Part cake and part confection, this heritage recipe for Chocolate Little Layer Cake is made by home cooks throughout southwest Georgia. The cake consists of tiny yellow layers baked individually, then filled and topped with old fashioned boiled chocolate icing.
I really love the way technology connects us. It makes it possible for us to share special recipes like this Chocolate Little Layer Cake beyond our closest circle of friends and family. What we used to do through cards and letters, newspaper and magazine clippings, or simply by word of mouth, we can now accomplish within seconds.
Just a quick internet search and virtually any recipe ever thought of appears on your screen. I’m even more grateful that technology is helping us to preserve our old heritage recipes like this beautiful tiny layer chocolate cake.
Recipe Snapshot
Cuisine: Southern, Vintage
Cooking Method: Oven and Stovetop
Total Time: 1 hour, 50 Minutes
Servings: 24
Primary Ingredient(s): Baking chocolate (see notes), sugar, flour, butter, evaporated milk
Skill Level: Intermediate
A Heritage Recipe
For as long as I can remember, these beautiful multi-layer cakes have been a part of family reunions, church dinners, and most holidays in the southwest corner of Georgia where I grew up. You might think at first glance that they’re standard cake layers that have been split and filled, but they’re not—not at all. Each little thin layer is baked separately.
To make it even more different from traditional layer cakes, it’s iced with warm boiled chocolate icing while the layers themselves are still warm. Totally goes against the conventional method, doesn’t it?
Years ago, Kim Severson of the New York Times did a story on these little layer cakes. I had the pleasure of hearing Kim speak once at a food blogging conference. She’s a very accomplished food writer and has received numerous accolades, including several James Beard Awards.
In her NYT story, she talked about how the cakes were made only in one area in Alabama and on Smith Island near Maryland. Well, I can assure you that they are part of the fabric of at least one small southwest Georgia town as well :-)
In the small town where I grew up, lots of ladies make these cakes for a little extra income on the side. They come in two versions – chocolate or caramel. Some of them make a fairly brisk business of it, especially around Christmas.
Way back when, the thin layers for these cakes were made by cooking each layer in a hoecake pan or iron skillet on top of the stove, but now most everyone cooks the layers in the oven. It just goes faster when you can bake three or four layers at one time, you see.
If you’re really experienced with little layer cakes, you can get as many as fourteen layers from your batter. I usually get a ten-layer cake. I need to practice more. If you’ve never made this cake before, aim for about seven layers your first time and gradually increase as you improve your technique.
A Modernized Recipe For You
The original recipe that I have for little layer cakes is so typical of old-time recipes. It assumes that the cook pretty much knows what to do, and only the bare essentials are given.
For instance, the instructions for making the batter read, “Mix well. Grease 8″ pans with Crisco. Put 2 large cooking spoonfuls in each pan. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes.” That’s it.
And the instructions for the boiled icing are “Place over low heat until all is dissolved. Do not boil. Be sure all sugar is melted.” Well, alrighty then!
In the recipe below, I’ve tried to re-write and modernize the instructions a bit for you.
What You’ll Like About This Recipe
- It has a unique boiled chocolate icing.
- It tastes great and is pretty easy to make once you get the idea.
- It’s a very old, sentimental part of southern foodways.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING …
“I’m so glad to see this recipe! My aunt … made this cake many times, and it was always a hit and one of my all-time favorite desserts!!”
— Lucy
Ingredient Notes
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- Granulated Sugar – This is just plain old white sugar. We tend to use Dixie Crystals in the south.
- Baking Chocolate – It’s really important to use the right kind of chocolate for this recipe. You’ll need to purchase Baker’s Premium Unsweetened Baking Chocolate, which produces the distinctive look, texture, and taste required for this recipe.
- Evaporated Milk – Be sure you’re buying evaporated milk, NOT sweetened condensed milk.
- Butter – Like most old-fashioned southern cooks, I use salted butter in everything, including this recipe. I can’t remember the last time I purchased unsalted butter.
