with our no cook caramel frosting. From scratch goodness passed down to me from my great grandmother.

It's been a tradition since my children were born to bake all of their birthday cakes. It's been fun, we've had tractors, ninjas, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, and my daughter wants a Barbie cake this year. This year, my nine year old didn't care so much about the theme, just the taste. Can you hear the tremor in my voice? How do they grow so fast?

Here they are cooling. My daughter kept begging for one of the muffins. Because if she called them a muffin, who cares if they were before lunch. And frosting, who needs frosting? She takes after her mother with the no patience gene.

Resources for Homemade Chocolate Cake

I use the old-fashioned chocolate cake recipe for everything, seriously, don't waste your money on those boxed cake mixes, because from scratch is better and so much healthier.

Speaking of from scratch, if you like this recipe and adore vintage and the old-ways of doing things, you'll want to check out my new book The Made-From-Scratch Life, for more family recipes, tips, and simple living advice (this is one of the recipes in there, plus others from my grandparents, great-grandparents, and my parents.)

This recipe will yield a regular cake in either a 9×13, two circle pans, or 24 cupcakes (depending on how full you fill them). I actually used my super large muffin tins (these are from our affiliate partner Amazon Baker's Secret 116466007 Basics Nonstick 6-Cup Texas Muffin Pan, but then I realized I needed more cupcakes for the party and switched to my regular pans. I'm kind of partial to the jumbo tins. I like cake, what can I say.

Make this into a DIY Mason Jar Chocolate Cake Mix with this FREE printable jar tag and the full recipe card.Click here for FREE Printable Jar Tag and Recipe Card!

Click here for FREE Printable Jar Tag and Recipe Card!

This from scratch chocolate mayo cupcake is easy but oh so delicious. No dairy, but a secret ingredient makes it incredibly rich and moist. This is my great-grandmother's recipe and sure to be a hit with your family. Did I mention it's a no cook caramel frosting?

Great-Grandma's Homemade Chocolate Mayo Cake

To make sure your cake turns out wonderfully moist, don't over bake. I pull my cakes out as soon as the center tests done by pulling out a toothpick with no batter stuck to it.

The secret to this cake is both the mayonnaise and the brewed coffee. You don't taste the coffee, but it works like magic to make this especially moist, rich, and dare I say… heavenly.

Grandma's Chocolate Mayo Cake & Caramel Frosting

MelissaKNorris
4.56 from 9 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 16 mins
Total Time 26 mins
Servings 18

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups flour I used soft white wheat but all purpose or cake flour is fine
  • 1 cup sugar I use organic evaporated cane juice
  • 1/2 cup cocoa
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/2 cup cold water
  • 1/2 cup brewed coffee
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • Frosting
  • 5 Tablespoons butter I think cream cheese would work well, too
  • 1 and 1/2 cups brown sugar
  • 3 Tablespoons boiling water
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir all dry ingredients together. Combine wet ingredients with dry until smooth. Pour into greased and floured pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes for a cake or 16 minutes for cupcakes. Cool completely before frosting.
  • For frosting. Beat butter and vanilla together. Slowly add in sugar until creamed together. Pour in boiling water and beat until creamy. Spread over cupcakes.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

My daughter requested raspberry frosting this year, I used a little bit of beet root powder and raspberry jam with the buttercream frosting recipe in The Made-from-Scratch Life. 

Do you have a special family recipe that's been passed down?

Melissa Norris

Melissa K. Norris inspires people's faith and pioneer roots with her books, podcast, and blog. Melissa lives with her husband and two children in their own little house in the big woods in the foothills of the North Cascade Mountains. When she's not wrangling chickens and cattle, you can find her stuffing Mason jars with homegrown food and playing with flour and sugar in the kitchen.

Read more about Melissa

Related Posts

Gluten-Free Cream of Chicken Soup (+ Variations)

Purple dead nettle.

Purple Dead Nettle – Foraging, Medicinal, and Cooking Guide

Roux in a cast iron pan with ingredients on the side.

Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup Substitute

Comments:

  1. melissa

    8 years ago

    I was wondering if these cupcakes could be made without the coffee? I am not suppose to have caffeine. I know my kids would love these also. Thank you 🙂

    Reply
    • Melissa Norris

      8 years ago

      You bet. Just use all water instead of coffee. The coffee helps bring out the chocolate flavor, but you can use water or applesauce in place of it.

      Reply
    • Shirley K

      April 13, 2016 at 4:32 pm

      Chocolate naturally has caffeine in it. If you want to lessen the caffeine, use decaf coffee..

      Reply
    • Lisa

      February 27, 2017 at 4:11 am

      I suggest decaffeinated coffee. Also, I’m making this cake for my son’s birthday. (I loved a chocolate mayo cake from childhood.) Thxs for sharing!

      Reply
  2. Mei

    October 8, 2014 at 8:36 am

    Hi, may I substitute the water with fresh milk or chocolate milk? Thanks

    Reply
    • Melissa Norris

      October 8, 2014 at 2:08 pm

      Absolutely, if you have buttermilk I think that would give it a fantastic texture, too.

      Reply
  3. Alisa

    October 28, 2014 at 1:09 am

    We eat Mayonnaise Cake on a regular basis. This recipe is dfferent from mine but I must say, it is the only other recipe I have seen with mayo in it.

    Reply
  4. Sandy

    November 10, 2014 at 1:56 am

    It sounds delish but mayo has eggs in it. 😉

    Reply
  5. Patti

    November 13, 2014 at 2:50 pm

    Do you make your own mayonnaise? I never use store bought mayo because of the nasty Gmo soybean oil, but make my own on occasion when I want to use some. Homemade is a bit thinner than storebought so just wondering if it would work. Looks like a delicious recipe!

    Reply
  6. Nicole Swanson

    December 17, 2014 at 6:11 am

    Can something be used in place of Mayo? I agree with Sandy; mayo contains eggs. Food allergies here. Would I use coconut oil, apple sauce, gelatin, flax seed… ?

    Reply
    • Melissa Norris

      December 17, 2014 at 4:17 pm

      If you do coconut oil I’d use a little bit less than the Mayo, apple sauce would work I think, or even cooked pureed pumpkin. If you don’t have dairy allergies, yogurt would be a great sub.

      Reply
  7. Jose

    6 years ago

    Melissa,

    Recipe sounds very rich, but, is there a typo on the ingredients with the vanilla? Also, is that vanilla or extract?

    Thanks,
    Jose

    Reply
    • Ellen

      6 years ago

      Hi Jose, I’m not Melissa but yep it is one teaspoon of vanilla, and yes it is vanilla extract. Hope this helps you.

      Reply
  8. Jose

    6 years ago

    OOPS! can’t read. Glazed right over the part that says “Frosting”

    Reply
  9. Gail

    6 years ago

    Loved seeing this! My grandma had the same cake recipe written in her recipe book. I was lucky she lived into my 20’s so I could ask her about its origin. She told me it was from WWII when eggs, butter and milk were rationed. The mayonnaise has oil and eggs in it so it worked well as a substitute. The only difference between your recipe and hers is the coffee.
    The caramel frosting looks lovely. Grandma used a 7 minute frosting on hers.
    Thanks so much for sharing.

    Reply
    • Melissa Norris

      April 10, 2016 at 12:55 am

      Gail,
      My grandma also did a 7 minute frosting sometimes! The coffee heightens the chocolate without leaving a coffee flavor, it’s also a great way to use up that last little bit of coffee in the pot.

      Reply
      • Carol

        April 10, 2016 at 3:05 am

        What leftover coffee??? LOL!

        Reply
        • Melissa Norris

          April 10, 2016 at 5:08 am

          Lol, I hear you, I usually purposefully save some on days I know I’m making this cake… or just brew a second pot.

          Reply
  10. Ellen

    6 years ago

    Melissa, thank you for sharing such a treasured recipe. This makes me feel like part of your family. I’m old school and write recipes on paper and it would be very nice to add your great-grandmothers first name along with yours. Thanks and have a blessed day.

