Well, the cake went over well. I am not going to announce the "secret" ingredient until it's all gone. Cake turned out to be a dense, uniquely sweet affair that seemed a little dry - probably due to overcooking a bit. However, excellent without frosting, as noted by others.
Marmalady, my dinner plans get re-arranged at the last minute fairly often by hubby's erratic work schedule. He is required to be here or there at a moment's notice or stuck in meetings at the last minute or thru lunch, so often there's no telling when/what he ate. Calls for some flexibility on my part. I should learn to do the "fancy" stuff at the weekend, but I was itching to try your recipe yesterday. In any case, we will have it tonite!