Portillo's Chocolate Cake Recipe
This Portillo's Chocolate Cake Recipe combines chocolate cake mix, mayo, butter, and cocoa frosting for an ultra moist dessert.
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Rubber spatula
- Two 9-inch cake pans
- Cooling rack
- Offset spatula or butter knife
- Mixing spoon
- Knife
- Cutting board
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1 box devil’s food cake mix
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup cold water
- 3 large eggs
For the Chocolate Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Optional:
- Chocolate shavings
- Mini chocolate chips
Instructions
Step 1: Prep the Cake Pans
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Grease two 9-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- This step helps prevent sticking later.
- I skipped parchment once and had part of the cake stick to the pan. Still tasted good, but definitely looked rough.
Step 2: Mix the Cake Batter
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the devil’s food cake mix, mayonnaise, water, and eggs.
- Use a hand mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes until smooth.
- The batter should look glossy and thick.
- At first the mayonnaise may look strange in the bowl, but once mixed, everything blends together normally.
- The smell already starts getting rich and chocolatey here.
Step 3: Pour Into Pans
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans.
- Try to spread the batter evenly so the layers bake at the same height.
- I usually tap the pans lightly on the counter to remove air bubbles.
Step 4: Bake the Cakes
- Place the pans into the oven and bake for about 30 to 35 minutes.
- The tops should look slightly domed and soft.
- Insert a toothpick into the center. If it comes out with a few moist crumbs, the cakes are ready.
- Be careful not to overbake.
- The first time I made this Portillo's Chocolate Cake Recipe, I left the cakes in too long and lost some of that super moist texture.
Step 5: Cool Completely
- Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 15 minutes.
- Then transfer them to a cooling rack.
- The cakes need to cool completely before frosting.
- Warm cake can melt the frosting and make everything slide around.
- I learned that the messy way.
Step 6: Make the Chocolate Frosting
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter until creamy.
- Add powdered sugar, cocoa powder, milk, vanilla extract, and salt.
- Mix slowly at first so powdered sugar doesn’t fly everywhere.
- Then beat until smooth and fluffy.
- The frosting should look rich, creamy, and easy to spread.
- If it feels too thick, add a splash of milk.
Step 7: Assemble the Cake
- Place one cake layer onto a serving plate.
- Spread a thick layer of frosting on top.
- Add the second cake layer and frost the top and sides.
- This cake honestly looks better slightly imperfect.
- Smooth bakery-perfect frosting isn’t really necessary here.
Step 8: Chill Before Serving
- Refrigerate the cake for about 30 minutes before slicing.
- This helps the frosting firm up slightly.
- I noticed the flavor gets even better after chilling because the cake becomes extra fudgy and moist.
Notes
- Chill the cake before slicing for cleaner cuts.
- Use room-temperature eggs for smoother batter.
- Add espresso powder for deeper chocolate flavor.
- Use full-fat mayonnaise for best texture.
- Frost generously because the cake layers are rich.
- Store the cake covered so it stays moist.