    Reply
    • Melissa Norris

      April 10, 2016 at 12:56 am

      Ellen,
      Thank you so much! This was from my Grandma Pearl. 🙂

      Reply
      • Sandy

        April 10, 2016 at 1:11 pm

        My grandma’s name was Pearl and my middle name is Pearl! You don’t hear that name very often anymore. Anyway, I am going to try this wonderful looking cake today and I was reading over the recipe and it looks like you should also add the vanilla in the frosting as well, but I don’t see it in the instructions. Thanks for sharing!

        Reply
    • Melissa Norris

      April 10, 2016 at 12:57 am

      Sorry, the recipe card doesn’t let me separate the frosting part, but it’s vanilla extract.

      Reply
  11. Kimmi

    6 years ago

    I’m planning on doing some baking today and I just came across this in my email…I have to ask…you really just have to stir everything together…no beater? I’ve never seen a cake recipe that you didn’t have to beat…Thanks for sharing…

    Reply
  12. Sarah D.

    6 years ago

    That looks delicious! I made some mayo-cupcakes (not this recipe; this is only the second time I’ve seen a mayo-cake recipe!) with buttercream frosting… It tasted like a Ho-Ho or Ding-Dong, without the aftertaste from all the preservatives and fake ingredients! Yum! Who needs boxed cakes or mixes? 😉

    Reply
    • Melissa Norris

      April 12, 2016 at 2:35 am

      Sarah,
      That is the perfect example, it does taste like a from-scratch Ho-Ho!

      Reply
  13. Melinda

    April 15, 2016 at 1:45 am

    Made it! Loved it! Super moist! I made it in two 9″ rounds. Just barely enough frosting 🙂

    Reply
  14. SG

    May 30, 2016 at 1:23 am

    This was the heaviest ‘cake batter’ I have ever worked with!! I baked the cupcakes for 20 minutes and toothpick test was clean but even after I took them out and cooled them, they were heavy, chewy and more like a brownie than a cupcake. I was not pleased!! Won’t be using this recipe ever again…

    Reply
  15. Robin

    January 13, 2017 at 1:58 am

    I use my grandmother’s mayonnaise cake recipe all the time – even won ribbons at the County Fair for this delicious moist cake! Yum yum!!!!

    Reply
  16. Kelly

    May 13, 2017 at 5:48 pm

    I have the same recipe that I use for our homemade chocolate cakes. It was my grandma’s recipe as well! It is our favorite. I’m spoiled by the homemade cakes and have yet to find a “box” cake mix that I like. Another favorite of ours is the chocolate buttermilk cake with seven minute frosting.

    Reply
  17. Bev Ross

    5 years ago

    What is gar? I have never heard of it. And what is the organic evaporated cane juice you use? Is there anything else I can substitute?

    Reply
    • Melissa Norris

      May 14, 2017 at 12:29 am

      You can use sugar as a direct substitute for the evaporated can juice.

      Reply
    • Melissa Norris

      May 14, 2017 at 12:30 am

      Kelly,
      I have the seven minute frosting recipe too! I so agree, no boxed cake mix can touch it.

      Reply
  18. Mary Pasley

    5 years ago

    I love this recipe and will be making it for Mother’s Day. I have one concern though. I don’t know if you have any control over the pop-up ads that come up on your blog but there is one that is totally false news about Chip and Joanna Gaines and Fixer Upper and tries to promote/sell Joanna’s line of face cream. I was just on her Facebook page and she has a message that this is totally false and she does not have a cosmetic line, nor are they cancelling the show. Normally I ignore these kind of ads but then I read many people are buying this cream and getting injured (which is NOT affiliated with Joanna Gaines). I just thought you may want to know.

    Reply
    • Melissa Norris

      May 14, 2017 at 12:30 am

      Mary, I’ll see if I can get the ad service to block that one, thanks for the heads up!

      Reply
  19. Mary Pasley

    5 years ago

    OK, I just made these for myself for Mother’s Day. Cupcakes are in the oven as we speak. My only comment…..DO NOT lick the bowl. If you do, I promise you will not have enough to put in the oven. Holy Moly that batter is good!

    Reply
    • Melissa Norris

      May 15, 2017 at 4:16 pm

      lol Mary I love it…. and I tend to be a batter taster too.

      Reply
  20. Sherry

    May 24, 2017 at 5:19 pm

    I’ve just put this chocolate cake on the oven. I presumed it was in an 8.5 X11 pan. You’ve not indicated the size in your recipe. Hope I’m correct.

