I just relived the process and realized my mistake: no baking powder... no fooling!
Some of the men in the family seemed to like the cake in its unrisen state, especially one of my sons-in-law, who took a few slices home, bless his heart. But others wisely stayed away.
The cake still sits on the counter ... but the garbage can beckons.
Happy April Fools Day — or something like that!
(A photo of the cake from the first time I made it, when I remembered the baking powder.)