Last night our favorite Lady of Cupcakes, Candace Nelson, went Live with our co-founder, Amy Griffin, to talk all things sugar. The Live ended with cake on the floor, but that means it was a party, no?
Candace popped on our Instagram Live with Amy because she had a late entry to Amy's virtual Sugar Rush Party, thrown the day prior for her daughter's birthday.
Look. We love Candace. We love Candace even more than we love her Sprinkles Cupcakes -- which is saying a lot -- but when she said her Sugar Rush entry contained mayo, there was an audible record scratch.
Mayo? Like the mayo one would use in a bologna and mayo sandwich?
Apparently, yes. Exactly that mayo.
Candace explained, "As weird as mayonnaise sounds it truly is just an emulsion of eggs and oil, so it makes perfect sense in cake and makes it extra moist! Mayo is just an emulsion of oil and eggs -- two things you already use in all cakes."
She further explained, "It originated during the Great Depression when people didn’t have as much access to eggs and oil. Such a perfect parallel to the current Covid crisis as people are having trouble finding ingredients and really relying on pantry staples."
Welp. There you have it. Mayo in chocolate cake.
The cherry on top (or should we say the sprinkle?) is that Candace exclusively shared her Chocolate Mayo Sheet Cake recipe with us for all to try!
Time to bust out those aprons!
Candace’s Must-Try Chocolate Mayo Sheet Cake:
Ingredients
The Cake:
- 2 cups flour
- 1/3 cup cocoa
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 9 tbsp (1 stick + 1 tbsp) unsalted butter
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup scalding hot water
The Frosting:
- 1 stick unsalted butter, cubed
- 2 oz unsweetened chocolate
- 5 tbsp+ whole milk
- 1 lb box powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/8 tsp salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Butter and flour a 12x18 inch sheet pan (a cookie sheet with sides) and line lengthwise with parchment paper.*
(The cake can also be baked in a 9x13 rectangular cake pan)
Whisk the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
In a mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and beat until incorporated.
Alternately add the flour mixture and mayonnaise and vanilla, starting and ending with the flour mixture.
Then, with mixer on low, slowly add the scalding water, scraping the bottom and sides of bowl to incorporate fully.
Pour into prepared baking sheet and bake for 18-23 minutes, or until top of cake is dry and bounces back when touched. In the 9x13 cake pan, bake for 23-28 minutes.
While cake is baking, make the frosting:
In a saucepan, melt butter and chocolate, stirring to combine.
Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients: milk, powdered sugar, vanilla, salt. The mixture should be thick but pourable. If too dry, add another touch of milk.
Pour frosting over still-warm cake, using a spatula to gently spread into each edge.
*Look through your cookie sheets to try to find the flattest one. Many cookie sheets warp over time, and this will lead to an uneven cake.
Tune in to Candace's podcast, Live To Eat, and listen to her interview your favorite entertainers and culinary personalities. We're obsessed!