- Vanilla Extract – Use a quality extract such as McCormick’s.
- Eggs – The fresher, the better.
- Self-Rising Flour – Southerners love our White Lily flour for any type of baking. It’s made from soft winter wheat and produces very tender baked goods.
The complete ingredient list with detailed measurements is included in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
You’ll also find this recipe in my cookbook!
You can see this recipe on pages 268-269 of my cookbook, My Southern Table! Get your signed copy today.
How to Make Chocolate Little Layer Cake
Prep the Pans and Ingredients
- Before starting your baking, make sure to have all the ingredients at room temperature. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and go ahead and prep several 8-inch cake pans with shortening and set them aside.
PRO TIP: How many layers you bake at once depends on how many pans you have and can fit into your oven without them touching. Some people use disposable cake pans for this, but I don’t see the need. I just wipe the pans out and re-grease between each set of layers.
Make the Icing
Unlike other cakes, you actually start your little layer cake by making the icing first.
- Place a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat. The heat should be barely medium-low. If in doubt, go lower.
- Add the sugar, baking chocolate, evaporated milk, butter, and vanilla all at once. Cook the mixture until the sugar is completely dissolved, stirring occasionally. It is important that the icing does not boil and that you make sure that the sugar is completely dissolved so that no grainy texture remains.
Make the Batter
- Meanwhile, make the batter. Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs all at once and beat until well incorporated. Add the flour and water alternately, beginning and ending with flour. Mix in the vanilla.
PRO TIP: The batter will appear to be curdled after each addition of water – this is normal.
Bake the Layers
- Pour approximately 3/4 cup batter into each prepared pan. Smooth the batter to the edges.
- Bake for approximately 10 minutes or until the layers are barely golden on top. Remove from the oven and turn out onto cooling racks.
- Clean the pans, grease them, and repeat baking.
- When the second set of layers goes into the oven, begin icing the first set.
Frost the Layers While Warm
- Place a still-warm layer on a cardboard round set on a cooling rack inside a baking sheet. Spread 1/4 cup of icing on the layer, smoothing it gently to the edges (an offset spatula is great for this job). Top with the next layer and repeat.
PRO TIP: Note that the icing will be thin and fairly runny. It will drip down the sides of the layers. This is to be expected. Any excess icing should be scraped up and returned to the pan and all of it used in icing the cake. This is why I strongly recommend doing the icing of the cake on a wire rack set inside a baking pan.
- When all the layers have been stacked and iced, spread the remaining icing over the top and sides of the cake. If the icing becomes thick, return the pan to very low heat until it returns to spreading consistency.
- Smooth the icing around the sides of the cake, but realize that the contours are supposed to be visible on the outside of the cake.
Variations
- Many cooks around my hometown also make this cake with a caramel icing. I don’t have the original caramel icing recipe, but the version I use for my Southern Caramel Layer Cake should work well.
- I’ve also seen commercial versions of the little layer cake done in coconut, red velvet, and even lemon. I prefer the chocolate and caramel versions.
What to Serve With Chocolate Little Layer Cake
This cake is the perfect dessert for practically any occasion. I’ve served this for Sunday night family dinner, birthday parties, family reunions, and even bridal showers. It’s the perfect ending to a traditional southern meal of country fried steak, old fashioned green beans, fried okra, cornbread, and a fresh cucumber salad!
Storage
Store the cake in a covered container at room temperature for three or four days.
This cake freezes very well. To freeze, wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap, followed by a layer of aluminum foil. Place the wrapped cake in a freezer container and freeze for up to three months. Allow the frozen cake to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving.
More Popular Cake Recipes
Questions About Chocolate Little Layer Cake
As mentioned in the post, this icing is really thin and runny. It’s not the consistency that you usually think of for icing. The way I handle it is by placing a wire cooling rack inside a baking sheet and setting my layers on that to start. As I add icing, it drips off into the baking sheet. Keep scraping it up and adding it back to the pan. You’ll eventually use all the icing.
