This week, I will take the plunge and make the Smith Island Cake, also called 12- or 14-Layer Cake. But I'll make 16 layers, plus I have not one, but two crowds to feed. I've read sneezles' and Beth's notes, yet questions abound:
I'll use 16 separate foil pans, plus parchment and Pam Baking spray, vs. trying to torte layers. I plan to insert a dowel thru the cake to keep the layers from shifting. Would such thin layers freeze successfully (so that I can make them on Tuesday, allowing time for messups b4 this weekend's party)? Do I defrost them by just letting them sit out till they're room temp (wrapped), & then frost?
I need 16 layers, not 12-14. I also have a crowd of family arriving midday for lunch + dessert (cake for 13 people), plus a crowd of teenagers arriving in the evening for dinner + dessert (cake for 16-18 people). Should I increase the batter as if for 32 layers, and make 16 9x13 foil pans for a big sheet cake? (By the time of the 2nd party, the cake would have been sliced into already, but I don't know that the teenagers would care.) Or increase the batter and make 16 8" round foil layers, twice? Or buy gobs of cake mixes and cut down on the workload, for either rounds or sheet? Or make one 8" round 16-layer cake for the family at midday, & supplement it with cookies, ice-cream cake, or cupcakes for the teens later? Frosting choice? Recipes are below. Any ideas on feeding two crowds with one really cool cake design would be appreciated!
* Exported from MasterCook *
Recipe 1: Sixteen-Layer Cake (Recipe is thru sneezles. Actually Smith Island 10-Layer Cake; I'll need to increase it.)
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
Frosting
2 sticks butter
24 ozs evaporated milk
8 Tablespoons unsweetened Cocoa
2 lbs. confectioners Sugar
Melt butter. Stir in evaporated milk (off
heat).
Whisk in Cocoa until smooth -- return to heat and cook for approximately 10 minutes. DO NOT BOIL or Scorch.
Remove from heat and whisk in
confectioners sugar slowly.
Cook slowly until thickened and will stick
to back of a spoon or to the whisk (It
will form a ribbon when you drizzle a
spoonful onto mixture while cooking).
Approx time: 45 minutes.
Cake
2 cups sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter -- cut into chunks
5 eggs
3 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup evaporated milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup water
Cream together sugar and butter. Add eggs one at a time and beat until
smooth. Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder. Mix into egg mixture
one cup at a time. With mixer running, slowly pour in the evaporated milk,
then the vanilla and water. Mix just until uniform. Put three serving
spoonsful of batter in each of ten 9-inch lightly greased pans, using the
back of the spoon to spread evenly. Bake three layers at a time on the
middle rack of the oven at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. A layer is done when
you hold it near your ear and you don't hear it sizzle.
[Like I'm really going to do this? 
Knowing my usual level of coordination, I'd look like Van Gogh b4 the recipe was done. I'll probably just press on the center & see if it springs back--TK45]
Start making the icing when the first layer goes in the oven. Let the
layers cool a couple of minutes in the pans. Put the cake together as the
layers are finished. Run a spatula around the edge of the pan and ease the
layer out of the pan. Don't worry if it tears; no one will notice when the
cake is finished. Use two or three serving spoonsful of icing between each
layer. Cover the top and sides of the cake with the rest of the icing.
Push icing that runs onto the plate back onto the cake.
Take one slightly cooled layer and spread with cooled frosting. Add
crushed candy randomly on layer. (Reese cups, snickers, milky ways, or
whatever your favorite is-candy is optional as well )
Add next layers, frosting, candy, and repeat process till the 10th layer.
Do not add candy to final layer.
Finish frosting the cake and sides. May have to wait to ice top and sides until the icing cools.
Enjoy!
Source:
"CLBB user Susan (sneezles), from
www.smithisland.org/cakerecipe.html,
originally from Mrs. Kitching's Smith Island Cookbook by Frances
Kitching and Susan Stiles Dowell."
S(Internet Address):
"http://www.smithisland.org/cakerecipe.html"
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NOTES : CLBB user sneezles: I have made this Smith Island Cake and
used separate pans for each layer (I have 14 9"-pans) it
was much easier than slicing through the baked layers. I
just weighed the batter and then divided it evenly among
the pans. The layers took about 8 minutes to bake. I also
waited until all the layers were done to assemble rather
than as directed in the recipe. You could easily double
the recipe and get enough layers to feed 30 people.
