Smith Island Cake-USA #152

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 Smith Island Cake: USA #152

Smith Island cake is the official dessert of Maryland. The recipe dates back to the 1800s, when women on Smith Island would bake cakes for their husbands to enjoy during the autumn oyster harvest.  The cakes were intended to serve as a symbol of togetherness, and remind the oyster hunters to return to their loved ones. It’s eight, thin layers of yellow cake filled with of chocolate and topped with more chocolate. 

Cake:

  • 1-1/2 c. Butter, softened to room temperature

  • 2-1/4 c. Sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1-1/2 c. Buttermilk
  • 1-1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract
  • 3-3/4 c. Cake flour
  • 1-1/2 tsp. Baking powder
  • 2-1/4 tsp. Baking soda
  • 3/4 tsp.salt

Frosting:

  • 3 c. Sugar
  • 1-1/2 c. Evaporated milk
  • 8 oz. unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped
  • 3 T. Cocoa powder
  • 3/4 c. Unsalted butter
  • 1-1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract

  1. Cake: Preheat oven 350F.  Butter and line  two 9” cake pans. (Assuming that you don’t have eight 9” cake pans, bake 2 cakes at a time.)
  2. In a bowl, blend flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together.  Set aside.
  3. In a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
  4. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix on low until combined.
  5. Gradually incorporate the dry ingredients, mixing on low until everything is moist, about 1 minute.
  6. Add in the buttermilk with mixer on low until the batter is smooth and no lumps remain.
  7. In each cake pan, spoon 3/4 cup cake batter. Spread evenly into pan.  Bake 10-12 minutes or until the cake is slightly golden and set in the middle.
  8. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes.  Carefully remove the cake layers and transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Repeat until all layers are baked and cooled.
  9. Frosting:  In a medium saucepan , over medium heat, whisk together the sugar and evaporated milk and cook until the mixture is warm.
  10. Reduce the heat to medium low and then add the chocolate, cocoa powder and butter.
  11. Stir the mixture until the chocolate and butter have melted and the mixture has warmed through.
  12. Continue to cook the frosting until it has thickened, about 6-8 minutes.
  13. Remove from heat and then stir in the vanilla.  The fudge will be thin at this stage.  Don’t worry, it will continue to thicken as it cools.
  14. Let cool to room temperature.
  15. Assembly:  Place bottom layer on plate. Spread a generous even layer (2-3 tablespoons) of frosting over the layer.
  16. Top with the next layer and then repeat.
  17. When you reach the final layer, spread the remaining frosting on the top and down the sides of the cake.
Results: This is not a difficult cake to make. It is time consuming to make all the layers. Basically, it’s a yellow cake with chocolate frosting. The frosting is messy because it is more of a ganache than a frosting. Make sure you assemble the cake on a plate with a lip. I chilled the cake between stacking to stabilize the frosting. However, it was still messy.
Bottom Line: Very sweet. Lots of frosting. Looked impressive when it was sliced.
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