Fourteen Layer Cake. This is apparently a favorite at family get togethers in the South. Now, I’m from the South and I’ve never heard of such a thing. Actually, when I first heard the name, I didn’t believe it. Fourteen individually baked layers … no way. Who would do that? And… why? Then, I thought, it must be good if someone goes to that much trouble. And I did want something new to bake for Valentine’s Day.
Hmmm…let the googling begin.
Well, they do exist. In no time, I had the recipe for a 10-Layer Cake, a 12-Layer Cake and a 14-Layer Cake.
Looks like I’ve been going to the wrong parties.
I decided to go with the 12-Layer Cake recipe because it looked like it would work the best for me. The 10 would be too small and the one for the 14 called for cutting the cake layers and I didn’t think that would go very well. So I used the 12 and just poured it into fourteen pans. Fourteen aluminum foil pans. That way I didn’t have to wait for the pans to cool and be cleaned in between baking. This was a huge time saver.
Here they are … fourteen – 8.5″ pans… Shiny!
Then, I cut 14 sheets of parchment paper, stapled them together and cut out circles the same size as the bottom of the pan.
I decided to err on the side of caution with greasing the pans, because fourteen stuck cakes would make me very unhappy.
So, I greased the bottom and sides with a stick of butter. Then, I laid the parchment circles down and lightly buttered and floured the top of the parchment paper.
Please work!
While those are waiting, I mixed up all the ingredients for the cake batter –
the HUGE amount of cake batter. (Mom, if you’re reading this… thank you again for my Kitchenaid Stand Mixer
Then I placed a heaping 2/3 cup full of batter in each pan.
Then, just spread it out as evenly as possible.
I was able to bake three cakes at a time. Each set baked for 12 minutes at 350 degrees, (the recipe says 375, but I went with 350). So that means there were five sets at 12 minutes each. (About an hour to bake. Not too bad.)
When the last batch of cakes go in the oven, it’s a good time to start making the icing.
Then, after the icing cools and before it hardens, you can start spreading a little bit on the top of each layer of cooled cake. Before you start… place the cake on a cake board. Place the board on a wire rack. And place the wire rack over a jelly roll pan to catch any icing that drips.
and it will drip…
and drip…
and drip…
and drip. It kinda looks like chocolate covered pancakes!
Right about now, I had to control myself from taking a big huge bite right out of the side. YUM!
When you’re done with the last layer, pour any extra icing over the top and spread it around the sides to cover.
Now, based on the recipe, you’re done. You can let the icing set and eat it right up. The finished cake will look something like this.
I didn’t really like that too much, so I whipped up a quick dark chocolate buttercream frosting and covered the cake to even out the top and sides.
There… much better. (I know, I know. It lost some of the “homemade, old-fashioned feel.”)
But, I think if you served the cake like this, no one would suspect there were lots of little layers inside.
And, when you finally cut it open, people would be like… wow!
I MEAN WOW!!!!!!!!
I can’t tell you how happy I was to finally cut into this cake and see how pretty it was… and even better, that it worked. And, it was really good and super moist, too. YAY!
Enjoy!
The recipe I used:
The Smith Family’s 12-Layer Cake (used with 14 pans)
Some other recipes you might like:
10-Layer Cake (Smith Island Cake Recipe)
14-Layer Cake (uses a cake mix)
14-Layer Cake (you cut the layers with this one)
Dark Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature
8 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder ( I used Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa)
1 box (1 lb) confectioner’s sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1-3 Tbsp milk
- Cream the butter and cream cheese with a mixer.
- Add the cocoa and vanilla.
- Add the confectioner’s sugar in small batches and blend on low until combined. Scrape down sides with each addition.
- Add 1 tablespoon of milk at a time until you get the consistency you desire.
Some helpful tools:
Aluminum foil cake pans
Cake board
Cake rack
Jellyroll pan
Happy Baking!
Could you please tell me if this 14 layer cake with the Dark chocolate cream cheese buttercream frosting has to be stored in the fridge ? If so what other chocolate buttercream frosting can i use that does not have to be put in the fridge .
Can you bake the cakes 1 day prior to frosting?
Can you use a milk chocolate icing on outside of cake to smooth it some, or will that interfere with the taste of the ganche?
