Born out of a scarcity of fresh eggs, chocolate-mayonnaise cake is one of those Depression-era recipes that sounds a lot stranger than it tastes.  After all, cakes rely on eggs and fat for tenderness and richness. And mayo is made of exactly those things, and salt and vinegar for tang.  But you don’t taste the mayo in this recipe, and if you didn’t tell anyone it was there, they would never know. Which is to say, don’t let a lack of eggs or butter stop you from making cake.  This one is one-bowl easy, and ridiculously good for the little effort put into it.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 c boiling liquid – water, coffee, tea
• 1/4 c unsweetened chocolate (If you like, add an ounce or two of chopped bittersweet chocolate. I threw in the last of a bag of chocolate chips that was full when my family started sheltering at home, but mysteriously began vanishing, one child-size handful at a time.)
• 3/4 c mayonnaise
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt,
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 c sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla (or bourbon or brandy)
• 1 3/4 c flour

Directions:

1. Start by bringing some water to a boil: You can also use hot coffee or even an Earl Grey or mint tea, but I don’t bother. You’ll need ¾ cup of liquid total.
2. In a large mixing bowl, put ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (either Dutch-processed or natural) and the chunk chocolate.
3. Pour in the ¾ cup of boiling liquid, and let it sit for a few minutes, then whisk until smooth. The chocolate will have melted, if you used it, and the cocoa dissolved.
4. Whisk in the mayonnaise, salt, baking soda and sugar until the batter is smooth.
5. Then whisk in a teaspoon of vanilla extract, if you have it. (You can also use a dash of bourbon or brandy. Or just leave it out entirely.)
6. Finally, whisk in flour — either all-purpose or cake flour — mixing vigorously to eliminate any lumps.
7. Pour the batter into a greased 8- or 9-inch pan: Square, round, star-shaped, anything is good.
8. Bake at 350° for 22 to 40 minutes, until the top springs back when the center is lightly pressed. The deeper the pan, the longer the cake will take to bake through.
9. You can finish it with a cream-cheese frosting or pour on a shimmery glaze. But a sprinkle of confectioners’ sugar is really enough. A thrifty cake at heart, it needs no fancy gilding to shine.

Serves:  8

Source:  New York Times, Melissa Clark, Denver Post Sept 30, 2020