Favourite Lady Baltimore Cake

Lady Baltimore cake is a legendary Charleston, South Carolina dessert that made history when novelist Owen Wister fictionalized it in his 1906 novel of the same name. The cake itself is a tender vanilla-almond layer cake, but the signature is the filling: boiled frosting (an Italian-style egg-white frosting) packed with chopped walnuts, currants and dried figs.

The almond extract paired with vanilla is what gives this cake its delicate, distinctive flavor. Half a teaspoon of each is just enough to create complexity without making the cake taste like marzipan. Both extracts together create something more nuanced than either alone.

Separating the eggs and folding whipped whites into the batter at the end is the technique that gives this cake its airy, almost sponge-like texture. The whites add lift and lightness that creamed butter alone can’t provide.

Alternating dry and wet additions, ending with flour, prevents the batter from breaking. Start and end with flour to coat the fat and protect the structure.

The boiled frosting filling is where the magic happens. Currants, figs and walnuts get folded into the white fluffy frosting and spread between the layers. This creates the signature fruit-and-nut filling that defines the cake. Don’t substitute white frosting alone.

The outside of the cake traditionally gets covered with plain boiled frosting (no fruit), creating the classic two-textures appearance: smooth white outside, jeweled fruit-nut filling inside.

Pro Tips

• Use brown figs or Mission figs, not Calimyrna. The darker varieties contribute deeper flavor and dramatic color contrast in the filling.
• Soak the currants in hot water for 10 minutes before chopping to plump them up.
• Toast the walnuts lightly before chopping for richer flavor.
• This cake actually improves overnight. Make it a day ahead and store covered.

Variations

• Some Charleston traditionalists add 2 tablespoons of sherry or brandy to the fruit-nut filling.
• Substitute pecans for walnuts for a more Southern-leaning version.
• For a Christmas variation, add 1 teaspoon of fresh orange zest to the filling.