Lady Baltimore Cake
Lady Baltimore Cake is a historic 1900's dessert with white cake, delightful raisin, fig, and pecan filling, topped with 7-minute frosting.
Ingredients
DRY INGREDIENTS
- 2 ⅔ c. unbleached flour
- 2 T. cornstarch or instant ClearJel
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. baking soda
WET INGREDIENTS
- ¾ c. butter room temp
- ¼ c. oil canola or extra light virgin olive oil
- 1 ¾ c. sugar
- 6 egg whites stiff-beaten
- 1 c. buttermilk or milk
- 1 ½ tsp. vanilla
- ½ tsp. lemon extract
FILLING
- 1 ½ c. pecans finely chopped
- 1 c. raisins soaked in brandy
- 1 c. dried figs finely chopped
- ¼ c. dried tart cherries soaked in brandy
- ¼ c. brandy (soak raisins)
- ½ tsp. lemon extract
FROSTING (7-minute)
- 3 egg whites
- 1 c. superfine sugar
- ⅓ c. water
- ½ tsp. cream of tarter
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- pinch salt
- pink gel color optional
EASY BUTTERCREAM FROSTING (garnish)
- ½ c. butter
- 1 ½ c. confectioner sugar
- 1-2 T. cream or milk
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- pink gel color natural if possible
Instructions
PREP
- Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and lightly flour (3) 8" round cake pans.
- Separate out 8 egg whites (6 for the cake) and reserve (2) egg whites to use in the 7-minute frosting.
- For the cake: whisk together dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
- For the filling: finely chop, figs, pecans and candied cherries. Place raisins in a bowl with 2 T. brandy.
CAKE
- Place egg whites in mixer and whip until stiffly beaten. Remove from mixer and set aside.
- Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add oil, vanilla and lemon extract and mix until combined.
- Add in dry ingredients and then the buttermilk and mix until combined.
- Lightly fold in the egg whites by hand.
- Pour 1/3 of the batter into each of the (3) greased cake pans. Bake for 25-28 minutes. Place toothpick in center comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool before frosting them.
- Release cake from sides of pan with an off-set spatula. Turn cakes out onto parchment paper or cooling rack. Wrap in plastic wrap until cake assembly to retail the moisture.
FILLING
- In a separate bowl, mix together raisins, figs, pecans and candied cherries.
FROSTING (7-minute)
- Boil a pan of water. Take the bowl from stand mixer and place on top of the boiling pan of water. Place egg whites, sugar, water, cornstarch, cream of tarter, and salt into the bowl. Whisk for about 5 minutes until all the sugar is dissolved.
- Move bowl to stand mixer and add vanilla. Beat on high until glossy with stiff peaks form, about another 3-4 minutes. Use gel coloring to tint the frosting to a pale pink color.
- Place frosting on cake right away or store covered until use. Frosting will crust once applied to cake, so be sure to cover with a glass cake stand or just cover with plastic wrap.
BUTTERCREAM FLOWERS (for garnish)
- Place butter, confectioner sugar, and cream in mixer. Beat together until light and fluffy. Use gel coloring to tint the frosting to a pale pink color.
ASSEMBLE CAKE
- Take out 1/2 of the 7-minute frosting and add it to the filling mixture. The remaining 1/2 of frosting will be used to frost the cake.
- Put bottom layer of cake onto cake plate. Place wax or parchment paper around edges of cake in order to frost neatly.
- Place 1/3 of the filling on top of the first layer and spread with off-set spatula.
- Place middle cake layer on the cake. Place filling on top of the middle layer.
- Add the last cake layer with the bottom-side down so you have smooth top.
- Place remaining frosting on the top of the cake and swirl around pushing it down onto the sides. Use an off-set spatula to guide the frosting.
- Fill piping bags with buttercream frosting. Garnish cake with buttercream leaves using a leaf tip.
- Another vintage suggestion was to top cake with a tiny nosegay of real flowers. You could simulate this with buttercream flowers.
Notes
NOTE: Several options to decorate based on variations over the years.
- Frost white with the 7-minute frosting and garnish with flowers in center.
- Tint the frosting pink and also add pink leaves made from buttercream flowers and then add real nosegay in center of cake.