There are a few reasons that the icing can turn out grainy. A few tips are to make sure you have all the ingredients at room temperature before you start and to make sure all the sugar is completely dissolved.
The best way I’ve found to keep the layers from shifting is to insert two or three very thin bamboo skewers when you get about halfway up the stack. Keep layering and frosting, and cut your skewers off before you put the last layer on so they don’t show on the outside.
Have a question or thought to share?
If you have a question about the recipe or if you’ve made it and want to share how it turned out, I would truly enjoy hearing from you. Just scroll down to leave a comment or add your star rating.
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Recipe
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Chocolate Little Layer Cake
Ingredients
- Solid shortening for greasing pans
For the icing:
- 3 cups sugar
- 3 ½ ounces unsweetened baking chocolate see notes
- 10 ounces evaporated milk
- ½ cup butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the layers:
- 1 cup butter
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 6 eggs
- 3 ½ cups self-rising flour sifted
- 1 ¾ cups water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Have all ingredients at room temperature. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease 8” cake pans with shortening and set aside.
- Make the icing first. Place a large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium-low heat.
- Add the sugar, baking chocolate, evaporated milk, butter, and vanilla all at once. Cook until the sugar is completely dissolved, stirring frequently. Do not boil. It is important to make sure that the sugar is completely dissolved and no grainy texture remains.
- Meanwhile, make the batter. Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs all at once and beat until well incorporated. Add the flour and water alternately, beginning and ending with flour. (Note: the batter will appear to be curdled after each addition of water – this is normal.) Mix in the vanilla.
- Pour approximately 3/4 cup batter into each prepared pan. Smooth the batter to the edges.
- Bake for approximately 10 minutes or until layers are barely golden on top. Remove from oven and turn out onto cooling racks.
- Clean the pans, grease them and repeat baking.
- When second set of layers goes into the oven, begin icing the cake.
- Place a still-warm layer on a cardboard round set atop a cooling rack inside a baking sheet. Spread 1/4 cup icing on the layer spreading it gently to the edges. Top with the next layer and repeat.
- When all layers have been stacked and iced, spread remaining icing over top and sides of the cake. If the icing becomes thick, return the pan to very low heat until it returns to spreading consistency.
- Smooth the icing around the sides of the cake, but realize that the contours are supposed to be visible on the outside of the cake.
Notes
- The specific type of chocolate traditionally used for this recipe is Baker’s Premium Unsweetened Baking Chocolate. This chocolate produces the distinctive look, texture, and taste of this recipe.
- Store your cake in a covered container at room temperature for three or four days.
- To freeze, wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap followed by a layer of aluminum foil. Place the wrapped cake in a freezer container and freeze for up to three months. Allow the frozen cake to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
— This post was originally published on April 24, 2012. It has been updated with new photos and additional information.
I’m Lana Stuart, an award-winning cookbook author, food blogger, and lifelong cook raised deep in Southwest Georgia. I started Lana’s Cooking in 2009 to share the tried-and-true recipes I grew up with. Around here, the food is full of flavor, the traditions run deep, and there’s always room at the table.
My grandmother made a tiny layer cake for me years ago. We are natives of Savannah, Georgia. She said then her aunt had passed the recipe on to her.
My husband and I were born and raised in Augusta ga. Actually Martinez ga. Anyway his grandmother use to make these cakes we thought it was an old family recipe that only his grandmother made we lost our recipe so i googled it and found this sight and a few others so maybe it’s a Southern thang Lolol!
Hi, l live in Australia and l have been making layer cakes ‘tortes’ for a while. Like the Hungarian Dobos Torte or drumbeat cake. I’m going to have a go at this cake, it looks very nice…..l will let you know how l go. Could you tell me approx how much chocolate you have used please, preferably in grams but oz will do. Cheers Edith
Hi Edith – it’s 3.5 ounces of unsweetened baking chocolate. Here’s a link to the specific product: http://www.kraftrecipes.com/products/bakers-unsweetened-chocolate-ba-87.aspx
I grew up in a small town in southwest Georgia. We had these ineither caramel or chocolate for very special occasions. Or from the auction. There were a few ladies in town who made them, but we always got ours from Mrs. Rose. I am going to try your recipe and take my first shot at a layer cake (well more than 3) for my dad’s 60th birthday. Thanks for sharing!
