If you've ever watched MasterChef before, you'll know that cooking connoisseurs and baking buffs alike enjoy getting experimental in the kitchen - sometimes with ingredients that are downright questionable.
Occasionally, there's method to their madness. Last year a MasterChef UK contestant wowed the judges with her quirky combination of jerk salmon, coconut rice and macaroni cheese, despite the dish being widely condemned by appalled viewers.
And while the following sentence may sound like nails on a blackboard to some readers, hear me out: mayonnaise (yes, the creamy, controversial condiment that is frequently maligned on social media) could be bakers' best-kept secret.
While the egg, oil, and vinegar emulsion often gets a bad rep for its high fat content, blandness and supposedly slimy texture, some swear by the sauce as a top-secret ingredient for a deliciously moist and decadent cake, every time. And while the concept of mayo in a cake might be enough to send a shudder down your spine, the idea is far from new - the two supposedly started appearing together in kitchens during the Great Depression nearly a century ago.
Ahead of Easter, the team at Heinz have released a recipe for a "seriously good" mayonnaise chocolate cake - in the hope it will inspire Kiwis will get creative in the kitchen during the long weekend.
Heinz 'Seriously Good' Mayonnaise Chocolate Mudcake Recipe
Recipe supplied by Heinz
Ingredients
- 0.25 cup cocoa
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp vanilla essence
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 0.75 cup Heinz Seriously Good Mayonnaise (you can substitute for another mayo of your choice - just make sure it's mayo, not aioli, unless you're looking to add a hint of garlic).
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180C. Mix the cocoa, hot water and vanilla essence together in a jug and wait until cool.
- Sift the flour, baking soda and sugar in a bowl and make a well in the centre.
- Combine the mayonnaise with the cocoa mixture and then pour it into the well of the dry ingredients. Mix together gently.
- Pour the mixture into a well-greased and lined 20cm round cake tin.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the cake is cooked in the centre. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning it out onto a cake rack.
- When cooled, ice with your favourite chocolate icing and Easter decorations.