Awesome *
Looks so
This is similar to a Doberge cake made in New Orleans. The original had 5 layers with a pudding between the layers and a crumb coat of buttercream, then a final covering of the same you used between the layers of your cake. It is the favorite cake around here. Most bakeries make a version. It is seldom Home made. We love the lemon on one side and chocolate on the other. Yum.
Hey, this looks amazing but i don’t think the link for the cake recipe you used is working. Can you post another link? Thanks
i love your innovation in food. looking very beautiful and i also love your cake-pops
I think this is actually a Smith Island cake. Begun on Smith Island in Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay hundreds of years ago. The children there are still taken by boat to the mainland every day to go to school. It is a beautiful spot with people who hav3 lived there for generations and some of the most fabulous seafood you will ever eat.
I, am going to bake this beautiful cake I, Just know it will be delicious and I, love to bake.Thanks
What did you do with all the cake layers as you were cooking them?
Unfortunately, the link to the recipe you used is broken. Can you publish the recipe, please?
I really enjoyed reading your text and descriptions of each step, accompanied by the enticing photos. Thanks so much for sharing your enthusiasm and skill. And passion for baking!
Janet Hazen, Psy.D. and retired cookbook author/chef /Food Writer.
Icing for between layers: need measurements of ingredients please.
I have attempted this cake twice now with the same results both times. I am in North Florida and it’s almost 80 degrees during the for Thanksgiving with no rain in sight. So that should not be a problem. My flour and my baking powder are both fresh as I just bought them. So that should not be a problem. My butter and eggs were at room temp before mixing, so that should not be a problem. I carefully measured 2/3 cup batter for each pan. I even have an oven temperature gauge to make certain my oven is at the right temp.
My problem both times: the cake refuses to rise. The layers are like flat, white bland, pancakes.
This IS commonly made in the south – specifically New Orleans known as a Doberge cake. Popular for birthdays, usually alternates a couple of flavors of frosting so. Love the idea of disposable pans!
What is the recipe for the icing that drips over each layer?
This looks so luscious.
It may be southern but Larry’s bakery, 59th & Ave N, Brooklyn, made a similar version. His was a choc buttercream on the layers & ganache over the top!
I have never made this cake but want to try a 16 layer one for my grandson’s 16thh birthday.
How so you keep the layers from sliding off or is that a possible problem with a cake this tall?
Thanks!
Barbara
In New Orleans we call this a Doberge cake. And it’s very southern!!!
I have made so many of these Cakes to sell during the holidays. When I made one for my family at Christmas, I would make half of my batter green and the other red. I would alternate the colors and it was so beautiful!!!
There… much better. (I know, I know. It lost some of the “homemade, old-fashioned feel.”)
Huh? It’s homemade icing–and it just looks “finished” now and NOT like chocolate iced pancakes! Great job! I am interested in trying this.
Though it takes time for making, it’s definitely worth trying. Fantastic cake! 5 star recipe.
So I wish I could post pictures on here! I made this cake yesterday, but I did a 10 layer and used homemade white buttercream frosting. Each layer of frosting was a different color. It took forever to dye and mix all of the different colors, but totally worth it! I did plain white on the outside of it. I cut it like you did in the picture, just one slice cut out and it looks unbelievable! I wrapped it and put it in the freezer for next Friday. I’m having a girls night and I think everyone will be impressed! Thank you for the idea!
This cake is my husbands favorite! His mom passed down the recipe. I’ve made this many times. I made a few changes to his moms recipe and all his family thinks mine tastes better!
Back in the day before they had 14 aluminum pans, the cook would take a serrated knife and cut each layer by hand. Then they started using dental floss to cut thru each layer…. We’ve come a long baby…..
The frosting for this cake was really good but a bit too sweet. The cake was bland and tasted mostly like flour. I did have some problems with the cake sliding during frosting, but that was because I hadn’t let my frosting cool enough. I’ll keep the frosting recipe but look for a different cake recipe next time.
This is the state cake of Maryland. It is called a Smith Island cake. Traditionally there are 17 layers.
My granny use to make a 10 layer cake but with apple jelly between the layers and on the top! Best cake ever I was raised in southwest Alabama !
Mmmm! Smith Island Cake!
This is a Maryland cake. I never heard of it in the south, I thought it was a mid-Atlantic dessert. It’s been very popular on the eastern shore for generations.
Is there any reason why you couldn’t just make pancakes with the cake batter in an 8″ cast iron pan? It seems alot easier and the layers would come out even.
This was the biggest baking failure of my life!!! I almost handed in my apron and unplugged my KitchenAid for life.
