After leaving Virginia, we headed north up Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Smith Island is an island off the western coast of the Eastern Shore (in other words, within Chesapeake Bay). In the 1800s, it was primarily populated by fishermen and their families. The story goes that the fishermen’s wives baked these cakes for their husbands before they took off on the autumn oyster harvest, a fishing trip that might last days – or weeks.
We stopped for some Smith Island cake so we could try this traditional sweet treat. It’s a yellow cake with 8-10 thin layers interspersed with very fudgy chocolate frosting. Since 2008, the cake has been Maryland’s state dessert!
There are two bakeries that are famous for their Smith Island cakes. The first is Smith Island Bakery, located on Smith Island itself at 20926 Caleb Jones Rd. Rather than take a special boat trip to Smith Island in the uncertain weather of late October, we opted for the second bakery, the Smith Island Baking Company located at 45 W. Chesapeake Avenue in Crisfield. Both bakeries offer traditional Smith Island cakes. We can testify that it’s yummy!
October 30, 2022