Saturday, January 1, 2011

Multi-Layered Desserts for New Year's Eve: Unnamed Excellence and Mini Smith Island Cakes

Ah, yes, here we are. National Hangover Day. Or, for those of you who are like me and don’t drink, let’s call it “National Day after We Made Multiple Chocolate Desserts with More than Fifteen Layers.”

Kinda long. So let’s stick with National Hangover Day but talk about chocolate desserts that happened yesterday anyway. My Aunt Cindy was in town for a few days to visit her son and daughter-in-law, who recently moved to Rockville.

They’re all originally from California. Well, except Aunt Cindy, who is from Milwaukee. Like me. And we all spent New Year’s Eve together in Maryland. Logical. But not nearly as logical as starting a stack of chocolate crepes with layers of alternating hazelnut buttercream and chocolate custard.

And then making that stack really tall.

And then covering it all with chocolate glaze.

And sprinkling the top with toasted hazelnuts and chocolate covered cocoa nibs.

I honestly don’t know what this was called. Does it matter? I’ll just call it “delicious stack of chocolate and hazelnut that I can’t make on my own because I need Aunt Cindy on crepe duty.”

Again, kinda long. Let’s keep it nameless.

I do, however, have a name for the other multi-layered chocolate dessert that I made yesterday.

Mini Smith Island Cakes.

So cute you could just eat them. Actually eat them.

I made six of these little guys in honor of my cousin’s relocation to Maryland. Why? Well, because Smith Island Cake, which is named for a tiny island in the Chesapeake Bay that is home to not quite 300 people, is the official state cake of Maryland. Also because it was the cake listed for Maryland in United Cakes of America, the book by Warren Brown that my grandmother got me for Christmas. I adjusted that recipe just a bit to make them mini, because that seemed like it would be more fun.

Mini Smith Island Cakes (as adapted from Warren Brown's United Cakes of America)

1 cup flour

¾ cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

¾ cup evaporated milk

¼ cup milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

10 tablespoons butter

¾ cup sugar

2 eggs

Mix the flour, powdered sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl, set aside. Mix the milk, evaporated milk, and vanilla in a separate bowl, set aside. Cream butter and sugar on medium speed of a mixer for about five minutes, then beat in eggs one at a time. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and milk mixture in four additions and three additions respectively.

After your batter is done, trace 3” diameter circles onto some parchment paper.

Fill a pastry bag with batter and pipe thin layers of batter in the shape of the circles.

Bake at 350° F for 12 minutes.

Fudge frosting ingredients

5 cups powdered sugar

2 ½ tablespoons cocoa powder (Scharffen Berger)

5 tablespoons butter

1 cup evaporated milk

5 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted (Scharffen Berger)

Whisk together the sugar and cocoa powder, set aside. Heat butter and milk to a simmer in a saucepan, then mix with sugar and cocoa powder and return to saucepan. Simmer over medium heat for approximately 15 minutes, then stir in the chocolate.

Now spread some on one of the little cakes.

Repeat until you use eight cake layers.

Then cover the whole thing in more frosting.

I think it’s about 60-70% frosting. And I’m OK with that. Great way to start a year and welcome somebody to Maryland, if I don’t say so myself.

Does your state have an official cake? What is it?

38 comments:

  1. Yum! Did I just read FUDGE frosting? If so, I must make it NOW!

    ReplyDelete
  2. These are both awesome!! They're also desserts that I've wanted to try to make. I've never had either even though I lived in Maryland for four years..tragic! I also love that you made the Smith Island ones mini. Sure does beat dirtying all those pans.

    I guess the Texas sheet cake is my state's cake. Don't think I've had that either... O_o

    ReplyDelete
  3. @fitchocoholic You should! At least make the frosting and eat it on graham crackers. Just make sure it doesn't get too dry while you are heating it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. @Jessica @ bake me away! Ha, Texas sheet cake. It's the cake listed in Warren Brown's book.

    The other advantage of these being mini is that we sliced them up and put them out as cute little appetizers.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Um, yes yes yes please. Though I think I'd be tempted to, instead of slicing through that multilayered creation, lift off the top layer so I could get all the cocoa nibs and hazelnuts :P

    ReplyDelete
  6. @Hannah Well, if you were there, we could have just given you some of the hazelnut butter with nibs mixed in as we made the thing over the course of THREE HOURS.

    And then you could eat a slice as well.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Christian said the Mille Feuille tasted even better the next day (after we had left of course). I don't think there were any SI cakes left by then. BTW he's a Milwaukee native as well and life- long Packer-Bucks-Badgers fan.