Now, that I’ve done the pep talk, that took about three years, I am ready to try this again. This time I’m using oil because I really think I need to make a looser batter.
My sister-in-law in North Carolina made this many times, as did her aunt. But they used different chocolate icings. One was chocolate buttercream but the other one was cooked in an iron skillet and very chocolaty. I’ve never been able to find the recipe for the cooked skillet frosting so I’ve never made it. It is a wonderful cake that will make your eyes roll back in your head.
Have been baking these for years. My Dads favourite and now the grandchildren.Have made as many as 30 layers and one that had 16. The 30 was cut with a sword. A lot of fun.
yes!!! Gambino’s Bakery in New Orleans is famous for this cake. It is called a Doberge Cake. Thanks for the recipe!!!! There’s comes in chocolate, lemon, or caramel. And the will also do them half and half.
I actually tried this yesterday and was not happy. The icing was the only thing worth eating. Not much flavor to the cake at all and was the heaviest of all the homemade cakes I have ever made. Was very pretty when sliced, but tasted horrible! Will not try this one again. Icing would be great over vanilla ice cream though so I may do that part. This went in the trash after the husband and I tasted it!! Sorry, but I do no recommend this one at all.
I love it!!!
Good morning , a question please . I guess it is OK to leave the batter out while the 1st batches are baking , right ? It will not start rising while sitting on the counter ? Thanks
WOW! This looks fabulous, I must try!
My sister’s mother in law taught me to make a 21( yes twenty-one) layer cake with boiled chocolate icing about 10 years ago The most I ever made by myself in one day was eight cakes..
This cake is a southern cake and in Maryland it is called Smith Island cake. My husbands grandmother made them. She would bake each layer on a flat round cast iron griddle one at s time. Before she died I finally got the recipe from her. We had this at our wedding as the grooms cake and people were upset they didn’t get some. I tried using metal pans but found that silicone pans save so much time! You have to put them on a cookie sheet but the layers come right out. If you use the boiled chocolate icing, ice each layer while the cake is warm and icing is hot. This allows the icing to seep into each layer. Then let icing cool to ice the outside of cake. This makes a smooth finish. Also if you let the cake sit for a day it enhances the flavor. This is my families favorite and I have made hundreds and sell them around the holidays. Hope this helps.
Do you think it would be ok to freeze the layers a few days before icing?
You should get an agbay! One of my least favorite things to do was level a cake. I’d end up cutting it crooked and then in an attempt to straighten it out just make it worse and that would keep going until my layer was super thin. The Agbay fixed all of that! Seriously, you can do super thin layers with it like a pro!
Look just like my Grandmother made often,, I must give it a.try Who knows, I might get good at it :~)
Good
Melissa said her grandmother baked a layered peanut butter cake I would love a recipe for this.please
What did I miss? My frosting doesn’t drip. When I reread the recipe, I know I had all the measurements right. In reading the instructions, they say at the top: when it cools but before it hardens—how did it get hot? Did I miss the heating up part?
My Aunt calls this cake “Liberty Cake”. She makes it for every family reunion.
My Aunt Maudie (also of SE Alabama – Choctaw Co.) made the same cake layers but filled them with her homemade jams – damson plum or muscadine or plum. They were covered with a hard-setting caramel icing. She used pound cake batter and did her layers in cast iron griddles. For a decade or more as a child and then teen, that cake was my birthday cake. How I miss them.
There is a version from New Orleans called Doberge that is heavenly. Instead of icing, the layers are separated by a thin layer of custard. Then it’s iced in buttercream. Chocolate is probably the most common but lemon and caramel are my favorites.
My family has made this cake every year at Christmas for as long as I can remember and I’m 34. We are in Kentucky. It’s a family recipe passed down from my Mamaw.
This is my next cake to bake!! I see in the ingredients for the cake it calls for cocoa, yet your cake looks yellow. Am I missing something? I want to make sure to do it correctly as it looks like a lot is involved in it.
Thank you!
where is the recipe for chocolate icing?
Thanks for sharing. I can’t wait to make myself now.
My mother-in-law taught me how to make cakes like this but different on the icing. I’ve made 10 layers 12 layers and one time for fund raiser made 15 layers it sold for $50.00. The cakes are really good.
Oh this looks amazing! I just got a Kitchenaid mixer for Christmas from my dad and I love it soooo, will love making this cake too I’m sure :)
I’ve just come across your recipe. Must try it, looks delicious.
