What an awesome birthday party!  Amelia turned 25 today so she did what she does best – threw an awesome party!  There was no shortage of food – ball tip from Kinder’s, her “lazy” grilled chicken skewers, mini “fancy” corn on the cob and garlic bread.  Oh, and cake, of course.

So let’s talk about cake and where this recipe came from…

Amelia’s birthday cake request was a cake filled with some kind of fruit filling with “the buttercream frosting” and some toasted coconut.  MMMMM.  I love it when people order the same exact cake I would want for myself!  Makes my job way easier!  I also love when the decorations are up to me.  Don’t worry, I will post the raspberry filling and buttercream frosting on a separate post.

For some time, I’ve heard about the wonders of mayo in chocolate cake batter to make a superior cake.  Um, what?  Mayo? In cake?  Seriously?  It’s also really no secret that I’m not really a mayo lover. Sure, I like it in my hot dip but don’t want a mouth full of it in a bite of sandwich and don’t really gravitate toward dishes I know are laden in the stuff, like potato salad or pasta salad.

Enter Amy Gutierrez, aka Short and Sweet, which is a blog I regularly follow.  She posted a recipe Chocolate “Baby” Bundts. The recipe called for mayo and the pictures were gorgeous.  So I had to give it a try.  The original recipe is copied below with her notes in bold (photos are from my own rendition), but please go visit Amy and check out some of her other awesome recipes at Short and Sweet.  Thanks so much Amy!  I really did try it and it was a gorgeous cake!  Nice, dense moist, rich crumb.  Very satisfying!  Who knew some of the finer things in life start with a cup of mayo!?!  Keep up the good work, Amy!

Chocolate “Baby” Bundts

Preheat Oven to 350 Degrees

Ingredients

2 C. All Purpose Flour
2/3 C. Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
1/4 tsp. Baking Powder
3 eggs (at room temperature) (or egg whites)
1 2/3 C. Granulated Sugar (I use only brown sugar)
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 C. Mayonnaise
1 1/3 C. Water (or cold brewed coffee)
1 tsp. instant coffee (If brewed coffee is not available.)
1 bag Ghiradelli Chocolate Squares (I used dark “Twilight” chocolate)

Preheat oven to 350°. Using non-stick baking spray with flour, prepare one 9-inch bundt cake pan and set aside.  In medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and baking powder; set aside.

In large bowl, combine the sugar (Or in my case brown sugar), vanilla, mayonnaise and water. (Please see Tip #3 below.)

Tip #1:  I’ve also made this recipe with canola oil based and olive oil based mayonnaise with no noticeable differences.

Tip #2: This recipe also works great with coconut oil instead of the mayonnaise.

Tip #3: Add 1 cup of cold brewed coffee as part of your water.  If you don’t have brewed coffee available you can also use 1 tsp. instant coffee crystals or espresso powder.

Using an electric mixer, beat in mayonnaise at low speed until blended. Alternately beat in flour mixture in thirds until the flour is almost completely gone.  Add the eggs one at a time, blending thoroughly with the addition of each egg.  Finally, beat the entire mix on high for 2 minutes to air rate your batter.

Tip #4: By adding your room temperature eggs as the final step, you have the opportunity to really create a good rise in your cake while it bakes.

Tip #5: You can also swap strictly egg whites if animal fat is also an issue in your family.

Prepare the baby bundt pan by spraying it with non-stick baking spray with flour.  Using an ice cream scoop, fill the scoop 3/4ths full and drop the batter around the center of the bundts.  The batter will settle into the sides as you fill the rest.  Give the entire

pan a light rap against the counter to remove any air bubbles.

Bake 15 – 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean. Cool for 5 – 7 minutes before removing from the pan. Using a cookie sheet with a wire rack on top, flip the bundts out onto the rack.  Place unwrapped squares of chocolate on top.

Tip #6: If the chocolate is broken don’t worry, just put them in the well on top of the cake and let them melt there instead.

Place in a warm oven that has been turned off, and let the chocolate melt for several minutes at a time. 2 – 3 minutes is sufficient, until the chocolate is almost completely melted.  Top with your favorite garnish including salt, nuts, sprinkles or all of the above.

Makes about 1 dozen individual cakes

Happy Birthday, Amelia!  Thanks for throwing an awesome party!

Eat Well!

~Trish