If you’ve never added mayo to a boxed chocolate cake mix, now’s your time to start. In honor of Dolly Parton, the Smash Kitchen team put our own spin on Dolly’s chocolate cake mix with one of our favorite baking hacks: mayonnaise. Since mayo is made with eggs and oil, it adds extra fat and moisture for an incredibly soft, tender crumb. And because there’s no such thing as too much chocolate, we poke holes into the cake while it’s still warm and pour Smash Kitchen Chocolate Dessert Sauce over the top, letting it soak into every bite before finishing with a creamy chocolate frosting.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 9×13-inch cake pan with Smash Kitchen Coconut Oil Spray.
Add the cake mix, water, eggs, avocado oil, and mayonnaise to a large mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth and well combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30–35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
While the cake bakes, make the frosting. Beat the softened butter and powdered sugar together until light and fluffy.
Add the Chocolate Dessert Sauce, sour cream, and salt. Beat until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
Remove the cake from the oven and, while it’s still warm, poke holes evenly across the top using a fork, skewer, or the tip of a butter knife.
Drizzle ¼ cup Smash Kitchen Chocolate Dessert Sauce evenly over the warm cake, allowing it to soak into the holes. Let the cake cool completely.
Spread the frosting evenly over the cooled cake. Finish with an extra drizzle of Chocolate Dessert Sauce and your favorite toppings. We used toasted coconut, but fresh raspberries, rainbow sprinkles, or chopped pecans all work.