My East Tennessee Grandmother used to make a similar cake, but she called it “stack cake” and used homemade apple butter between the layers – and no frosting on the top and sides! I have never seen another like it!
I see you think this is better the day it’s made. I’d like to make it for my grown daughter’s birthday on Sunday but there’s no way I can get it done before church. If I make it late Saturday evening it should be fine for midday Sunday, don’t you think? And should I refrigerate it? I live in SC. I’ve made layers like this before but yours sounds delish!
Hi! This looks delicious and I was planning to make it this upcoming weekend for my aunts anniversary party. :) the only question I had is what kind of sugar did u use for the ganache icing that went in between the layers of cake? The Oprah recipe didn’t specify ????. If you could respond i would be very greatful! :) Thank you!
My grandmama makes a 25-layer cake! Similar process but different icing and takes about an hour!
You should Google “Smith Island Cake”, they use a cooked chocolate frosting that is absolutely the most authentic and also delicious ever for this style of cake!
This cake orginiated in the southern Appalachians at Wedding or other social functions. Each lady would bring a layer because no household could afford to make a cake of that size. The cake then would be assembled ag the wedding.
what is the icing recipe you used for between each cake layer?
Oh how I would love to bake this
When I was at school in the 1950s I had a Ukrainian immigrant friend who would bring a similar cake to share with us on her birthday. ( a traditional practice where we lived here in Australia) It was a many layered cake filled and covered with a vanilla butter cream. How I have wished I had that recipe over the years. Now I can try yours with a little variation . Thank you.
You mean someone was actually willing to give you the recipe? No one I knew was ever willing, it was too big a family secret. I swear they guard it with their lives. Thank you so much for sharing, my family will be so grateful!
So thanks to Pinterest, I found this glorious cake and made it for a coworker’s birthday. I called mine the leaning tower of glory though because mine had a distinct Pisa-esque lean. It was still annihilated and I have dreams of it.
Made this today for my dads 69th birthday and ohhhhh sweet Lord! It was delicious! I ended up with 12 layers even though I prepped for 14. I had enough for one more layer but 13 layers just seemed a little odd! Ha! Not that I’m superstitious or anything! It really wasn’t difficult, just time consuming, but well worth it! Thanks for the recipe!
In Louisiana, we call these doberge cakes. I’m not a cake eater, but yours looks incredible!
I love your work. I have two of your books. I do wish you would watermark your photos. I’ve seen photos right out of your books on people’s Facebook pages. They are passing the photos off as their own.
My Grandmother used to make a cake like this.. From Georgia! My mom sometimes make it from my grandmother’s recipe. Occasionally my mother in law will make a multi layer cake. I, personally have not, maybe one day, just to surprise everyone!!
I think I’m going to use your recipe of the cream cheese choco frosting & do it with pancakes!!
Xoxo
I laughed so hard reading this. I will def pin and try this. born and raised in SC and never saw this either, we must go to the same parties. time to make some new friends.
haha…I’m from the south and I’ve had this quite a few times…I even remember it the first time I had it when I was a little kid…my aunt made it and I was like…”are these pancakes?” Don’t know if you’ve already tried it or not but another southern hit is a pig-pickin’ cake
Looks delicious. But isn’t this just a Dobos cake without the caramelized sugar on top? According to Wikipedia, the so-called southern “Doberge” cake is actually an adaptation of the Dobos.
If you want to do “real Southern” then change it up to this: http://www.thebittenword.com/thebittenword/2008/11/apple-stack-cake.html My Nanny made it for family reunions and special occasions. Heaven!
Fourteen layers? Girl, how do you do these things?
I have a recipe for ths cake from my Grandmother and the batter and frosting are made from scratch. I have made and sold dozens of these cakes. Everyone always counts the layers. I make 14 layers. Dont let it intimidate you, it really is easy to make. Happy baking!
Just wanted to know what kind of filling did you put in that you said it harden?
This looks wonderful and Delicious! My only question is how difficult was this to cut and transfer to a plate! I’m imagining great balancing and quick movements! I will definitely be trying this one out!
Hi, I have been thinking about making your cake for a 4-H project, but I would be using it to make a “hidden flag cake” (http://www.dessarts.com/2012/06/how-to-make-a-hidden-flag-cake.html).
Some commenters have said that this cake is like a pancake and I was just wondering if this is true.
