Chocolate Mayo Cupcakes Are Guaranteed To Turn Some Heads

As a native of Cleveland, Ohio, Erin Isaac, chef and founder of the Slight Kitchen Werk blog, understands the value of recipes designed for maximum Midwest comfort. But she also understands that mayonnaise can be a divisive condiment, one that has as many haters as cheerleaders. So she wrote a whole book to convert the mayo skeptics out there. The Mayonnaise Cookbook:50 Savory and Sweet Recipes Starring the World's Best Condiment is all about changing the way we see mayo. It's not just something you slather on sandwiches—it can be incorporated as an ingredient in such a wide range of dishes that it's worth taking a deep dive to experience them all.

Nothing is a greater testament to mayo's versatility than Chocolate-Mayo Cupcakes, which take advantage of mayo's eggs and oil to create a rich cake batter that only calls for a few staple ingredients. Bake these for your next gathering and see how many hearts and minds you can change.

Excerpted from The Mayonnaise Cookbook by Erin Isaac. Copyright © 2021 Ulysses Press. Reprinted with permission from Ulysses Press. New York, NY. All rights reserved.

There have been way too many times I have wanted to bake a cake or cupcakes, but did not have eggs or oil. Because mayonnaise contains both egg and oil, it is good to use for those ingredients should you ever be without either.

MAKES: 18 cupcakes

PREP TIME: 10 minutes

COOK TIME: 21 to 24 minutes

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• 1 cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips
• 16 ounces premade chocolate icing

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Combine the flour, baking powder, and cocoa powder in a medium mixing bowl.

3. To a large bowl, add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, mayo, vanilla, and half-and-half; use a hand mixer and blend together until all the ingredients are well combined. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and mix until all the ingredients come together.

4. Add the milk chocolate chips to a small microwave-safe bowl, and cook on high for 30 seconds. Stir the chocolate chips and cook for another 30 seconds. Stir again. Once the chocolate has melted, add it to the batter.

5. Line the cupcake tins with paper baking cups (if you don't have paper baking cups, spray the cupcake tin with nonstick cooking spray). Add the batter evenly to the paper baking cups, filling them up only about halfway.

6. Place the cupcakes in the oven, and bake for at least 20 minutes but no longer than 23 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the oven, and place them on a cool surface. Let the cupcakes sit until they are cooled.

7. Once they are completely cooled, remove from the tin and top with the chocolate icing.