Blandness. Blandness and possibly bacteria running rampant. All right, that might seem a little alarmist. But in a cake, salt serves - as it does in just about any food - to enhance the flavors, and it performs a secondary role in controlling the growth of bacteria.

If you leave out the salt, there's still more than enough sugar in a cake to control any bacteria growth. But you absolutely will notice that the flavor is less intense. And if you want a cake with less flavor, why not buy one at the grocery store? (Just don't kid yourself that the lack of flavor is due to any lack of salt.