Also some one suggested powdered sugar for the cake recipe and I was wondering if that was what you used.
I am going to use buttercream frosting and I was wondering if that would work well with this recipe.
Do you think that this cake would be too tall for making the “hidden flag cake?”
Is there any other suggestions you have for me?
I am hoping to try out this cake next Saturday (Jan 23).
Thank-you for your help! I will try to post a picture when I finish.
I can see doing a 16-layer cake for a girl’s Sweet Sixteen Party! That would be amazing! ?
My grandmother used to make these for all special events. She would lightly sprinkle each layer after icing with ground pecans. On the top she would use whole half pecans and do a wagon wheel design. It was my job to pick each off, without her catching me, and eat them. She always made the biggest fuss aobut “WHO ate the pecans”. I always thought i was getting away with it. In my GMs later years, when she couldnt cook any longer she confessed to me she knew all along that it was me. Said she knew because I always giggled when she would ask who did it. Ahhhh- I would kill for just a bite once more.
I will be trying this for sure
CONGRATULATIONS!!! It looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it! I’ve had an ‘opera’ cake recipe for about 15 years and too scared to attempt it!
I grew up,with 14-layer chocolate and 14-layer caramel cakes, and that are the best. We bake them in S GA using cast iron griddles (8 inch) one layer at a time, using 1/2 cup cake batter. Yummy!
I just had to comment – I had a cake just like this for every birthday growing up! (I’m from Northwest Florida) So for my husband’s birthday, I made this cake (14 layers like yours with the 12 layer recipe) and it was SO similar to the ones I grew up with! It was wonderful, and I’m making another one for Christmas this week! Where I’m from, when you say “chocolate layer cake,” this is what you get! :) Thanks for sharing this!
I made this and it was beautiful but the cake was dense, the frosting had too much cream cheese flavor and it just wasn’t worth the effort. I’m not sure what I did wrong.
I am from the deep south (Ga/Al), and now live in the NOLA area. I have seen this cake since I was little and seen the derberge cake. You have an amazing knack for baking! Beautiful cake!
I thought this was a Smith Island Cake as soon as I saw it! Yum. I’ve not yet been inspired to make one yet.
i always thought this cake( torte) had german / eastern european origin
Help!!! I stacked and glazed per the instructions but my cakes keep sliding. How do I keep them from sliding after stacking?
Oh…one more thing. My mother figured out the best way for her to measure the cake batter…she uses a ladle, and just her three cake pans.
This is beautiful! How clever to put the choc. buttercream on the outside to “neaten” it up…as well as make it even tastier. I am from the south (Georgia), and I’ve known about these cakes all of my life. My mother has made them many times, as well as my grandmother before me. At family reunions and church gatherings, they get ‘the eye’ right away. They’re an old tradition…and it’s usually the choc. version you see the most. We just call them “14 layer chocolate cake”.
I’m from Baton Rouge, La and grew up loving a cake like this called a Doberge cake. My favorite was the lemon and I requested it every year for my birthday!
I’m originally from South Georgia and we’ve had one of these at every family reunion I can remember!
Oh My. I have lived the majority of my 45 years in the South and have never heard of a 14 layer cake (or any of the other names)… How sad for me! Must make soon. Possibly for one of our upcoming family birthdays. :) Thanks!! Will be pinning.
My mother ( 90 years old) makes this but uses a Laplander frosting. My family cannot wait for a special occasion for her to make one – there is never a crumb left.
I make a lemon version of this cake… It is the best cake I’ve ever tasted…
My family is from North Carolina and we make this cake with apple sauce and spice..(stacked apple sauce cake)
My grandmother called it her 15 layer chocolate rum cake. It is still in our family. Amazing!
Thank you for the idea. I actually made one for my sister’s birthday. I made a strawberry cake with lemon creamcheese icing instead. I was soooo yummy that I want to make different version of this cake. :)
Making this for a cake Auction on Saturday as a fundraiser…. how much in advance can I make this and what is the best way to store it so that it stays moist…..
Sure looks yummy, I wish I could taste it after I made it!
dnjkidh
The cake is awesome and I am going to try it but, did you use the same icing between the layers as you did on the top and sides? It looks and seems different. I want mine to come out as nice as yours.
Anything with that much frosting HAS to be good! Thanks for a neat recipe!