    Reply
    • Melissa Norris

      May 25, 2017 at 2:14 am

      It works in any size pan, a 9×13, two 9 inch, or cupcakes. Let me know how it turns out!

      Reply
  21. Carolyn Smith

    4 years ago

    Thank you, Melissa! The cake sounds so good- must try it without revealing the entire ingredients list to my family.
    Hope your daughter had an awesome birthday!

    Reply
  22. Gwen

    July 23, 2019 at 1:31 pm

    Thank you so much I used to have it yes ago my Husband keeps asking for it so I’ll make it to night

    Reply
    • Melissa Norris

      3 years ago

      Yay, love when I find a recipe again!

      Reply
  23. Bonny Rambarran

    2 years ago

    My mother used to make this EVERY DAY (without the coffee) before we left for school. Plus other baking she did during the day!!!

    Reply
  24. Debra Kawaller

    2 years ago

    I can relate to your day that you became overwhelmed. I never nap and both my husband and I had a crash day and taking a nap did the trick. We both felt refreshed for another day.
    Your cupcake recipe does look heavenly. I made homemade vanilla cupcakes and homemade chocolate frosting. What a treat! Even made chicken stock and broke out the pressure canner since I don’t have much freezer space. Used some of the stock to make Pasta Fazole. Came out great.
    Take care,
    Debra

    Reply
  25. Jessica Borgen

    April 5, 2020 at 2:30 pm

    Hi Melissa! I saw where you said yogurt would be a good mayo substitute…would that be a plain yogurt? Thank you!

    Reply
    • Melissa Norris

      2 years ago

      Yes plain yogurt!

      Reply
  26. Ziba Burrow

    2 years ago

    I just made this and popped it into the oven and I must say the batter alone was absolutely delicious! So, I am sure the final product will be too! Thank you for sharing a piece of your history with us. As a lover of baking, this was a sweet one to make:)

    Reply
  27. Lynn

    June 1, 2021 at 6:23 am

    I already love chocolate mayo cake. Never heard of caramel frosting. I’d love to see your recipe.

    Reply
  28. Ann

    November 20, 2021 at 8:51 am

    This recipe sounds like it will be delicious, but I have a question. Will it stay moist & fluffy for a couple of days if it isn’t cut into? (What self control!) I need to make a birthday cake for an out of town party so I will have to make it a couple of days ahead.

    Reply
    • Melissa Norris

      November 20, 2021 at 5:47 pm

      Can you freeze it? It will stay freshest if you make it, wrap it tightly after cooling, then freeze it. It’s easy to frost a frozen cake and they thaw great. Otherwise, frost it and keep it sealed up tight and it will stay a good texture for a few days.

      Reply
      • Ann

        November 21, 2021 at 6:44 am

        Thanks for a great idea! Yes, that should work.

        Reply

Leave us a reply: Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

Recipe Rating




Melissa K. Norris

Follow me:

  • Start Here
  • Courses
  • Academy
  • Contact
Log In

Articles

  • Gardening
  • Homesteading
  • Recipes
  • Lifestyle
  • DIY

Podcast

  • Community Sufficiency vs. Self-Sufficiency
  • Dairy Cow 101: Everything You Need to Know
  • Rebekah Rhodes’ Journey with Auto-Immune Disease
  • Must-Have Pantry Items For Long-Term Storage
  • 30-Day Self-Sufficiency Challenge

Books

  • The Family Garden Planner
  • Hand Made
  • The Made From Scratch Life
  • The Family Garden Plan

Education

  • Organic Gardening Workshop
  • Home Fruit Preservative Canning e-course
  • Home Canning With Confidence
  • Homemade Bread & Baking Class
  • Natural Homemade Bath and Beauty
  • Pioneering Today Academy

Copyright 2022 - Melissa K. Norris Pioneering Today LLC

  • Privacy Policy
  • Affiliate Disclaimer
  • Terms of Use

Melissa K. Norris and Pioneering Today LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

1753 shares
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Email
FYI, we use cookies on this website. If you're okay with that, you don't need to do a thing! Just click "Ok" and keep browsing.Ok