[How, Susan, per questions above? Thanks--TK45]
Mine also had chopped mini pb cups between the layers.
Recipe 2: Sixteen-Layer Cake (Recipe is actually for 14-Layer Cake; need to increase. Prep notes that aren't from Beth are from bakerella.blogspot.com.)
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour -- sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter -- (3 sticks) at room temperature
2 1/2 cups sugar
6 large eggs -- at room temperature
3 cups milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder -- preferably Dutch process
1 cup unsalted butter -- (2 sticks) cut up
1 can evaporated milk -- (12 ounces)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Pecan halves -- for garnish
Position racks in the center and bottom third of the oven and preheat to
375°. Lightly butter four 8 1/2- to 9-inch cake pans (you will bake the
cakes in three batches) and line the bottoms with rounds of parchment
paper. Flour the pans and tap out the excess.
To make the layers, sift together the sifted flour, baking powder and
salt. Sift the mixture one more time, and set aside.
Beat the butter and sugar in the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer
fitted with the paddle blade on high speed until light in color and
texture, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Scrape down the
bowl and be sure the mixture is well-blended. On low speed, add the flour
in 3 additions, alternating with 2 additions of the milk, beginning and
ending with the flour, and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides of
the bowl often with a rubber spatula. Beat in the vanilla. Using a scant
cup for each layer, spread the batter evenly in the pans. It will make a
thin layer. 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.)
Recipe says: Staggering the pans on the racks so they are at least 2 inches from each
other and the sides of the oven and not directly over each other, bake the
layers until they feel firm when pressed in the centers and are beginning
to pull away from the sides of the pans, about 12 minutes. Cool in the
pans for 5 minutes. Invert the layers onto cake racks, remove the
parchment paper, and cool completely. Wash and prepare the pans. Repeat
the procedure until all 12 layers have been baked and cooled.
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.
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 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!
The recipe she used is The Smith Family's 12-Layer Cake, pulled from
oprah.com:
This recipe, handed down from Art Smith's great-great-grandmother, has
taken center stage at many Smith family celebrations. Make it part of your
next special occasion!
Makes 16-20 servings
To make the icing, bring the sugar, cocoa, butter and evaporated milk to a
full boil in a large saucepan. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook
until the icing has thickened slightly (it will resemble chocolate syrup
but will thicken as it cools), about 3 minutes. Stir in the vanilla. Let
the icing cool until thick enough to spread, but still pourable.
Place a layer of cake on a wire rack set over a jelly-roll pan. Spread
with a few tablespoons of the icing, letting the excess run down the
sides. Stack the remaining cakes, icing each layer. Pour the remaining
icing over the top of the cake. If you wish, smooth the icing on the edges
to cover the sides. Place pecan halves around the top perimeter of the
cake. Let stand until the glaze sets. (The cake is best served the day it
is made. To store, cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up
to 1 day.)
Recommended technique: If you buy inexpensive aluminum foil cake pans at
the grocery store (they can be saved for another time as well), you will
be able to knock out layers in no time. And no washing between baking!
ADDED NOTES FROM BETH OF THE CLBB:
DS made (with mom lending some assistance -- but mainly his efforts) a 16
layer cake.
[Beth, I appreciate all your ideas on a 16-layer cake, but am trying to figure out how to serve so many people . . . I esp. love the 16 raspberries.] We didn't use the Bakerella recipe -- he wanted a chocolate
cake, so we used a devil's food recipe and took the hint of the other
recipes to add more eggs. Not content with one filling, he alternated
raspberry jam, a jar of the raspberry-bittersweet chocolate jam/spread I
made earlier and a dark milk chocolate ganache (his GF likes lighter
chocolate better, but I found that out after going to the store and was
one bar short on milk chocolate so we added a semisweet). The ganache is
the frosting as well and he topped it with her initial piped in the last
bit of ganache and 16 raspberries around the edge.
We doubled the standard 2 layer recipe and just barely got 18 layers with
about 2/3 cup per layer. Good thing we had at least one extra - the first
one DS turned out of the pan was too hot and flopped over -- made a mess.
