Smith Island 10-Layer Cake

One day a couple of years ago, I was in my car with my kids, and we were listening to NPR.  A piece came on about this recipe called Smith Island Ten Layer Cake.  The story was about this tiny island in the Chesapeake (Maryland’s last inhabited island, reachable only by boat) with only a couple of hundred residents.  They were very proud of the fact that there was a bill in the state legislature to name the Smith Island Cake the official dessert of Maryland.  Since their local economy had traditionally been based on crab harvesting, and that industry was suffering, the hope was that being the home of the state cake would give a boost to their economy…from tourism and…baking?

Anyway, it was a fun piece to listen to, and my kids were enamored with the idea of a ten-layer cake!  “Let’s make it Mom!”  “Um…. okay….”

So I Googled and found a recipe, went to Target and bought 10 cake pans because—this isn’t some cake that you make a couple of big layers and slice them—oh no, this is 10 individual layers.

After getting over the shock of actually owning 10 cake pans now…we set out to make the cake—which is really pretty straightforward except the very cute instruction to listen for the batter to stop sizzling and that’s how you’ll know each layer is done.  I tried this, and I guess it worked, but I felt a little silly sticking my ear into the oven to hear the sizzle (which I had to do because it is a very soft sizzle).  So I think that following the directions on timing and looking to see if it looks done (I also used the spring back test and pressed gently on the layers and when they spring back…they’re done) works just as well.

The surprising thing about this cake is that because the layers are thin, the whole cake assembled isn’t towering—it’s between three and four inches tall.  But it is festive, and if you like a good sweet, fudge-y icing, you will like this cake.

You’ll be happy to know that effective October 1, 2008, the Smith Island Cake did become the State Dessert of Maryland (Chapters 164 & 165, Acts of 2008; Code State Government Article, sec. 13-320).

Smith Island 10-Layer Cake

Ingredients for Frosting
2 sticks butter
2-12 oz. cans evaporated milk
8 heaping Tablespoons unsweetened Cocoa
2 lbs. confectioners Sugar

Preparation:
Melt butter. Stir in evaporated milk (off heat).
Whisk in Cocoa until smooth, return to heat and cook for approximately 10 minutes. DO NOT BOIL or Scorch.
Remove from heat and whisk in confectioners sugar slowly.
Cook slowly until thickened and will stick to back of a spoon or to the whisk (It will form a ribbon when you drizzle a spoonful onto mixture while cooking).

Approx time: 45 minutes.

Ingredients for Cake
2 cups sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into chunks
5 – eggs
3 – cups flour
¼ – teaspoon salt
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
1 cup evaporated milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
½ cup water

Preparation:

Cream together the sugar and butter. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until smooth. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Mix the flour mixture into the egg mixture one cup at a time. With mixer running, slowly pour in the evaporated milk, then the vanilla and water. Mix just until uniform. Put three serving spoonfuls of batter in each of ten 9-inch lightly greased pans, using the back of the spoon to spread evenly. Bake three layers at a time on the middle rack of the oven at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.

Start making the icing when the first layer goes in the oven. Let the layers cool a couple of minutes in the pans. Put the cake together as the layers are finished. Run a spatula around the edge of the pan and ease the layer out of the pan. Don’t worry if it tears; no one will notice when the cake is finished. Use two or three serving spoonfuls of icing between each layer. Cover the top and sides of the cake with the rest of the icing. Push icing that runs onto the plate back onto the cake.

To ice the cake:

Take one slightly cooled layer and spread with cooled frosting. Add crushed candy randomly on layer. (Reese cups, snickers, Milky Ways, or whatever your favorite is—this step is optional, the cake is just as good with no candy added)
Add next layers, frosting, candy (if using), and repeat process till the 10th layer.
Do not add candy to final layer.
Finish frosting the cake and sides. You may have to wait to ice top and sides until the icing cools.

Enjoy!
From Mrs. Kitching’s Smith Island Cookbook