Dark Chocolate Cake with Double Fudge Icing

This is a foolproof moist chocolate cake. Remember mayonnaise is just eggs and oil. Great recipe from Sally Pasley's Tao of Cooking cookbook.

• Ready In: 1 hr 30 mins
• Yields: 1 layer cake

Ingredients

• 1  cup mayonnaise
• 1  cup water
• 1  cup sugar
• 1  teaspoon vanilla
• 1⁄2 cup  cocoa
• 2 1⁄4 cups flour
• 1  pinch salt
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking soda

• Icing

• 1 1⁄4 cups sugar
• 1  cup heavy cream
• 5  unsweetened chocolate squares
• 1⁄4 lb unsalted butter, broken into pieces
• 1  teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1. Cake: Mix mayonnaise, water, sugar and vanilla together until well blended.
2. Sift cocoa, flour salt and baking soda together.
3. Stir into liquid ingredients and mix just until blended.
4. Pour batter into 2 greased and floured sandwich cake tins[8-9 inch size].
5. Bake in a preheated 375 deg F oven for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
6. Cool and then ice.
7. Icing: Bring sugar and cream to a boil.
8. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
9. Stir occasinaly to stop cream from boiling over.
10. Remove from heat.
11. Finely chop or grate the chocolate.
12. Sir into the cream until completely melted.
13. Stir in butter and vanilla.
14. Once butter is melted, refrigerate icing until cold.
15. Once cold beat the icing with an electric mixer or a wooden spoon until thick and of a good spreading consistency.