Mary Kelly of Chase, Maryland, was in search of a recipe she had many years ago for a chocolate cake made using Hellmann’s mayonnaise. She said the recipe used to be on the back of the mayonnaise jar and it made a terrifically moist and delicious chocolate cake. She was hoping someone might still have the recipe.

Carol Yarnell of Perryman, Maryland, saw Kelly’s request and remembered that she had a little cookbook, published in 1979, titled “That Amazing Ingredient: Mayonnaise.” She was kind enough to send me a color photocopy of the recipe complete with a photo of the chocolate mayonnaise cake that calls for Hellmann’s or Best Foods mayonnaise. I found virtually the identical recipe on the Hellmann’s website.

This light and moist chocolate cake was created, according to food legend, by the wife of a Hellman’s salesman to help increase his sales. Although it might seem like an odd ingredient for a cake, the mayonnaise is used in place of oil. The cake is easy to throw together with just a few basic pantry items. The rich dessert is terrific as is or can be made even more decadent with the addition of chocolate or peanut butter frosting. Serve it up with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and it’s sure to be a home run.

Requests

Maureen Argo of Pasadena, Maryland, is looking for the recipe for yellow cake with a milk chocolate icing that was available at the now-closed Helen’s Garden on O’Donnell Square in Baltimore. The cake was dense and moist and obviously homemade, Argo said. She was hoping to find out who made it and, even better, to get the recipe.