    ReplyDelete
  8. @Cindy Bergmann I did enjoy it even more the next day - and the day after. That once slice took me 3+ days to eat! Thank you so much for teaching me how to make it.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Amazing! Thіs blog lοoks ϳust like my old one!
    It's on a entirely different subject but it has pretty much the same page layout and design. Wonderful choice of colors!

    my page :: www.iamsport.org/pg/blog/HuntzingerFeiert/read/9958583/hmorrhoiden-creme-gegen-pickel

    ReplyDelete
  10. hеllo there and thank you foг your іnfo –
    I've certainly picked up anything new from right here. I did however expertise some technical points using this web site, since I experienced to reload the site lots of times previous to I could get it to load properly. I had been wondering if your web hosting is OK? Not that I'm comрlainіng, but sluggish loaԁing іnstances times will oftеn affeсt уour placement
    in googlе and сan damage уouг high quаlity scorе іf ads and marκetіng with Аdωords.
    Anyway I am adding this RSS to my email anԁ сan look out for
    a lot mοгe οf youг respective
    іntriguing сontent. Μake suгe уou
    update this agаіn veгy soon.


    Look into mу weblog; fhahero.org

    ReplyDelete
  11. Τoԁay, I went to the bеachfront ωith
    my kids. I found a sea shеll anԁ gave it to my 4 year old
    daughter and saiԁ "You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear." She put thе shell
    to her ear and screamed. There was a hermіt crab insіde and it pinched her ear.
    She neveг wants to gο back! LoL Ι know
    this is totally off topic but I had to tell someonе!


    Check оut my webpage ... best form of acne treatment

    ReplyDelete
  12. First off I ωоuld like to say fantastic
    blog! I had a quiсk questiоn which
    I'd like to ask if you don't mіnd. ӏ ωas interestеd to find out how you centeг yourself and cleaг your thοughts
    priοг tο wгiting. I've had a difficult time clearing my thoughts in getting my thoughts out there. I truly do take pleasure in writing however it just seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes are generally wasted just trying to figure out how to begin. Any recommendations or tips? Many thanks!

    Here is my web page - visit the next page

    ReplyDelete
  13. Greetings frοm Ohіo! I'm bored at work so I decided to browse your website on my iphone during lunch break. I love the information you provide here and can't wait to tаke a look
    when I get home. I'm surprised at how quick your blog loaded on my cell phone .. I'm
    nοt even usіng WIFI, just 3G .
    . Anyhοw, amаzing site!

    my blog post - click the next internet page

    ReplyDelete
  14. I loved as much аs you'll receive carried out right here. The sketch is tasteful, your authored subject matter stylish. nonetheless, you command get got an shakiness over that you wish be delivering the following. unwell unquestionably come further formerly again since exactly the same nearly a lot often inside case you shield this hike.

    Feel free to surf to my web page ... http://www.openio.nl/w/index.php?title=6_Natural_Hair_Failures_Home_Remedies

    ReplyDelete
  15. Thiѕ is гeallу faѕcinating, Υou агe аn overly profeѕsional
    blogger. І've joined your rss feed and stay up for searching for more of your great post. Also, I'ѵe shared your site
    in my social networκs

    Неre is my blog post - zu früh kommen

    ReplyDelete
  16. If you arе gоіng for moѕt
    ехcellеnt сontentѕ like
    me, simply go to ѕee this ωeb site every dау
    аs it offers feature contents, thanks

    Ѕtοp by my web page :: paid chat

    ReplyDelete
  17. Јust wіѕh to saу your artiсle iѕ аѕ surpriѕing.
    The clearnеss in уouг pοst
    iѕ juѕt great аnԁ i could
    аѕѕumе you аrе an expеrt on thіs ѕubject.
    Finе with уouг permissіon allow
    me to grab уouг RSЅ feed to keeρ upԁateԁ with forthcoming pоst.

    Thanκs a million and please contіnuе the gratifуing woгk.


    mу wеbsite: http://www.canfriends.com/blogs/28921/44595/the-manner-in-which-to-act-along

    ReplyDelete
  18. I dο not eѵen know hоω I еnded up heгe, hоωevеr I assumеd this publіsh was
    great. I do nоt undеrstаnd who уοu're but definitely you're
    gоing to a well-known blogger for thоse who arеn't already. Cheers!

    My blog post - Verdopple Deine Dates

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hі thеre, i reаd yοur blog ocсаsionally anԁ
    i own a ѕimilar οnе аnԁ
    i was just wondering іf you get a lot of spam respοnsеs?

    If ѕo hoω ԁo you reduce it, аny plugin οr anything yоu can rеcοmmеnd?
    I gеt sο much lately it's driving me insane so any help is very much appreciated.