I’m from a small town in southwest Georgia, too! Small world, isn’t it? I hope your cake turns out good.
Anywhere close to Camilla?
Fairly close – Colquitt in Miller County.
How much chocolate are you referring to when you say “block”?
Unsweetened baking chocolate comes in 1 oz. blocks, so that would 3.5 ounces. Here’s a link to the correct product: http://www.kraftrecipes.com/products/bakers-unsweetened-chocolate-ba-87.aspx
Not to far from me, I’m in Baconton!
I decided to attempt one of these cakes and was looking for a recipe. I discarded one after the next b/c I didn’t trust them (I’m sure they were perfectly fine but I couldn’t bring myself to sacrifice the time, money, and energy on just any recipe). And then I saw your’s…When you said you grew up in a rural southwest Georgia town I knew I had found the right recipe. It’s funny to me how quickly I was like “yep, this is the one!”
I grew up in Arlington. When I was a little girl my grandmother and granddaddy had Sunday afternoon “Coffees”. My aunts would make caramel cakes like this (one of which did make them and sell them!) She also made a fluffy, white coconut cake. My granddaddy (and my daddy) was a peanut farmer and there was always roasting peanuts in the oven and he would make peanut brittle right on the counter-top.
Such sweet memories of simple times. I think that’s why I “trusted” your recipe. I was reminded of a time when all was right in the (my) world and the hardest decision I had to make was which dessert I was going to eat and which cousin I was going to play with.
Thank you for sharing. We’ll see how my cake turns out.
I really hope the cake turns out great for you! I’d love to know how you like it.
I had never seen this cake until I went to a local store and bought a piece for my husband.
He loved it! Now I’m looking to make my own. Thank you for sharing the recipe, I’ll probably use butter instead of shortening. It’s healthier, I think.
I am from southeast GA (Statesboro, GA) and my great-grandmother was almost famous for her 14 layer chocolate and caramel cakes. Before she passed, the one thing I requested were her cast iron pans that she used to make these cakes with. Her recipe, and the one I still use, is very different from this one. I bake the layers at 500 degrees and can make 2 cakes in an hour once I get started. I actually made a chocolate one yesterday and I had forgotten how much I love that smell! According to my grandmother, if the moon is “on the rise” you can easily get 15 or 16 layers. Thanks for posting!
I live in southwest GA (Albany, GA). My mother loved sweets, and this cake was one of her favorites. She recently passed away, so the cake baking baton has been passed along. I tried her “little layer cake” recipe for the first time in all of my 50 years yesterday. It turned out a little messy, but my friend said it tasted really good. I don’t know where the recipe originated (Alabama or Maryland — maybe neither), but it doesn’t matter to me, because it has been a part of at least 3 generations in my Georgia family and no doubt predates my grandmother who was from middle GA (farm country) and 88 when she died at the turn of this century.
This cake is in my recipe box. Some of the
words have been changed around a bit, but
it is the same recipe. This cake recipe was
on the old Hershey Cocoa cans. I am 66 years old & this recipe was in my mother’s
recipe box on the original wrapper of the cocoa can. It is a brown label & recipe is printed in silver. A delicious cake. My mother made this cake when I was a child.
My mother used to make a 14-layer chocolate cake. (I have her recipe). She actually spread the batter on the back of the cake pans so she would have thin layers. I have her recipe. I recently sold a 6-layer caramel cake for $45. It took all day to complete!!!! As they used to say, “a lot of sugar for a dime”, haa
Watkinsville, Georgia. ..outside of Athens. Ladies at my church would make this. I have had it in both chocolate and caramel. Judy Giles made the best ones…she was amazing!!!
i am from duraham nc and grew up eating these.they were at church functions,family gatherings etc.but the best ones were made by my uncle.he owned a bakery in norfolk va.and brought us one of these wonderful cakes when he came to visit.
