Lady Baltimore cake facts for kids

A Lady Baltimore cake is a yummy American layer cake. It has a soft, white cake base with a fluffy, sweet frosting. Inside, you'll find a delicious filling made with fruits and nuts. People think this cake was first made in the American South in the early 1900s.

The Story of the Lady Baltimore Cake

The Lady Baltimore cake has a fun story! The most popular legend says that a young woman named Alicia Rhett Mayberry baked and served this cake. She was from Charleston, South Carolina. A famous writer, Owen Wister, tasted her cake. He loved it so much that he named his novel Lady Baltimore after it!

In his book, Owen Wister described the cake like this:

"I should like a slice, if you please, of Lady Baltimore," I said... I had my first felicitous meeting with Lady Baltimore. Oh, my goodness! Did you ever taste it? It's all soft, and it's in layers, and it has nuts—but I can`t write any more about it; my mouth waters too much.

Delighted surprise caused me once more to speak aloud and with my mouth full. "But, dear me, this is delicious!"

Who Really Created the Cake?

Some food historians have a different idea about the cake's origin. They believe it might have come from Florence and Nina Ottelengui. These two women managed the Lady Baltimore Tea Room in Charleston for many years. They may have created the cake based on an older recipe called the "Queen cake."

The Ottelengui sisters were known for sending a cake to Owen Wister every year. This was their way of thanking him for making their cake famous! They also shipped hundreds of cakes all over the country during the holiday season.

The first time a cake called "Lady Baltimore" was mentioned in print was in 1906. Several newspapers at the time called it the "famous" or "original" cake.

How to Make a Lady Baltimore Cake

The first recipes for the Lady Baltimore cake appeared in newspapers in 1906. These included papers like The Daily Gazette and Bulletin in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, The Columbus Journal, and The Washington Times.

Here's a simplified look at the original recipe:

• You would beat the whites of six eggs.
• Then, you'd mix in sugar, milk, butter, flour, and baking powder.
• The egg whites were added last.
• The cake was baked in two pans for about 15 to 20 minutes.

Making the Frosting

The frosting was made by boiling sugar and water until it became "stringy." This usually took about five minutes. Then, this hot sugar syrup was slowly poured into very light beaten egg whites. This created a fluffy frosting.

For the filling between the cake layers, chopped raisins and nuts were stirred into some of the frosting. This made the cake extra delicious!

Modern Cake Variations

Today, you might find different versions of the Lady Baltimore cake. Some recipes use a meringue frosting or a "seven-minute" frosting. Sometimes, a little rum or other liqueurs are added to the filling for extra flavor.

The cake itself can be white or yellow. There's even a cake called the "Lord Baltimore cake." This version uses the leftover egg yolks from making the Lady Baltimore cake.