Smith Island, located off the southern tip of Maryland, is mostly famous for
an astounding—and delicious—feat of culinary architecture, said Mary Zajac
in Saveur. The island, settled in 1657, is also “known for its dearth of motorized vehicles.” But its main claim to fame is Smith Island Cake, the many-layered wonder that locals simply refer to as “chocolate cake.” “Today, only a handful of islanders make the cakes with any regularity.”
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Some sell them to the island’s only restaurant, the Bayside Inn, or to a few restaurants on the mainland. Many embellish the cakes with anything from fresh peaches to crushed candy. This recipe was developed by Mary Ada Marshall, a “locally famous part-time cook,” who learned it from her mother and grandmother. Each layer contains a sprinkling of powdered peanut butter cups, and the top is garnished with chunks of the same.
Recipe of the week
Smith Island Cake
8 large Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, frozen
Nonstick cooking spray
1/4 cup flour
1 18-1/4-oz box yellow cake mix, preferably Duncan Hines
2 cups plus 3 tbsp evaporated milk
16 tbsp butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
4 eggs
6 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
Pulse 4 peanut butter cups in food processor into small chunks; transfer to bowl. Pulse remaining peanut butter cups into fine powder; transfer to another bowl. Chill both until ready to use.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease four 8-inch round cake pans with cooking spray, dust with half the flour, knock out any excess. Set aside. Put cake mix, vanilla, salt, eggs, 1-1/2 cups evaporated milk, 8 tbsp butter,
and 1/3 cup water into large bowl; beat with electric mixer until light and fluffy, 10–12 minutes. Set aside half this batter. Divide remaining batter among prepared cake pans.
Using back of a spoon, spread out batter so it covers bottom of each pan, making it slightly thicker around edges than in middle. Bake until cooked through and golden around edges, 12–14 minutes. Set aside to let cool slightly, then loosen cake layers with knife and invert onto cooling racks.
Wash and dry cake pans. Grease again with cooking spray. Repeat above process with remaining flour and batter.
When all 8 cake layers have cooled, make icing. Combine remaining evaporated milk, sugar, and cocoa in medium pot; stir well, then add remaining butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until butter
is melted and icing is shiny, 4–5 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes. Stir well.
Spread cake layer with about 1/4 cup of icing; sprinkle with about 1 tbsp powdered peanut butter cups. Top with another cake layer and repeat process to make 8 layers in all. Frost outside of cake with remaining
icing; sprinkle top with peanut butter cup chunks. Let sit for 2–3 hours before serving. The cake can be stored for up to a week refrigerated in an airtight container.
