This easy gluten free chocolate mayonnaise cake is my take on a classic 1950s southern recipe. The old fashioned homemade chocolate cake is moist and perfect for dessert. I added chocolate buttercream frosting for the filling and icing.
You could easily convert this cake to dairy free by using avocado oil mayonnaise and using a dairy free frosting rather than the buttercream. This cake is great for birthdays or gatherings.
If you would rather have a sheet cake you can make this cake in a 9x13 baking dish instead of three nine inch round pans. Sometimes instead of frosting a layer cake I just want a simple sheet cake to quickly spread frosting onto and be done.
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Ingredients
Coffee
Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
Gluten Free Flour
Baking Powder
Baking Soda
Xanthan Gum
Sea Salt
Granulated Sugar
Eggs
Mayonnaise
Vanilla Extract
Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Honey
Heavy Whipping Cream
Unsalted Butter
Powdered Sugar
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease three 9-inch round cake pans with butter or coconut oil. Set aside.
In the bowl of your stand mixer add the sugar and eggs. Beat until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Add the mayonnaise and vanilla. Beat until blended.
Add the coffee and cocoa powder to the egg mixture. Beat until incorporated.
In a medium bowl whisk together the gluten free flour, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum and sea salt.
Blend the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until you get a smooth cake batter, 2-3 minutes.
Pour the cake batter evenly into each cake pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. The cakes should spring back when lightly touched and be coming away from the edges of the pans.
Let the cakes stand in the pans for 10 minutes and then place them on a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting. I like to make the cakes the day before so they have plenty of time to cool.
For the frosting put the chocolate chips, honey and heavy cream into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second increments stirring in between until the chocolate chips are melted.
In the bowl of your stand mixer beat the unsalted butter, sea salt, vanilla and 2 cups of powdered sugar until smooth. Add the chocolate mixture and blend until incorporated. Add 2 cups of powdered sugar and blend until the frosting is smooth and fluffy.
Equipment
Storage
You can store the cake in an air tight container for up to 7 days in the refrigerator. I also like to freeze individual slices in freezer safe containers to enjoy later.
Top Tip
I love a layer cake but sometimes a sheet cake is just easier. This cake can be baked in a 9x13 baking pan. Cool the cake completely and then frost.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does mayonnaise make cakes moist?
Yes! Since mayonnaise is usually made from eggs and oil (or in this case I used avocado oil mayonnaise so it's just oil) it will make your cake very moist and fluffy. It shouldn't matter what brand or type of mayonnaise you use in your cake. You are essentially just adding more oil to the cake batter.
Is mayonnaise gluten free?
Mayonnaise is typically gluten free. As always, I would check the label. In some cases the mayonnaise may be made in the same facility as other products that have gluten or other allergens. My favorites are Sir Kensington's Mayonnaise and Primal Kitchen Mayonnaise.
Can I replace the mayonnaise in this cake with sour cream?
Yes! You will get the same delicious, fluffy chocolate cake if you use mayonnaise or sour cream. Using avocado oil mayonnaise is a great way to make a cake vegetarian or for any of your dairy free friends and family.
If you like this recipe you might also enjoy:
Gluten Free Pumpkin Oatmeal Cake
Gluten Free Orange Bundt Cake
Easy Gluten Free White Cake
Gluten Free Banana Cake
Gluten Free Cinnamon Coffee Cake
I get some of my ingredients from Thrive Market. Thrive Market has been a game changer for me eating gluten free. They have so many options I can’t get at my rural grocery stores! Use this link to get 25% off your first order!
Print
Gluten Free Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 3 - 9 inch cakes 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This easy gluten free chocolate mayonnaise cake is my take on a classic 1950s southern recipe. The old fashioned homemade chocolate cake is moist and perfect for dessert. I added chocolate buttercream frosting for the filling and icing.
Ingredients
1 ½ cups Coffee, strongly brewed
1 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
3 cups Gluten Free Flour
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1 ½ tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Xanthan Gum
1 tsp. Sea Salt
2 cups Granulated Sugar
4 large Eggs
1 cup Mayonnaise
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
Frosting:
1 ¼ cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
2 Tbsp. Honey
3 Tbsp. Heavy Cream
1 cup Unsalted Butter, softened
½ tsp. Sea Salt
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
4 cups Powdered Sugar
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease three 9-inch round cake pans with butter or coconut oil. Set aside.
In the bowl of your stand mixer add the sugar and eggs. Beat until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Add the mayonnaise and vanilla. Beat until blended.
Add the coffee and cocoa powder to the egg mixture. Beat until incorporated.
In a medium bowl whisk together the gluten free flour, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum and sea salt.
Blend the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until you get a smooth cake batter, 2-3 minutes.
Pour the cake batter evenly into each cake pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. The cakes should spring back when lightly touched and be coming away from the edges of the pans.
Let the cakes stand in the pans for 10 minutes and then place them on a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting. I like to make the cakes the day before so they have plenty of time to cool.
For the frosting put the chocolate chips, honey and heavy cream into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second increments stirring in between until the chocolate chips are melted.
In the bowl of your stand mixer beat the unsalted butter, sea salt, vanilla and 2 cups of powdered sugar until smooth. Add the chocolate mixture and blend until incorporated. Add 2 cups of powdered sugar and blend until the frosting is smooth and fluffy.
Notes
This recipe could be dairy free if you use a different frosting.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Gluten Free
Rose Singer says
If you use Gluten free flour that they say use in place of regular flour, Bob's Red Mill or King Arthur's, do you need to include the xantham gum?
smallfarmbiglife says
Hi Rose! If your flour has xanthan gum in the ingredients already you don't have to use more in the recipe. I however usually add a bit extra to make sure my cake rises nicely and has a good crumb texture. The xanthan gum is taking the place of gluten in regular wheat flour and helps provide a similar texture. I hope that helps. ~Elaine
Karen says
Best gluten free cake . ..I've ever made....even those not gf gave a thumbs up! Thanks for your time creating it. Will be my go to recipe from now on.
smallfarmbiglife says
Yay! I'm so glad you enjoyed this cake Karen. ~Elaine
Melanie Muller says
Can this delicious GF cake be made in a bundt pan?
smallfarmbiglife says
Hi Melanie. Yes there should be enough baking powder in this recipe to get it to rise just fine in a bundt pan. I like to use coconut oil in my bundt pans to get the cake out easily. I also have a Double Chocolate Bundt Cake recipe too.
Holly Love says
Wanted to mention there's a typo - the recipe mentions adding the eggs twice. Also, I'mgGrateful to the commenter who mentioned maybe leaving out xanthan gum if your gluten-free flour already includes it, because mine did, and next time I would leave it out. Could be why the cake cracked on top for me and puffed up a little too much - but I also used a brand new oven whose temperature I haven't confirmed is correct with a separate oven thermometer, and I know a too-high temp can crack the cake, too. It was already good but with those two adjustments I'm sure I'd get even better results!
smallfarmbiglife says
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe Holly! Thank you for pointing out the update I needed to make of not adding the eggs twice. I do this all on my own and sometimes even after a couple of proof reads I miss things. I like to add the extra xanthan gum to my baking recipes because depending on the flour you're using it may not have it or it may have just a little bit of it. I found sometimes my recipes weren't rising how I would like them and started adding some more xanthan gum. It is probably more of a personal preference thing and I think you are correct that the cake can turn out perfectly without the added xanthan gum. ~Elaine