Smith Island Cakesfeatured

Cherry Blossom season just wrapped up here in DC. Since we’ve moved here in December, that’s all we’ve been hearing about! The build up has been unbearable. Well, we finally experienced first hand what all the hoopla was about, and, yes, they were beautiful. Snowy puffs of pink and white all around the Tidal Basin, and all over the city actually, along with gorgeous magnolia trees as well.

My sister-in-law, Jennifer, came up from Salisbury, MD to see the cherry blossoms…and brought us an Eastern Shore treat! Feast your eyes:

Strawberry Shortcake on Steroids

Classic Chocolate Smith Island Cake

Now that’s a cake, huh?

Smith Island Cakes are a specialty of 8 x 4 mile Smith Island, Maryland’s only inhabited island in the Chesapeake Bay. These towering cakes typically contain 6-12 pencil-thin layers of spongy cake with decadent icing in between each one. And, fun fact: Smith Island Cakes are the official state dessert of Maryland.

Jennifer got our cakes from Classic Cakes in Salisbury. Owner Dana Evans, who runs the bakery with her daughter, grew up on Smith Island (which I now imagine to be like Nantucket meets Candyland) making these traditional cakes.

With almost two dozen mouthwatering flavors to choose from, ranging from classics like Red Velvet to creative combos like Butterfinger. We were treated to the Fresh Strawberry – six layers of yellow cake, with fresh strawberries, strawberry glaze and whipped buttercream stacked between each layer. If you’re a strawberry shortcake fan, this is your cake.

Classic Cakes: Chocolate Layer Cake

As if that wasn’t enough, then out came the big guns. Enter Chocolate Layer Cake. What a stunner. Count ‘em, nine delicate layers of old-fashioned yellow cake with rich milk chocolate icing layered in. This is the original flavor combo, and boy does it work. The cake is light and moist, and the icing is like fudge, with that crackle on the surface and sugar granules that melt away on your tongue. Cut a big wedge of this beauty, pour yourself a tall glass of ice-cold milk, and feel like a kid again. I officially want this as my birthday cake from now on. Permanently.

Nom nom nom

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