I’m from East TN but moved to NC where this cake has turned up at church functions. I found out it is made by one of the oldest members of our congregation. She was talking about making this cake the other day after church. Since she brought it up, I had the opportunity to ask if she had any tricks to it. She said well, she had to work fast. For each layer she uses 1/3 c. batter and they don’t bake long. She also said it was important to ice them while the layers were still warm. Since you commented on the layers not making as many as you wanted, I figured I’d share. I’ve been trying to decide what to make for a dessert for Christmas and have decided to commit to this cake since I’ve thought about it before and been hesitant. Maybe it won’t be too hard. Have you ever made the caramel version? I have had highs and lows with caramel frosting so I’d be curious to see if anyone has tips on how to keep the consistency for making this one in caramel.
I grew up in Middle Georgia and always spent Christmas at my grandmother’s or aunt’s in Marietta. We ALWAYS had this cake! For years my mother also made it for my birthday. I haven’t had it since she died 6 years ago, and I’ve really wanted it. My new MIL asked me to make a chocolate cake this year for Christmas, so I’m going to attempt this one! I haven’t had time to go to my dad’s and find my mother’s recipe.
Hope you enjoy the cake, Julie!
I’m from coastal SC and this cake has been a staple in my family for years. My mama used to make these when I was a kid. I know a number of people who have made layer cakes with these thin layers (usually 12-18) for years.
My great-grandmother always made a seven layer yellow cake with caramel icing. She was from rural south-west South Carolina. She would even keep a set of layers in the freezer, so if company dropped by unexpectedly she was ready; she would set them all out (didn’t take long to thaw), whip up some icing, and before you’d know it there was a beautiful cake to enjoy along with the visit. Hers always looked so neat and perfect — unlike my previous attempts with caramel icing! Great memories.
I have seen many variations of these cakes at church potlucks and social gatherings throughout South Carolina and east-central Georgia; I have always thought of them as regional Southern recipes, certainly not restricted to only two small towns. I have not encountered them anywhere outside of the South.
I am from SC and am 52.5 years old-ha. My Parents, Grandparents, Great and Great Great Grandparents all resided in SC. These cakes have been a part of my life since I can remember as a little girl. I continue the tradition of making them. They aren’t easy, but they are worth it!! Each one turns out different in shape, but the taste is always the same! You won’t turn into Patti Labelle with a taste of it, but dang it is love, comfort and goodness in your moth! P.S. I am not a pie girl. Cake for the win!
Mouth too! Lol
Hi Lana,
I named my first born Lana.
We are from Waterproof, Louisiana, a small town in Northeast Louisiana.
My dad’s mom always made this cake for repasses, church socials, family reunions, and holidays. It was always a hit.
I have never known anyone else around here to make it. She always did fourteen layers. I was always in awe of this cake as I was coming up.
Now that she is no longer with us I have decided to carry on the tradition for her. I hope I do her memory justice.
I’d love to know how the recipe works out for you!
My Grandmother used to make this chocolate thin layer cake in her skillet on the stove top with very thin layers. It was always so good. She was a great cook and baker. She lived in Nashville Georgia.That is in Georgia.
Hi, Rosemary…. I’m from Sampson County near Dunn. Sherri’s Bakery in Dunn makes the cakes, and Burney’s Bakery in Elizabethtown and Southport makes both chocolate and a caramel frosting in 15 layers. I read a NewYork Times article years ago statin that they were particulate to Alabama and just had to correct them! I have a coworker from Baltimore who calls them Smith Island cakes because they are popular in a region of Maryland.
Yes! My Aunt Cleo in South Alabama always made these for family reunions. It was always my favorite item on the dessert table! I was specifically looking for a how-to like this so I could re-create it. Thank you so much!