We all love cakes, and we have been taught to love them since we were kids, and our mothers would give them to us as treats. And for the most part, we associate cakes with birthdays, one of the happiest occasions which is incomplete without a slice of this heavenly goodness.
There are many ways one can bake cakes; as fat, we tend to add either butter or oil. But we can now see that some people are substituting mayonnaise for oil in the cake mix. That might be something you’re hearing for the first time, and must be curious to know what happens when you do replace oil for mayonnaise in your cake batter.
To know what happens, keep reading!
What Is Mayonnaise Made of?
If you have ever made mayonnaise at home before, you know that the components needed to make mayonnaise are very simple. These are items we have in our pantry most of the time. Eggs and oil are all you need to make make it. But you get a tone of flavor from it that you don’t get from regular oil because of the addition of the egg.
When you choose the mayonnaise you are to use in the cake mix, make sure it does not have any added flavors or salt. It is going to distort the actual flavor of the cake, which is not something you want to do.
Another option for you is to make the mayonnaise yourself, which you can do by cracking an egg inside a blender and adding a cup of oil to it. Blend it all together for a minute or so, and you should have some thick and creamy homemade mayonnaise.
Mayonnaise is one of the substitutes we can use while baking cake. There are a few other substitutes you can use as well, which will make the finished product just as good if not better.
Why Do We Use Mayo in Cake Mix?
Now, many of you might want to know why we would want to add mayonnaise to our cakes in place of oil, especially when oil helps us get the desired result. The answer is very simple: mayo makes the cake very moist without you having to do much.
Often many of us struggle to bake a moist cake because we get some proportions wrong. That is when the mayo comes to the rescue, and it helps to moisten the cake. Also, if you are using a premade cake mix, then the mayonnaise adds egg as well as oil to the mixture. Both of which will help bring out the flavors which might be missing.
Many people might not admit, but the reason why they use mayonnaise for their cake mix is simply that they ran out of oil. It might seem like a funny reason, but it can happen sometimes. So, why run to the store to get oil if you have some mayo at home, which will make the cake taste better.
How Does the Proportion Work?
Well, there isn’t much math you need to follow when you are baking with mayo instead of oil. Then the recipe says you have to use a cup of oil, then you are going to replace it with a cup of mayonnaise. However, you could opt to forgo the eggs as the mayo has eggs in it. Or you could add one egg instead of two.
Like I said, the mayo would help soften the cake, and you will be left with very moist slices. A little warning, though, you might not want to go back to using oil for the cake mix ever again.
How to Bake a Cake Using Mayo instead of Oil?
I have already gone over why you would want to use mayonnaise in your cake. You also know how you can use it and what proportions you may want to use in the mixture. But what better way to make you understand the whole process than by giving you instructions to bake a cake singing mayo.
First off, you can use any type of cake mix you want for this. You can bake a regular cake, chocolate cake, even carrot cake if that’s what you like. The mayo will enhance the flavor of all kinds of cakes, especially the take of cocoa in the mix. So if its chocolate you’re after then the mayo will be a great addition.
Ingredients
- 1 box of cake mix (could be any flavor)
- 1 cup of mayonnaise (homemade mayo is also fine here)
- One less egg then mentioned in the instructions (room temperature)
- 1 cup lukewarm water
These are all the things you will need to bake your cake. The rest of the ingredients are in the cake mix. If you do want to add some flavoring, you are free to do so.
Instructions
Follow the instructions given below:
Step 1: Preparation
One step many people forget to take before the start mixing all the ingredients is to put their oven on preheating. Don’t make the same mistake. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees before you start working so you can pop the cake in the oven right after you are done mixing everything up.
Then the next step is to grease the baking tin. For this, you are going to need butter or oil. Mayonnaise would work too, but oil is the easier option here.
Step 2: Making the Batter
Now take out a stand mixer, a hand mixer, or a whisk to start the mixing process. Dump the mayo and eggs in the bowl first and miss until they are combined properly.
When you see that that egg and mayonnaise have incorporated properly, you are now going to sift in the cake mix. Don’t put in all of it at once. You are going to be left with a powdery mess. Rather do it in three sections.
After the first section is mixed in, pour the lukewarm water along with the cake second and third section of the cake mix. Without the water, the moisture will be too dry, and your cake will be very heavy.
Step 3: Bake the Cake
Once everything is mixed properly, you are going to pour the mixture in the greased cake tin. You can separate the mixture into two smaller tins if you want to make a layered cake. If not, then one is fine.
Leave the tin in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until it is baked properly. A way for you to check whether the cake is ready or not is by poking a toothpick inside the cake. If it comes out clean without any cake batter, then your cake is done.
Take the cake out and leave it on the cooling rack for some time and then transfer it to a dish for decoration. Don’t mess with the cake while it is still hot as the frosting will melt right off, and the cake is the most fragile when it is hot.
I think the cake is now ready to be eaten!
Final Words
You can see that the mayonnaise was very easily included in the mix; you didn’t have to do anything special. There are many other things you can cook with mayonnaise if you want to!
Nevertheless, if you have any questions regarding substituting mayonnaise for oil in the cake mix, let us know in the comments.