No oil? No problem! This is the best Chocolate Mayonnaise Cupcake recipe and these little cakes are rich, moist and super light!

I’m not a fan of mayo, but trust me! You can’t taste it! It never fails that when I want a sweet treat, I’m out of something. This recipe uses mayo to replace the fats and creates a lovely light texture.

My Mayonnaise Cookies recipe showed me how tasty mayonnaise could be in baked goods. And these easy chocolate mayonnaise cupcakes are super delicious!

Frosted chocolate cupcake on a plate with a spoon and round white sprinkles.

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Best Chocolate Mayonnaise Cupcake Recipe

I will not eat mayonnaise in an unbaked way. No coleslaw. No potato salad. And only about 1/4 tsp in tuna. (Yes, teaspoon – because, ew).

And yes, making these cupcakes made me gag.

And you know what? I’d do it again. Because these Chocolate Mayo Cupcakes are that good.

Can you bake with mayonnaise

YES! And you should. I have to plug my nose while I measure it out but it really is a great ingredient for baked treats like cookies, cakes and cupcakes.

Mayo is typically made with eggs and oil so instead of putting the ingredients in one at a time, the mayo basically adds them together.

How can I use mayonnaise in a cake mix

You can substitute equal parts mayo to the amount of oil requested in the recipe.

I’ve used eggs in my recipe to keep the moist texture that I like. But you can leave them out (use 3 TBSP of mayo for each egg called out in the recipe) and the cake will still be pretty moist.

I like this recipe as written, I wanted to give you a little more information on how to substitute mayonnaise in baked goods for oil and eggs in case you find yourself out of those ingredients.

Too much mayo will change the texture of the cake. In my Mayo Cookies (linked in the intro to this post), too much mayo makes them a bit oily.

Frosted chocolate cupcake with white round sprinkles on a plate with the wrapper partially removed.

How to make mayonnaise cupcakes

You know I love starting with a boxed cake mix to keep things simple. Adding a few other ingredients, like espresso powder, really brings out that chocolate flavor! YUM!

Ingredients for Cupcakes

Devil’s Food Cake Mix
eggs
mayonnaise
milk
vanilla extract
espresso powder
salt

Ingredients for Chocolate Mayonnaise Frosting

Ingredients for the Best Vanilla Buttercream (butter, vegetable shortening (optional), confectioner’s sugar, heavy cream, salt, vanilla)
Dutch-process cocoa powder
mayonnaise

If you don’t have espresso powder, you can leave it out. It helps to enhance the chocolate flavor but it won’t take anything away if you don’t have it.

Some say that Dutch-process cocoa powder has a richer chocolate flavor. But regular will work too!

I encourage you to head over to my vanilla buttercream post to see why I love this recipe!

Overhead shot of chocolate cupcakes in a muffin pan.

Directions for cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.
In a bowl beat together eggs and mayo approximately 4 minutes with a hand mixer.
Incorporate cake mix 1/3 at a time, alternating with milk and beginning and ending with cake mix.
Mix in vanilla extract, espresso powder and salt.
Divide the batter between the cupcake liners and take to the oven.
Bake for 5 minutes and turn down the temperature to 350 degrees.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes and remove from the oven.
Let cool completely.

Chocolate frosting in a bowl with a few chocolate cupcakes around it.

Directions for Chocolate Mayo Frosting

Make a batch of the best vanilla frosting recipe (my favorite base for flavored frostings).
Add cocoa powder and mayo and beat to incorporate.
Add a bit more milk if needed to get a silky consistency.
Decorate the cupcakes with the finished buttercream.

Chocolate cupcake on a table with white round sprinkles.

Top tips

Beat mayo and eggs together until pale and fluffy. This adds air to the batter to create a light cupcake.

If a recipe calls for 2 eggs and 1/3 cup oil, I would just replace both with 1/3 cup of oil. Baking is science but you won’t ruin the cake if you add a little too much mayo.

Since I have no interest in becoming a baking expert, I’m always learning as I go. Like I learned with my 2 Ingredient Coke Cake, you can use all kinds of different substitutions in baking. But the texture of the cake will vary a lot.

Supplies to make this recipe

If you love easy and delicious desserts, you’ll want to click over to these tasty treats!

Fruit Bruschetta with Sugar Cookies: This semi-homemade dessert idea for Fruit Bruschetta uses store-bought sugar cookies as the base of this sweet bruschetta! With fresh berries and herbs, this yummy recipe is great for parties or any time you want a quick treat.
Chocolate Sea Salt Sandwiches: If you’re a chocolate fan, you’re going to love this almost savory Chocolate Sea Salt Sandwiches! They are super simple to make and totally unique!
Chocolate Caramel Dump Cake Recipe: This decadent Chocolate Caramel Dump Cake is full of flavor and is super easy to make. It’s even easier to eat!

Looking for more easy desserts? Check out all my quick and easy desserts with cake mix.