Which leads me to a tip for anyone who wants to make this type of cake. We
used the foil pans, sprayed them, lined with a round of parchment and then
sprayed with the baking spray with flour. No sticking at all, but to
remove the layers, we got a loose edge, lifted it up with a spatula and
kind of slid them out onto the racks so they were sitting on the parchment
-- not cool layers sticking tot he racks either. It was easy to pick them
up and turn them over to stack them, then peel the paper off.
I hope we can keep it together when we slice it tonight -- and I hope she
can see all the layers. I may make another variation for father's day. Too
fun not get show one off for the family.
(then, after she made it . . .) Gracie, we were very scientific. We
doubled the recipe (Devil's food from the Sur la Table Art of Baking). It
called for 3 eggs and the 12 layer cake for 6. We weren't sure we wanted
to go to6 per batch (12 total). We looked at each other and both said 9 or
10. We did 9, then put in the egg white of the 10th as a compromise, so
that took a single recipe from 3 to about 5 (they were large).
For the amount per layer, we were also very scientific. We looked at the 6
qt bowl and said that might be 4 qts of batter. If it was and we were
precise, we'd have 1 cup per layer, but we wanted to have at least 1 or 2
extras. I have a ladle that we checked and found was 2/3 cup and that was
the same as Bakerella said she used per layer -- so we just used the
ladle. It just happened to come out with 18 layers -- one was a bit thin
on one side where the parchment curled under it and one fell apart in
removal form the pan, so we had 16 good layers and got to sample the cake.
I was complaining to DH that I had never made a cake like this and was
trying to help make sure my son's was a success -- but he couldn't make it
by the recipe -- he had to change the cake flavor, change the fillings, do
them in multiple variations, added the raspberry at the last minute -- DH
just laughed and said he got that from me. I am afraid he did.
I'll see if I can get a photo posted later, but it turned out well -- and
incredibly rich. With an 8 inch cake cut into 16 slices, no one could eat
a full piece.
The layers were subtle, but you could see the striping. The ganache got a
little soft at the end, but it firmed up in the fridge and really holds
the cake together. It was very stable when we sliced it (still a bit
cold). I had to go measure --this one was right at 5 inches tall with the
raspberries on the sides -- a little less without them!
Having been in the kitchen with this now, I would do the foil pans and
lots of little layers for sure. I don't know that the layers would have
held together with slicing and stacking. I was rally glad we put the
layers parchment side down and was able to slide them onto a hand, then
flip over and peel the paper. They stay supported and held together that
way. We still had a couple crack in the stacking process and I think
trying to split and handle the layers that thin would be a mess. If you
want to try it that way, I would freeze the layers first.
The only tedious part was DS cutting out lots of parchment circles. We
were able to put 6 in the oven at once -- I probably could have added a
rack and done 8, but 6 seemed like enough to handle. The layers bake
quickly, so once you have the pans prepped, it's really not bad. I found
the foil pans at Target in stacks of 6 for $1.99 and I'm keeping them for
future cakes.
Testkitchen -- if you see this, I'm wondering if you did twin cakes or are
still planning them.
I'm also picturing TerriA's fun decorated cakes and the possibility of a
rainbow cake -- white or yellow cake with each layer of filling a
different shade, for a youngter's cake or for an artist -- or a white cake
with a single color but in increasing or decreasing hues -- say a dark
pink to a pale baby pink or whatever color. You could have a lot of fun
with variations on the idea.
Source:
"CLBB user jrichards (hasn't made this), from bakerella.blogspot.com; notes from CLBB user Beth."
S(Internet Address):
"http://www.oprah.com/recipe/food/recipesdesserts/food_20030508_cake"
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Serving Ideas : 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.
NOTE: I suspect you could make another batch of batter, and use foil 9x13 pans for a multi-layer sheet cake to serve a crowd.
NOTES : 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.
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.
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. I
love it.)
Sixteen-Layer Cake . . . questions!
, so I may do a nice little dessert for the lunch crowd, & save cutting into the 16-layer cake for the group who'll go "oh, cool! How did you DO that??" 
You also seem to over-think things more than I do as I just usually jump right in.
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