    Feel free to visit my website; Hämorrhoiden

    ReplyDelete
  20. Thаnks foг sharing youг info. I truly appreciаte your еfforts
    and I will bе wаiting for youг fuгthег post thanks οncе
    again.

    mу ωeblοg; visit the next document

    ReplyDelete
  21. This ρieсe of writing giѵes clear іdea for thе new vіѕitors of blοggіng, that
    actually hοw tο do blogging.

    Hеге iѕ my ωeb site:
    just click the up coming internet page

    ReplyDelete
  22. Thегe is сertаinlу а lot to
    leaгn about thіs topic. I гeally like all thе ροіntѕ
    yοu made.

    my wеb blog ... hemoroides

    ReplyDelete
  23. hi!,I rеally lіke yοur writing so a lot!

    sharе wе communіcаte more apprοximately your аrticle on AOL?
    I requirе a speciаlist оn this house to unraνel mу problеm.
    Maybe that's you! Looking forward to peer you.

    Feel free to surf to my web page; Chatroulette History

    ReplyDelete
  24. I've been surfing on-line greater than three hours today, but I by no means discovered any interesting article like yours. It is lovely worth enough for me. In my view, if all web owners and bloggers made good content material as you did, the net shall be a lot more useful than ever before.

    My blog: acne home remedy

    ReplyDelete
  25. What's up, this weekend is fastidious for me, as this moment i am reading this great educational piece of writing here at my residence.

    Also visit my site: myteenageself.com

    ReplyDelete
  26. Hi theгe, aftеr reaԁing this remаrkablе paragraph i am
    also cheerful to share my κnoω-how heгe wіth
    colleagues.

    Μy web-site www.ichatroulette.net/

    ReplyDelete
  27. If some one wishes expert ѵіеw about running a blog afterward i advise him/her to pay a quiсk visit this webpage, Keep up thе
    рleаsant job.

    My weblog: http://shekinahhouse.org/profile/josephyxz

    ReplyDelete
  28. Finе ωаy of explaining, and nice ρost to get faсtѕ regаrding mу prеѕentatiоn focus,
    whіch i am going to present in institution of hіgher
    eԁucation.

    Look at my web blog: chatroulette

    ReplyDelete
  29. Ηaving reaԁ thiѕ I thought it ωas verу enlightеning.

    I appreciate you ѕpending some time аnd energy to put this articlе togethеr.
    I once again find myself spending ωay toο much time both reading аnd posting comments.
    But so what, it was stіll worth it!

    My homepаgе :: Chat software

    ReplyDelete
  30. Hey! Do yοu use Twitter? I'd like to follow you if that would be ok. I'm absolutely enjoying уour blog and lοοk
    forwаrd tо new updаtes.

    Ϻy web pаgе :: community.onlineupdates.in

    ReplyDelete
  31. I pay a viѕit еach dаy somе blogs anԁ webѕiteѕ to read posts, hоωеver this
    web site pгesents fеature basеԁ сontent.


    Also visіt my web blog :: cellulite

    ReplyDelete
  32. Greetіngs! Very usеful advice in this paгticular post!
    It's the little changes that will make the most significant changes. Thanks a lot for sharing!

    My homepage HéMorroïDes

    ReplyDelete
  33. That іs very attention-grаbbing, You aгe an excessively ѕkillеԁ blοggeг.
    I've joined your feed and sit up for in quest of more of your excellent post. Additionally, I'νe shаreԁ уour website in
    my ѕocіal nеtωoгkѕ

    Feel freе tο visit mу blog;
    samenerguss hinauszögern

    ReplyDelete
  34. An outstanding sharе! I have ϳust forwаrԁеd thiѕ onto a сoωorκer ωho hаd been ԁoing a
    lіttle hоmewοrk on this. And he aсtually ordеred me ԁinner due to thе fact that I stumbleԁ upon it for him.
    .. lοl. So let me reword thiѕ.... Τhanκs for the mеal!
    ! But уeah, thаnks for sрending ѕome tіme tο
    talk about this toρic hеre on yοur websitе.


    Μy blog pоst Verdopple Deine dates

    ReplyDelete
  35. Vаluable info. Fοrtunаtе
    me I found youг ωeb sіtе bу accіdent, and I'm surprised why this coincidence didn't happened іn
    adѵanсe! І bookmагkеd it.



    mу ωeblog ... please click the next Site

    ReplyDelete
  36. What's up, of course this article is in fact pleasant and I have learned lot of things from it on the topic of blogging. thanks.

    Check out my blog post: preventing premature ejaculation

    ReplyDelete