The combination of Maryland’s most iconic spice and Maryland’s most iconic cake seems like a no-brainer: It's a match made in ... Maryland.

“The spice must flow.” Only, this isn’t Frank Herbert’s Dune and the spice isn’t Melange. This is Maryland, and the spice is Old Bay. And flow it does: on to seafood, chicken wings, fries, popcorn, and yes, even dessert items, specifically a new version of a state classic, the Smith Island Cake.

If you’ve never had a Smith Island Cake, it’s definitely something that should be on your foodie bucket list. A small island in the Chesapeake Bay, about 10 miles offshore, Smith Island straddles the Maryland and Virginia state lines, and the only way to access the 400-year-old watermen’s community is by ferry. The seasonal work of being a waterman dictates a life away from home for weeks and even months at a time, so in the 1800s, wives began making and sending Smith Island Cakes along with the husbands as a special treat to remind them of home. The cake layers were incredibly thin, a feat of craftsmanship and a point of pride for the bakers, and they were iced with fudge, which would hold up over the long weeks better than buttercream or other frostings.

Fast-forward to the present, and the Smith Island Cake is the official State Dessert of Maryland and still a visually stunning, multitiered masterpiece. The Smith Island Baking Co. makes and ships hundreds of cakes worldwide every day. They make the iconic cake in many flavors, including original chocolate, double chocolate, chocolate peanut butter, red velvet, pumpkin spice, caramel cream, cooked coconut, vanilla buttercream, and now Old Bay buttercream (among others, seriously there are so many amazing flavors).

The new Old Bay buttercream variety debuted at the beginning of the month, and it already has fans. Old Bay lends slightly salty and slightly spicy notes to the sweet creamy buttercream, perfectly complementing the moist vanilla cake. The combination of Maryland’s most iconic spice and Maryland’s most iconic cake seems like a no-brainer. You could say it’s a match made in heaven, or even better, a match made in Maryland!

Have you tried this divine dessert? Let us know what you think in the comments.