Smith Island Cake
Maryland's official state dessert: a towering yellow cake with eight or more thin layers stacked with rich chocolate fudge frosting.
- Prep
- 60 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Total
- 100 min
- Servings
- 12
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Calories
- 480 kcal
Equipment
- •8-inch cake pans
- •Cake stand
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 480 kcal
- fat
- 24
- carbs
- 62
- protein
- 5
- calories
- 480
Instructions
- 1
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease and flour eight 8-inch cake pans, or get ready to bake in batches.
- 2
Beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each.
- 3
Whisk the flour and baking powder together. Add this to the butter mixture alternately with the milk and vanilla.
- 4
Spread the batter thinly into each pan. Smooth it all the way to the edges.
- 5
Bake each layer for about 8-10 minutes until just set. Let them cool completely.
- 6
To make the frosting, add the sugar, evaporated milk, chocolate, and butter to a saucepan.
- 7
Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Stop when it is thick and smooth.
- 8
Stack the cake layers one by one. Spread a thin layer of warm frosting between each.
- 9
Pour the rest of the frosting over the top. Let it run down the sides to cover the cake.
- 10
Let the cake rest at room temperature until set before you slice it.
Chef's tips
Bake the thin layers in batches using greased and floured pans. Spread the frosting while it is still warm and pourable so it forms thin layers.
Storage
Store covered at room temperature up to 3 days, or refrigerate up to a week.
Reheating
No reheating needed; serve at room temperature.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Making the layers too thick, which ruins the classic delicate stack.
- •Frosting the cake while the layers are still warm, which makes the frosting slide off.
Serving suggestions
Cooked Smith Island Cake?
Sign in to save this recipe to a collection. Bookmarking works without an account — it stays on this device.
Sign in for collectionsSimilar recipes
Dishes with the same spirit, spice level and course.
More from Maryland
Cooking that shares the same kitchen and pantry.
Recipes using similar ingredients
Use what you already bought for this recipe.
