All-New Cake Mix Doctor - Anne Byrn [63]
Recipe Reminders
MADE FOR
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PREP NOTES
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DON’T FORGET
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SPECIAL TOUCHES
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It Stacks Up to Cake Love
The residents of Smith Island are proud of their cake. You can sample it on a visit, buy one to take home, or if you can’t visit the island, even order a cake online.
Stacked cakes consisting of many thin layers have been popular in the mountains of Tennessee and Kentucky where these layers were baked in cast-iron skillets and often sandwiched with apple butter.
4. Bake the cake layers until they are golden brown and the tops spring back when lightly pressed with a finger, 10 to 12 minutes (the baking time is short here because the batter has been divided among 4 baking pans). Rotate the pans after the layers have baked for 5 minutes. Transfer the cake pans to wire racks and let the cake layers cool for 5 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edge of each cake layer and give the pans a good shake to loosen the cakes. Invert the each layer onto a wire rack, then invert it again onto another rack so that the cakes are right side up. Let the layers cool completely, 10 to 15 minutes longer.
5. Meanwhile, remove the peanut butter cups from the freezer. Place 3 peanut butter cups in a food processor, pulse the machine to make small chunks, and set these aside for the garnish. Pulse the remaining 5 peanut butter cups to a fine powder and set aside.
6. Make the frosting: Melt the 12 tablespoons of butter in a large saucepan over low heat, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the cocoa powder and ½ cup plus 3 tablespoons of milk. Cook 1 minute longer, stirring, until the mixture thickens and just begins to come to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the 1 teaspoon of vanilla and the confectioners’ sugar, continuing to stir until the frosting is thickened and smooth and the consistency of hot fudge sauce. To keep the icing from hardening, place the saucepan over low heat while frosting the layers.
7. To assemble the cake, using a long, serrated knife, carefully slice each cake layer in half horizontally to make 8 layers. Place the bottom half of one layer, cut side up, on a cake plate and spoon about ¼ cup of the frosting on top, spreading it evenly to the edge. Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of the powdered peanut butter cups over the frosting. Place the top half of this layer, right side up, over the frosting. Add another ¼ cup of the frosting and spread it to the edge. Then sprinkle another tablespoon of powdered peanut butter cups over it. Repeat with the remaining layers, then frost the top of the cake and sprinkle the reserved chunks of peanut butter cups over it.
Keep It Fresh! Store this cake, in a cake saver or under a glass dome, at room temperature for up to three days or for up to one week in the refrigerator. Freeze the cake, wrapped in aluminum foil or in a cake saver, for up to six months. Let the cake thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Splitting Layers
This has nothing to do with splitting hairs—slicing a cake layer in half horizontally is a lot easier than it looks. And it is an easy and delicious way to add height and flavor to a cake because a filling or frosting will go between each and every layer. To slice cake layers in half and turn two into four and three into six, use a long, thin serrated knife. Starting on one side, slice halfway through to the center. Turn the layer around to the other side