Two weeks before Ruby came along, I wanted cake. I wanted Portillo's chocolate cake. But a whole Portillo's cake is a little on the expensive side at about $18. And buying one piece per day until you have a baby (because you're kidding yourself into thinking you just want ONE piece), as I knew I would end up doing, is even more expensive. (Oh yeah, a piece of cake per day? As that commercial says, "I was there.") I heard a rumor on the radio: the caller claimed that he used to work at Portillo's, and guess what? The cake is just Duncan Hines' Moist Deluxe chocolate cake mix (some claim it is Betty Crocker, whatever), mixed with 3 eggs, 1 cup of water, and 1 cup of mayonnaise. Yes, mayonnaise. Just ignore what else it says on the box, and just add those things, and bake at the temp the box recommends. I don't know if this rumor is true or just an urban myth, but let me tell you, I will not ever need another cake recipe. No seriously, I'm good with this one.
I topped it with store frosting, and it was fantastic. No muss, no mess, just a teeny bit of measuring, and it was just as good as Portillo's, if not better. I think it is even better than the Hershey's chocolate cake recipe, which until now has set the bar for me. And I didn't need to boil water! The cake was so good, in fact, that I made one the very next week. And then I literally had a baby.
This last one is my favorite. At the school cafeteria, they always served chocolate cake with white vanilla frosting. I had it all through gradeschool. It was one of the only things the school did well - always so moist (and I seriously hate that word, but "tender" is for meat, and "damp" and its ilk are even worse) and perfect. I was always so geeked to see them serving it, and it is still my favorite.
You gotta try it, but I'm warning you: be nine months pregnant, or have guests over... Because you WILL eat it by yourself!
AMENDMENTS: I just made one of these with Light Mayo (Hellman's) and it worked... But it is definitely NOT the same cake. Just a decent, light cake.
Also, did you know that coffee brings out chocolate flavor? Use a cold cup of coffee instead of the cup of water, and it brings out the cocoa flavor (you won't taste the coffee.)
When I was a kid, people used to pay my mom to make cakes for them. And the only mix she uses is Duncan Hines. I'll have to try it mixed with mayo... I have an "easy pound cake" recipe from allrecipes.com that uses a cup of sour cream and that cake is pretty freaking fantastic. I assume that mayo and sour cream give you a similarly delicious end result.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I will totally have to try that. My "cake trick" is adding an extra egg and a box of pudding mix to the regular mix and ingredients. It was "the pound cake variation" Parents magazine advised when making birthday cakes and I love the....moist...result.
ReplyDeleteSo, you ONLY add the eggs, water and mayo to the mix? Do you bake it for the same time and at the same temp?
Yep, you just completely disregard what else the box says to add, and just add those other things. I guess it makes sense - since mayo is just eggs and oil, anyway!
ReplyDeleteSo, I made this, and I was even using the generic store brand mix and frosting and it was DELISH. I took it to church gathering last night and plan to make it for teacher appreciation tomorrow (gonna swing by Target and get the Duncan Hines stuff though cause I bet it would be even better.) I also highly reccomend serving it with vanilla ice cream! :)
ReplyDeleteOooh, YAY! I'm so glad. I was a little shocked that it actually worked so well... I dunno about you. But it was kinda like, "HEY! Thanks, internet!" I'm sure since some people swear that the mix is Betty Crocker that the brand of mix probably doesn't matter at all...
ReplyDeleteHow much mayo, water & eggs to you add to the Duncan Hines mix?
ReplyDeleteAs I stated in the body of the post, you add 3 eggs, 1 cup of water, and 1 cup of mayonnaise. I think I will put it in bold-face because it is kind of buried in there. :)
ReplyDeleteObviously these folks are not real "cake bakers". Using a box cake mix makes me cringe. I make lots of DELISH cakes, chocolate and others that are all homemade, moist and scrumptuous (without all the chemicals and preservatives from a mix).
ReplyDeleteWell, personally, I am not a real "cake baker." I don't enjoy baking, and I don't like having the high-calorie stuff around the house. This recipe is posted as a nice short-cut that approximates a scratch cake, for those who don't have the interest, or the time, or the talent. Way to miss the point completely, though!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you are able to bake so many wonderful cakes from scratch. And you still find the time to sit in judgment on other people... However do you do it? Amazing.
You know what makes ME cringe? People that use the word "Delish."
ReplyDeleteAlso, people who take the time to horn in on a few friends' conversation just to talk about how much better they are.
YUCK. Get a job.
Belinda, do you have a website I can shit on?
hee hee hee hee
ReplyDeleteLove your post! Lucky for me I have 3 growing boys to help me eat this! Hubby won't touch it because he "can see the mayo". Whatever! More for us!
ReplyDeleteIf some people have the time and energy to make cakes from scratch, more power to them. I'd be willing to bet they couldn't tell the difference between this cake and a "homemade" cake. I don't think anyone claimed to be a "real cake baker".
Is it as healthy? No, but no one is forcing them to eat our box cake. Is it going to kill me? Probably not, but if it does, it'll taste darn good going down!
Hey, I just came back to look up this recipe again because I am making it for Christmas (I thought I would remember it so I didn't write it down) and got to see the other comments made since I last visited. All I can say is, I hope Jesus doesn't mind that His birthday cake is going to be full of chemicals and preservatives! I may not be a "real cake baker" but I have made cakes from scratch and (lots more) from mixes and after making the ones from scratch I never thought, "oh, I couldn't go back to a mix after THIS." So, suck it Belinda. And Merry Christmas.
ReplyDeleteHA hahaahaa! I read this aloud to Chris and we laughed so hard. You are awesome, B. And you are so right!
ReplyDeleteodd question...how long do you mix for? hoping to make it like a bakery cake texture...they seem less airy...if that's a word, maybe denser is the right word? : ) obviously i'm not a 'real baker'
ReplyDeletemy husband's birthday is coming up and i'd like to make this rather than running thru the drive thru...my version of a homemade cake LoL!!
You know, I never thought about it... But I guess I just beat it until they are combined! Just a minute or two. It does come out a bit airy, but it's really moist and dense tasting. I don't think you'll be disappointed!
ReplyDeleteThis may sound like a dumb question, but will this also work for white cake?
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's dumb! I never thought of it, actually. I don't see why it wouldn't work, though I suppose the cocoa content in the chocolate mix might account for some of the "body" or moisture in the cake. I bet it would come out fine, though. Will you report back if you try it? :)
ReplyDelete