We begin with the state where we live – Maryland!
The official state dessert is the Smith Island Cake and we have decided to make it for this project.
Smith Island is a small island in the Chesapeake Bay where the primary industry is fishing. Crabs, mussels, oysters and rockfish are all harvested from the bay by the fisherman of Smith Island. My daughter went to college on the Eastern Shore and it was during visits to her that her dad “discovered” this wonderful cake. Between his raving about the cake and tasting it myself, I knew we had to give it a try.
The cake is a multi-layer cake consisting of thin layers of sponge and ganache. Anywhere from 8 to 12 layers are commonly used to make the cake and flavors chocolate, vanilla and strawberry are common for the cake and ganache.
The origin is unknown, though some say it dates back to the late 1600s. Legend has it that the wives of the fisherman would send off their husbands with the cake to sustain them on their long fishing trips. As it is a dense cake, it would likely have traveled well and kept well for days.
Smith Island Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
1 1/2 c (3 sticks ) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pans
3 1/2 c flour, plus more for pans
4 t baking powder
1 1/2 t kosher salt
2 1/4 c sugar
2 c milk
1 T vanilla extract
6 eggs
For the Icing:
4 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 c sugar
1 c evaporated milk
6 T unsalted butter, melted
2 t vanilla extract
Directions
For the Cake: Pre-heat oven to 350