Smith Island Cake
Source of Recipe
Anonymous
Recipe Introduction
Smith Island is a small island in the middle of the Chesapeake. Most of its 400 inhabitants are direct descendants of Captain John Smith, who discovered the island in 1607. This cake has been made by housewives on the island for many years. It is said that a young girl growing on Smith Island becomes a woman when she can master the baking of a proper one of these unusual desserts. You will need nine cake pans for this recipe.
List of Ingredients
4 sticks (1 pound) butter
8 heaping tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3 12-ounce cans evaporated milk
2-pound bag confectioners' sugar
2 boxes butter cake mix
8 eggs
1-1/2 to 2 cups milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
Optional: candy (crumbled Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Milky Way bars, Peppermint Patties, etc.) or chopped nuts *
Have all ingredients at room temperature before beginning. Coat ten cake pans (9- or 10- inch) with cooking spray or a light film of cooking oil. Set out wire racks and a cake stand for assembling the finished product.
The frosting is prepared first since it takes the longest to make. In a medium suacepan, melt 2 sticks of butter. Off the heat, whisk in 2 cans of evaporated milk and 8 heaping tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder. Whisk until smooth, then return to medium heat and cook, whisking constantly to avoid scorching, about 10 minutes. Do not let the mixture boil.
Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in a 2-pound bag of confectioners' sugar. Return to heat and cook a few minutes more, whisking, before turning your attention to the cake. The frosting will need to cook about one hour to thicken, but you can take it on and off the heat as needed to finish the rest of the cake.
To prepare cake, using a stand mixer: Mix together a 12-ounce can of evaporated milk and regular milk to make 2-3/4 cups. Crack eight eggs into a bowl. Put the oven racks in the two highest positions and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Put two sticks of butter into the bowl of the stand mixer. Pour in the cake mix, eggs, vanilla, and some of the milk. Stir gently to mix the ingredients so they won't spatter when the mixer is turned on. Turn the mixer on to speed 2 and mix about 5 minutes. Stop the motor, add more milk, and gently stir to incorporate. Mix on speed 2 again. Add as much of the remaining milk as necessary to make a thick batter. Mix at speed 6 until the batter has blended for a total of 10-12 minutes, growing in size as air is incorporated.
Using a 1-cup measure, pour the batter into each pan. To make the thick batter cover the entire pan, pick up each pan and bang bottom repeatedly to make the batter spread (don't worry about the cake falling -- with each layer less than a half inch thick, who would know?).
Bake four pans at a time, two on each shelf, for about 12 minutes (a couple of minutes longer for 9-inch layers). Switch the cake pans from top to bottom shelf, and vice versa, halfway through the baking time so the layers will cook evenly. The layers will look slightly browned and will have pulled back slightly from the edge of the pan edge when done. Remove pans to the cooling racks and put four more in the oven.
At this point, the frosting should be ready to use. The frosting is best used warm but cooling it makes it thicker and easier to work with. Set the cake pan next to the frosting pot. Gently free a warm layer from its pan using a rubber spatula and center it on the stand. Using a large spoon, coat it with a thin layer of frosting. If using, sprinkle on candy or nuts. Continue with the other layers, being careful not to let them slide (inserting a few toothpicks will help). Remove the next four layers from the oven when done and and replace them with the final two layers. When the last layer has been added to the cake, do not top it with any candy or nuts (if using). Spread frosting on top of cake and along the side. If the frosting is still warm it may slide down the sides so you may need to go around the cake pushing up frosting until it cools and sets.
Keep cake refrigerated, but set out before serving to bring to room temperature. Slice this cake into very thin slices to serve.
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