Let them eat cake...or not...

The big burly airport TSA official and Jen and I shared the glowing attributes of baking with mayo as he scanned our allowed ziploc baggies of liquids, gels and pastes.
We were on a secret mission.....
final destination: Kansas
mission objective: bake a mayo birthday cake for Dot

(It was HER birthday, but look at these fabulous napkins Dot gave to "M" of the Dandelion!)
This mayonnaise Cake recipe is from our Nana, and is our Mom's favorite birthday cake too.

Mayonnaise Cake

2 cups flour
1 cup mayo
1 cup sugar
1 cup chopped dates
1 cup chopped nuts
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. vanilla

4 Tbs. cocoa

Dissolve soda in 1 cup boiling water, pour over nuts and dates, in a small bowl. Let cool.

Mix mayo and sugar together. Add all ingredients together, stir til well mixed.

Spread batter in a greased and floured 9x13 pan.

Bake at 350F til set...Don't overbake.

It's good with a 7 minute icing, or a cooked one we like, which Alicia calls "Cloudburst", which is much more colorful a name than "the cooked flour/milk one". It's a lovely light airy frosting.

Cloudburst Frosting

4Tbs. flour

1 cup milk

1 cup butter

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups powdered sugar

In a small pan, whisk together flour and milk. Simmer til thick over med-low. Stir constantly.

Remove from heat and let cool completely. Cream together butter and vanilla; add powdered sugar and beat until fluffy. Add flour mixture and beat until fluffy. The frosting may appear to separate, but continue beating on high until it's light and fluffy.

This mayo cake with it's dates and nuts, may be just about as close as Dot will get to eating fruit cake. Remember her comment back in December about fruit cake only being good for a kitchy doorstop? Look what she received in the mail! I decided to make one for her for her birthday. (Sorry the picture is so blurry...bad lighting)

Door stop fruit cake recipe

1 brick
Premixed concrete patch

pea gravel

gem stone marbles

polyshades stain/polyurethane in 1

Butter the brick sides and top with concrete patch.

Add pea gravel, press in, to resemble nuts.

Press gemstones in to mimic candied cherries

Let dry thoroughly.

Paint with polyshades (the one I had on hand... American Chestnut, was too dark, and turned out too chocolate looking to suit me. Mahogany would've been better, I think.)

Rub off of the stones immediately.

Goofy, I know; but it was fun.