Classic Smith Island cake served with organic strawberries. Photo by Jane Thomas / Flickr (use permitted with attribution).
Official State Dessert of Maryland
Maryland designated Smith Island cake as the official state dessert in 2008. All State Foods
Sometimes compared to tortes, the Smith Island cake (simply called "layer cakes" on Smith Island) traditionally consists of eight to ten layers of yellow cake with chocolate frosting between each layer, but variations evolved and the cake can be just about any flavor, as long as it is stacked 8 to 12 layers high!
The traditional Smith Island cake (yellow cake with chocolate frosting) conforms to the black and gold theme reflected in the state bird, state insect, state flower, and even the state cat. (the Calvert family colors on Maryland's state flag).
