Eggless Chocolate Cake with Mocha Whip
A cake made in one bowl, does not require eggs (which are ridonculous in price right now), is vegan adaptable, AND delicious? It seems too good to be true, but Eggless Chocolate Cake with Mocha Whip is the real thing. You might think it’s wacky.
Wacky Cake
You may have grown up eating wacky cake. It seems to be a potluck staple in the Midwest brought by maternal grandmas, great-aunts, and that family friend who shows up at weddings and funerals. Chocolate is the go-to flavor.
This cake is unique in that it does not contain dairy or a typically important cake ingredient, eggs. Some say that it was a cake born out of necessity during the food rationing of World War II. No butter, eggs, or milk of any kind is used yet the cake manages to be moist.
The cake gets lift and structure from ingredients like baking soda and baking powder. Butter is replaced by oil or mayo, and hot coffee adds depth of flavor. These genius grandmas knew what was up because wacky cakes are also damn delicious.
We don’t need no eggs!
And the frosting? Bring on the marshmallow creme.
Marshmallow Creme
I was on a normal grocery shopping trip a few weeks ago and did a double take. Jars of marshmallow creme were on sale for 28 cents. Yes, really.
They were not expired or even near expiration, so I considered it a sign that I must buy some. You never know when you will need a jar of marshmallow fluff.
When I posted a photo of these treasures in jars of plastic, the comment section kind of blew up. The blue-lidded tub seemed to unlock some core childhood memories for people. Who knew that we all secretly love marshmallow creme?
And the suggestions for its use were plentiful. Fluffernutter sandwiches! Fruit dip! Fudge!
I chose to use the marshmallow creme for yet another option. It also happens to start with an F.
This frosting is light and airy, with just a whiff of coffee. It is particularly delicious with egg-free chocolate cake, but I could see it on a vanilla sponge or pavlova, too.
Lessons Learned
- To make the cake vegan, sub in vegan mayo for the regular mayo. You can also sub in CocoWhip for the frozen whipped topping as I did for my dairy-free family members.
- If you don’t need or want a 9x13 cake hanging around your kitchen, it is easy enough to halve all the ingredients and bake it in an 8x8 pan (not 9x9, or it will be too thin).
- I know someone is going to wonder if they can make this gluten-free. That is asking a lot of an eggless cake, don’t you think? But if you must, try it with one-to-one GF flour and hope for the best.
Hat Tips
Many thanks to Anna Ginsberg of Cookie Madness for her one-bowl chocolate mocha cake recipe.
Eggless Chocolate Cake with Mocha Whip
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 15 servings 1x
Ingredients
Cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 3 Tbsp light olive oil
- 1 cup hot coffee
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
Frosting:
- ¼ cup hot water
- 1 Tbsp instant coffee granules
- 1 jar (7 oz) marshmallow creme
- 1 tub (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F/176F. Spray a 9x13-inch pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
- Make the cake by whisking together the flour, sugar, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
- Dump in the mayo and oil. Beat with either a handheld mixer or the paddle attachment of a stand mixer until blended. Pour in the hot coffee and vanilla. Beat on low speed until completely combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Tip the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center. Let the cake cool in the pan set on a wire rack.
- Make the mocha whip by dissolving the instant coffee in the hot water. Plop in the marshmallow creme and beat on low speed until fully incorporated and uniform in color. Gently fold in the whipped topping. Spread the mocha whip over the cooled cake. Refrigerate until ready to eat.
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