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Substituting Mayonnaise for Oil in Cake Mix (What to Expect)

Substituting Mayonnaise for Oil in Cake Mix (What to Expect)

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Often people wonder if there is anything they can substitute for oil in their cake mix. You might be in the midst of mixing your ingredients and find that you have no oil. On the other hand, maybe you are looking for an alternative because you want something with more texture.

In any case, one great option is mayonnaise. Mayo is made from eggs, oil, and a touch of vinegar, so it works well as an oil substitute.

How to Use Mayo in Place of Oil

It may sound strange at first, but using mayo in place of oil will actually make your cake taste more homemade. Since mayonnaise contains both eggs and oil, you can even replace both of those ingredients.

For example, if your recipe calls for one-third cup of oil and two eggs, simply substitute that for one-third cup mayonnaise. However, you can also just replace the oil with mayo and keep the eggs.

In addition, you can add a teaspoon of mayo to your mix with the oil and eggs, and it will still give it that special homemade taste when it is done. People have been baking with mayo for many years, and when you taste your cake, you will wonder why you waited to try it.

How Will It Change the Cake?

Moist Slice Of Chocolate Cake

When you substitute mayonnaise for oil, your cake will be very moist. The texture is more similar to a homemade cake, and most people find it to be delicious.

You do not need to worry that your cake will taste like mayonnaise; it won’t. Many people don’t realize that the taste of foods is a result of all of the combined ingredients, and mayonnaise is just an ingredient added to your cake mix.

People have been baking with mayonnaise since long before there were boxes of cake mix, and there is a good reason for it. The oil in mayo makes the cake tender, the eggs help the batter keep its moisture, and the vinegar actually brings out the chocolate flavor in a chocolate cake.

When you use mayo, the cake will hold its moisture longer than it does with regular oil.

Why Do People Use Mayo in Place of Oil?

Open Jar Of Mayonnaise

People use mayo in place of oil in their cake mix for a lot of different reasons.

First of all, sometimes people want to bake a cake, and they notice that they are out of oil. They could run to the store, borrow it from a neighbor, or use a substitution. Mayo is in most people’s pantry, so it works well.

Another reason people use mayo is that they prefer it. Often people say that boxed cake mix is dull and lacks the flavor of a homemade cake, and using mayo in place of oil can make the cake super moist with a texture that feels homemade.

If you ask anyone who has tried it, they will tell you that the cake came out moist and fluffy and that it held its flavor and moisture longer.

How to Bake a Chocolate Cake with Mayo

Close Up Of Chocolate Cake

Chocolate cake is a very popular type of cake to bake with mayo. The reason for this is that the vinegar in the mayo really brings out the flavor of the chocolate.

When you finish baking this cake, it will melt in your mouth, and it will hold its moisture, texture, and flavor for days after you bake it.

Hellman’s offers the following recipe, which is simple and quick, and you can find out exactly what you have been missing out on. You will need the following ingredients:

  • One box (16.5 oz) chocolate cake mix
  • One cup Hellman’s Mayo (or any mayo)
  • One cup water
  • Three eggs
  • One tablespoon ground cinnamon (optional)

You can see that this particular recipe replaces the oil with mayo, but it keeps the eggs as part of the ingredients. Now you are ready to prepare your mix for baking.

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. You can grease two nine-inch cake pans and set them aside.
  2. Beat the cake mix, mayo, water, eggs, and cinnamon in a large bowl with an electric mixer for 30 seconds on low speed.
  3. Beat the mixture again for two minutes on medium speed.
  4. Pour the batter into the pans.
  5. Bake for 30 minutes or until you can insert a toothpick and pull it out clean.
  6. Cool the cakes on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
  7. Remove the cakes from the pans.
  8. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar or frost them.

As you can see, this is a simple recipe, and it should give you a good idea of what happens when you replace oil with mayo.

How Else Can You Use Mayo in Place of Oil?

Mayo Next To Eggs

Mayo works as a substitute for oil in many different recipes. People can make cakes by beating egg yolks, oil, and vinegar or lemon together, which is why it works so well.

In fact, in addition to cakes, you can use it to make cookies that are chewy on the inside and crispy on the outside, breading for chicken strips, or as a substitute for just about any recipe that calls for eggs and oil.

If you wish to use mayo in place of eggs, just substitute two or three tablespoons of mayo for every egg in the recipe. For oil, you will just replace the oil with mayo in the same quantity. If the recipe calls for one-third cup of oil, you will use one-third cup of mayo.

If you plan to freeze your cake that was baked with mayo, it is possible. Mayo doesn’t freeze well in uncooked foods because the eggs tend to separate from the oil in the freezer.

However, since the mayo is baked when the cake is baked, it will not have this problem. You can freeze it because the eggs and oil in the mayo are firm and will not separate.

Although it sounds strange to people who haven’t heard of it, baking a cake with mayo in place of oil can really add flavor, moisture, and texture to it.

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Doreen Alesna Baclayon

Wednesday 13th of March 2024

Delicious! I used Best Foods/Hellmans mayonnaise!

Sarah Bridenstine

Thursday 14th of March 2024

That's great! I'm glad it turned out well!

Ashley

Friday 21st of October 2022

Question? Will mayo give a white cake mix a funny flavor? Ive never used mayo to replace oil before but im gonna try it... Wish me luck šŸ˜‰

Terry Polutnik

Tuesday 7th of April 2020

Instead of water, can you use milk?

Sarah | Baking Kneads

Wednesday 8th of April 2020

Hi, Terry!

I have not personally tried both milk and mayo in a cake mix, but you are definitely welcome to! Using milk instead of water is a good way to make a cake more rich, but Iā€™m not sure of the results when combined with mayo.

Jody Sackmann

Tuesday 7th of April 2020

Thank you for your great description of how the cake will be "different" in a good way and for the measurements. I'm trying it right now with a boxed carrot cake mix.

Santina

Sunday 28th of June 2020

So šŸ˜† Funny!! * This is my 1st time using this site, so far I'm liking it ALOT. * I'm needing help w/measurements of mayo. in replacement of oil. * Then I "stumble" upon ur comment &, i it made me chuckle bcuz, i TOO am making a Carrot Cake. * You've got GR8 taste Jody Sackmann!

*THANK YOU "kingkneads.com"! You've been VERY helpful. I'm REALLY glad I found you cuz, I KNOW I'll be "kneading" your help in the future most definitley. (Lol!šŸ˜†, pretty cute/clever huh?šŸ˜) Thx Again!

Sarah | Baking Kneads

Wednesday 8th of April 2020

Hi, Jody!!

So glad I could help! Good luck!