Discovering mayonnaise cake.

Until last week I was sure that the memories I have of once being offered a slice of tomato soup cake were a dream. One of those moments that you’ve tried to convince yourself really happened, even if deep down inside you’re sure it can’t have done. But now I’m not so sure. Someone sent me the recipe for a cocoa mayonnaise cake last week and assured me it was one of their favourites. I made it, enjoyed it and just possibly I didn’t imagine the soup cake after all.

To give you a little background, January 27th was decreed as #NationalChocolateCakeDay and I saw an exchange between two of my Twitter friends where mayonnaise cake was being mentioned. I couldn’t resist asking if this was for real and very kindly Karen Cerio sent me a picture of the recipe in an old Hershey’s Cocoa Cookbook that she has. 

As always when I look at American recipes my first problem was trying to workout the required weights for the ingredients. I’ve had some American readers say that they’re confused by the gram measurements that I quote but I’m just as baffled by cups. Particularly as the conversion to grams seems to vary dependent on the ingredient being used. If you’re sitting either side of the baking conversion issue and find it a problem I strongly recommend cuisinivity.com/guide/measurement. It’s the best site that I’ve found and it came to my rescue again last week with Karen’s recipe. There was one last question as the recipe referred to baking the cake in a  tube tin. I thought this might mean I was making a Swiss Roll but a quick google showed that I needed a bundt tin.

With that all sorted I had to make a quick shopping trip as we had no cocoa or mayonnaise in the house. I’ve never been more keen for the person on the checkout to casually enquire what I was going to make with my purchases but sadly it didn’t happen.

The recipe is quite straight forward and as I have both UK & US measurements to hand I’ll break with tradition and list both.

Ingredients

• Plain Flour 205 grams or 1.75 cups*
• Sugar 227 grams or 1 cup
• Cocoa powder 33 grams or third of a cup
• Baking powder 1.5 tsp
• Baking soda 1.5 tsp
• Salt eighth of a tsp
• Mayonnaise 230 grams or 1 cup
• Water 235ml or 1 cup
• 1 egg **
• Vanilla extract 2 tsp

* The recipe refers to all purpose flour and I’ve assumed that to be what we know as plain flour in the UK

**Karen advised me that the egg was her addition to the recipe. I included it in mine and I think it wouldn’t be such a good cake without it

Method

• Preheat the oven to gas mark 4 or 350
• Grease and flour a bundt or tube tin.
• Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
• Add the wet ingredients and beat for three minutes at a medium speed.
• Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 45 to 50 minutes
• Cool for 10 minutes then remove from the tin.
• The recipe in the Hershey’s books refers to pitting frosting on the cake when cool. I skipped that bit and just went for a dusting of icing sugar. Feel free to indulge with some frosting if you do have a go at making this

This recipe produces a wonderfully light and moist cake that took me and everyone who I offered a slice to by surprise. 

I’m still not sure if I’ve ever had tomato soup cake but there are definitely recipes out there so watch this space. Another unusual cake might be on the way.