Everyone around here looks forward to my sister’s birthday celebration on Labor Day weekend. The weekend makes some of us wish we had summer birthday’s too.
We always have a Mexican feast, and cake. You can read about previous birthday celebrations here and here.
This year, my mom upped the ante with a shaving cream mural activity at cocktail hour.
For dessert we had a Hellman’s mayonnaise cake. This is an amazing, soft and moist chocolate cake that doesn’t taste a bit like mayonnaise. The story goes, it was invented by a Hellman’s mayonnaise salesman’s wife. A few people said it was the best cake they’ve ever had!
• Hellman’s Mayonnaise Cake •
original recipe here
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
3 eggs
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup Hellmann’s® or Best Foods® Real Mayonnaise
1 1/3 cups water
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and lightly flour two 9-inch round cake pans; set aside.
In medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and baking powder; set aside.
In large bowl, with electric mixer at high speed, beat eggs, sugar and vanilla for 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in Hellmann’s® or Best Foods® Real Mayonnaise at low speed until blended. Alternately beat in flour mixture with water, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Pour into prepared pans.
Bake 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. On wire racks, cool 10 minutes; remove from pans and cool completely. Frost, if desired, or sprinkle with confectioners sugar.
I frosted the cake with a basic confectioner’s sugar, butter and cream cheese frosting, with a bit of cocoa mixed in with the confectioner’s sugar.
