Yes, and don’t be afraid of the two secret ingredients. Mayonnaise and black pepper?!? How strange is that! I promise, it works perfectly. The mayo keeps the cake super moist and the pepper adds a hint of spice that no one can pick out. If you have espresso powder on hand, you can also add that for a deeper, darker chocolate flavor. I didn’t have any, so I used pepper and it was very subtle but added a slightly new dimension of flavor 😉 Give it a try! Let me know what you think 😉
This cake has made it’s debut with peanut butter frosting, hot fudge and crushed up Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. It has also been covered in mint frosting with chopped up mint Oreo’s on top and even layered in an ice cream cake for a Grasshopper Ice Cream Cake (recipe coming tomorrow!). No matter how we served it, it was a HUGE hit this month!


- 2 cups flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 cup milk
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise (light is fine)
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup boiling water
- 1/8 tsp. black pepper or 1 Tbs. espresso powder
- 3 sticks butter
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup milk
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- Dash salt
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For the cake, in a mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt). Once the dry ingredients are mixed together add to that the milk, vegetable oil, mayonnaise, eggs, vanilla extract and whisk until smooth. While you are putting together the cake mix, put the water in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Pour the hot water into the batter and mix together. Add the optional black pepper or espresso powder to your cake mix. Don't over mix the cake mix, just whisk until combined. Spray a 11x14 pan, or two 9 inch rounds. If you want to make sure the cake comes out clean, you can also put a layer of parchment paper on the bottom of the pans. Pour half of the batter into each baking round. You will have just a little extra batter than you need for two rounds. Pour a cup of the batter into a ramekin dish or two cupcake tins to make sure your cake doesn't cook over the pan and burn the bottom of your stove. Place the pans in the stove and bake for 18-23 minutes, or until the center of the cake is no longer jiggly. Remove the cake and let cool for 10 minutes before you remove from the pan.
- For the frosting, place the butter in a mixing bowl. Whisk with an electric mixer until the butter is white and fluffy. Add the milk and the cocoa powder to the frosting and continue to whip. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time, until the frosting is combined and fluffy. Add a dash of salt and the vanilla extract and whip until smooth. For the layered cake, place the bottom cake round on a plate or cake pan. Place a good portion of the frosting onto the top of the cake. Spread the frosting out evenly all over the top round. Turn out the second cake round onto the top of the cake. Use the remaining frosting to frost the top and sides of the chocolate cake. Garnish as you wish and serve.