Mayonnaise Cake - Better than it sounds

This is an Ebey family recipe that was passed along to me by my mother-in-law. It is the birthday cake that my husband and his sisters grew up with. I looked up the origin and found that it is also known as "Depression Era Cake" or "World War II Cake". I still make it for my husband's birthday, and for family gatherings on his side.

I am including my adapted recipe where I recently used homemade Mayonnaise (*Note: you can use jarred mayo in any form. I've tried low-fat, full-fat, miracle whip & hellman's real mayo.*)

Cake Ingredients:

4 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

pinch of salt

2 cups sifted flour

1 cup sugar (*September 2012 - I used 1 cup coconut sugar)

2 tsp baking soda

1 cup milk

1 cup of mayonnaise (either jarred or follow the recipe below)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

Sift together the flour, baking soda, and cocoa powder into a mixing bowl. Add the salt and sugar, stirring the dry ingredients together. Stir in the milk and vanilla extract. It will be a smooth batter. Fold in the mayonnaise to the batter. It will fluff up the consistency. Pour ingredients into a greased 8" pan (I use a springform pan, but any will do).

BAKE for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Cool.

What you need to make one cup of homemade mayo:

1 egg yolk
1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
3/4 cup canola oil
Food processor or blender

Mix together the egg yolk and vinegar until foamy. Slowly add the oil a little at a time - mixing well - until it is nice and creamy.

NO COOK FUDGE FROSTING:
Combine 4 3/4 cups sifted powdered sugar with 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder. Mix together with 1/2 cup softened butter/margarine, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1/3 cup of boiling water. Beat until combined. Cool for 20-30 minutes before using.