My grandma use to make something like this, except she would put applesauce or apple butter in-between the layers and just glaze it with a clear powdered sugar glaze…she called it apple stack cake..it was always on the Thanksgiving table. I haven’t been brave enough to try it yet though.
I’m wondering, why not just make 14 cake batter pancakes? Seems like it would taste the same and be a whole lot easier???? Any comments???
What are the ingredients for the filling in-between the layers? It looks different then the buttercream frosting.
Thanks!
Oh my…memories of the cake my mom would make on my birthday. The only difference is that instead of milk in the icing she would use strong coffee….try it sometime. I think you would love it.
My friends southern mom made this cake …it was one of the best cakes I’ve ever tasted!
I am from Tennessee and this is a form of stack cake. A true stack cake here is traditionally made with layers but filling is cooked dried apples spiced with cinnamon, cloves and small amount nutmeg. After it is made it is wrapped up and allowed to sit for at least a week. Some brush with bourbon before wrapping is up to sit. Yum!!!!!
My cousin’s husband makes one of these but he bakes his in black iron skillets-the edges of the cake get all a little crispy and wonderful. Mmmmm….
And yes, we are from the south…
the trick is to use the bottom of a spring form pan to bake your layers. it keeps them thin with out worrying about breaking it (or using 14 pans!) just put a thin layer of cake batter, bake, and then use a spatula to remove the layer gently
I make a cake very similar to this. However, if you freeze Reese’s Peanut Butter cups, then pulse them to a fine powder in your food processor. Sprinkle the powder in between each layer with the chocolate. DIVINE!!!
My great grandmother has made this cake for over 40 years. The only difference is she used homemade Hershey fudge and poured it between each layer adding pecans on top from the pecan tree in the back yard. This is still my favorite cake by far!
I was super excited that the bakery doing our wedding cake had the Smith Island one as a flavor (I’m a MD girl) and we picked that and a strawberry one for our different parts of the cake. I was so sad that I never got any of this one. It had chocolate AND peanut butter together! So tragic.
There are hundreds of comments to sift through, so don’t know if it’s been mentioned…but my dad is from Kentucky where they make “Stack Cake” that is made like this, but with layers of a light spice cake with apple butter of applesauce (preferably thick, homemade applesauce) in between.
Legend/history has it that these would be made for weddings in the old days, and that everyone would bring a layer to add to the stack(s).
My ex’s mom made the best apple stack cake!
This recipe originated from smith island, md. Hence the name Smith Island cake. It’s not a southern recipe. But yes it is delicious!!!
I would like to congratulate this amazing effort with a unique comment but the (literally) 100s of other before me have said what I am thinking. Well done. It looks amazing!
Emanuela @ thefoodiegoddess.com
My granny would make these cakes from scratch and seeing these pictures brought back so many memories of her and I baking together.
My Mema always said you could tell how good a cook was by the number of layers in her chocolate cake. And yes, her’s had fourteen layers!
We make this kind in northeast NC. Notes: 1. the first one I ever saw was made using an black iron skillet=all 14/15 layers=skillet lined with waxed paper. 2, Use a regular chocolate icing/frosting, not that runny one. 3. Most importantly: DO NOT CUT/SLICE like reg. cake, Make first cut across round end; the make a cut in cake so you will either have 2 or 3 pieces. Then slice so that serving of cake is about pinky finger wide=ie very thin. Very rich. Have eaten a lemon, and a carmel one also.
I have brothers (twins) who turn 18 in September. I want to make it really special for them and thinking of doing an 18 layer one of these….do you think that would work?! It looks fantastic!
Smith Island is on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. They have been making Smith Island cake there forever. I’m from the Eastern Shore of Maryland; and we would eat this cake all the time. It is now the official State dessert of Maryland.
This would be amazing if you dyed each layer a different color and used a white chocolate filling. It would be the ultimate rainbow cake!!!
My grandmother used to make a cake like this and we have been trying to duplicate it for years. She used cast iron skillets and my mom said she remembered her poking holes in the top so the frosting would seep into the cake. We are from North Carolina. I am going to give this one a try and I love the idea of the multiple cake pans instead of the cast iron ! I’ll let you know how it turns out! Thanks for posting.
ok, I made this cake following the recipe to a tee! BUT when I got about half way through stacking the cake, i couldnt keep the layers from sliding off. In the end the cake looked much worse then yours…more like sleeping beautys cake to the point where it fell over! Any advice on what can I do next time to keep the sides from shifting so much?