Smith Island Cake gets a holiday makeover with layers of red velvet, swirled white chocolate frosting, and festive candy ornament toppers.
I’ve had Smith Island Cake on my baking bucket list for perhaps five years or more. That’s a long time! I’ve just never found the right moment or the right inspiration, until now. A ready-made red velvet version caught my eye on the website. My southern heart was instantly smitten. I wanted to make my own version because it was so beautiful, and because I want to celebrate Christmas 2020 in a BIG way. We’ve all had quite a year and I think we deserve some happiness a dozen layers high!
This is a Maryland tradition, usually made with 8 to12 yellow cake layers and chocolate frosting. In my search for a recipe, I happened upon the site, which offered an authentic yellow and chocolate Smith Island Cake recipe. I used what good sense I gleaned from my red velvet-making days, and altered the recipe to a ruby hue with tangy buttermilk flavor.
I would call this cake eggy, with five large, whole eggs in the batter which helps the thin layers hold together. As I’ve mentioned, a Smith Island Cake has between 8-12 layers, and my batter yielded 11 in my 8-inch cake pans.
The cake layer-making went quickly for me because I have four 8-inch cake pans that all fit on one rack in my oven. The layers only bake for 8 minutes, and aside from washing and re-greasing pans, it all went by fast. Total time will vary according to your tools and equipment. If you’re not inclined to expand your 8-inch pan collection permanently, consider getting some , which can be recycled after you’re done.
It almost felt wrong to not cover this cake with cream cheese frosting, but all those layers need structure, and that’s not what cream cheese frosting is about. The white chocolate frosting I used is tasty and held all the layers well. I also like that it keeps with the chocolate component that the original cake has as its covering.
Sparkle, sparkle! This cake deserved something a little flashy, so I decided to whip up some candy ornaments with lots of bling!
If you plan to make the toppers, you’ll need some sphere molds. has all the sizes needed. They’re not hard to make, and I think the extra effort is worth it. These are cast with red candy melts and covered with piping gel (or corn syrup) and .
I fashioned some ornament hangers using gum paste. The loops on the small ornaments are made with beads from a candy necklace.
White chocolate shavings make the top of this cake look snowy, and it also repeats the flavor of the frosting.
So many layers!
This cake is rather frosting-forward, since the ratio to cake is about 50/50, so if you like buttercream you’ll love this cake! It’s sweet with a discernable buttermilk tang from the cake layers, and just a notion of cocoa in there, somewhere.
Yields 12-14 servings
Note: The cake layers use 2 cups of full fat buttermilk which is very thick. If you’re using a buttermilk substitute, such as a mixture of milk and vinegar, decrease the amount of milk to 1 1/2 cups.
Cake layers
Flour-based baking spray for the pans
2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
2 sticks (226g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 large eggs
2 1/2 cups (360g) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (60g) unsweet cocoa powder (not dark)
1/2 teaspoon fine grain salt
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups (480ml) full fat buttermilk, well shaken before measuring
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Red gel food color
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray four 8-inch round cake pans with flour-based baking spray.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the sugar and butter. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder; add to the egg mixture one cup at a time, mixing as you go. With the mixer running, slowly add the buttermilk. Mix well and stir in the vanilla extract. Add red gel food color a little at a time until a consistent, vibrant red hue is achieved (I used about 1 tablespoon).
Place 2/3 cup of batter into each pan and spread evenly with an offset spatula. Bake for 8 minutes. Cool in the pans for 2 minutes (the cakes should pull away from the sides of the pan, or help them by running a knife around the edges). Turn the layers out onto cooling racks and wash the pans; re-spray with flour-based baking spray. Fill pans and bake four more layers as before. Repeat these steps until all the cake batter is used (my batter yielded about 11 layers). When all the cake layers are completely cool, they can be filled with buttercream.
White chocolate buttercream
2 cups (1 lb.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
8 cups (2 lbs.) confectioner’s sugar
Milk or cream to thin
8 oz. (two 4 oz. bars) white baker’s chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
2 oz. white chocolate shavings, cut from a bar using a vegetable peeler
Place the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on medium-high until creamy. Add the confectioners’ sugar and mix until almost combined (the mixture may be a little crumbly). Add milk or cream a little at a time while mixing on medium high (I used about 5 tablespoons); beat until the mixture is thick and fluffy. With the mixer running, add in the melted chocolate a little at a time (make sure the chocolate is not hot or it will melt the buttercream!). Beat until the chocolate is completely incorporated.
Place a red velvet cake layer on a cake board or serving plate. Top with about 1/3 cup (level) of buttercream and spread as evenly as possible. Repeat steps until all the cake layers are used. Refrigerate for 15 minutes, or until the frosting firms. Cover the outside of the cake with a thin layer of buttercream (crumb-coat) and refrigerate again, 15 minutes. Cover the outside of the cake with the remaining buttercream, swirling the frosting as you go. Cover the top of the cake with the white chocolate shavings.
Candy Ornaments
10 oz. , melted
2 Small food dedicated art brushes
, large and small (2-inch and 1-inch half spheres)
*(sizes are approximate)
Piping gel or corn syrup
(nontoxic cake decorator’s glitter)
2 oz.
1” and 1/2” circle cutters, or the open ends of medium and large piping tips
3 beads from a
2 Small food dedicated art brushes
Coat two of the 2-inch silicone cavities with red melted candy using one of the art brushes. Brush the entire surface area including the very top edge of the mold. Coat six of the 1-inch cavities in the same manner. Chill until set, about 10 minutes. Re-heat candy if necessary and apply a second coat. Chill in the freezer until solid, about 10 minutes. Turn the candy spheres out onto a work surface. Let the pieces stand until they are room temperature. Save leftover melted candy for a future step.
Place a nonstick saucepan over low heat. Place open ends of the two matching 2-inch spheres on the pan until the candy melts slightly (about 2-3 seconds at the most) and stick the two melted edges together to form one 4-inch sphere. Repeat this process with the smaller half spheres, creating three 2-inch spheres. Allow them to stand at room temperature until set, about 5 minutes.
Wash the candy from the art brush under hot water and dry thoroughly. Lightly coat the large sphere with piping gel or corn syrup using the brush; immediately sprinkle red disco dust over the surface of the candy while holding it over a bowl to catch the excess glitter. Place the ball in the cavity of a muffin tin to dry (this prevents the ball from rolling around). Repeat this process with the smaller balls. Let stand until mostly dry, about 25 minutes.
Knead the gum paste until pliable. Roll to 1/2-inch thickness and cut out one 1-inch circle and three 1/2-inch circles. Use the pointed end of the art brush to push a hole through the middle of each piece. With the scraps, roll out a small rope under your palms and make a loop about 1/2-inch long; twist the ends together and cut away the excess. Apply a dot of piping gel or corn syrup to the twisted end of the rope and insert it into the hole in the larger circle. Let stand until firm. Re-heat reserved melted candy. Place melted candy on the hole in the smaller circles, top each with a candy bead. Let stand until set, about 5 minutes. Use more leftover melted candy to attach the hanger pieces to the glitter ball ornaments; let stand until set 5-10 minutes. Using the unused art brush, apply a coat of gold edible paint to the assembled hanger pieces. Allow the assembled ornaments to stand until completely dry, about 30 minutes.
Arrange the ornaments on top of the cake and give yourself a big pat on the back! (You did it!) Before serving, make sure the cake is room temperature. The flavors will be most developed when not chilled.
By Published: Thursday, December 03, 2020Thursday, December 03, 2020
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