Lady Baltimore Cake

Anna Elizabeth Henry

1st Lieutenant
Silver Patron
Joined
Feb 15, 2015
Location
New York, New York
I stumbled upon the interesting story of the legend behind the Lady Baltimore Cake after I discovered its recipe in a vintage cookbook. A Southern belle named Alicia Rhett Mayberry baked and served the recipe to author Owen Wister in Charleston, SC. As the story goes, Wister loved the recipe so much, he named his novel Lady Baltimore after the cake. Wister even describes the cake and its flavors in the novel -

"I should like a slice, if you please, of Lady Baltimore," I said, with extreme formality ... I returned to the table and 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!" ~ Lady Baltimore by Owen Wister

While the above legend sounds like a good one, many food historians disagree with it. The cake may have originally been first made in Charleston's Lady Baltimore Tea Room, where it was developed based on a modified version of the common Queen cake from the late 19th century. Supposedly the manager of the tearoom Florence Ottenlengui mailed Owen Wister a cake to thank him for making their creation famous. The tearoom also was known to ship hundreds of these cakes around the country at Christmastime.

The first recorded mention of the cake with it's name began to appear around 1906 with newspaper articles referring to "Lady Baltimore Cake" as the famous or original recipe.

Wherever it originated from, it's been a classic favorite for many years. This recipe version is from The American Woman's Cook Book by Ruth Berolzheimer from 1951 -

baltimore cake.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I never did either. There are many recipe variations online though, so if the Mrs. isn't keen on this one you can find others. There was one the Taste of Home website here - http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/lady-baltimore-cake

I like the addition of brandy in this recipe version :tongue:
Brandy or rum is a good addition to a lot of cakes.the Germans use a cherry brandy called "Kirshwasser" that is also great,it is the main flavor in a Black Forest Cake.
 
View attachment 130977

I stumbled upon the interesting story of the legend behind the Lady Baltimore Cake after I discovered its recipe in a vintage cookbook. A Southern belle named Alicia Rhett Mayberry baked and served the recipe to author Owen Wister in Charleston, SC. As the story goes, Wister loved the recipe so much, he named his novel Lady Baltimore after the cake. Wister even describes the cake and its flavors in the novel -

"I should like a slice, if you please, of Lady Baltimore," I said, with extreme formality ... I returned to the table and 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!" ~ Lady Baltimore by Owen Wister

While the above legend sounds like a good one, many food historians disagree with it. The cake may have originally been first made in Charleston's Lady Baltimore Tea Room, where it was developed based on a modified version of the common Queen cake from the late 19th century. Supposedly the manager of the tearoom Florence Ottenlengui mailed Owen Wister a cake to thank him for making their creation famous. The tearoom also was known to ship hundreds of these cakes around the country at Christmastime.

The first recorded mention of the cake with it's name began to appear around 1906 with newspaper articles referring to "Lady Baltimore Cake" as the famous or original recipe.

Wherever it originated from, it's been a classic favorite for many years. This recipe version is from The American Woman's Cook Book by Ruth Berolzheimer from 1951 -

View attachment 130972
I am drooling comprehensively. Looks yummy.
 
I never did either. There are many recipe variations online though, so if the Mrs. isn't keen on this one you can find others. There was one the Taste of Home website here - http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/lady-baltimore-cake

I like the addition of brandy in this recipe version :tongue:
I made this recipe today for a birthday celebration for two of my friends who had birthdays this week. It was great! But way too rich, with the butter and the brandy. Next time I'll just bite the bullet and do the original recipe, with the light fluffy meringue. But I plan to keep the grated orange peel idea from the Taste of Home recipe. The cake itself was divine with that little touch!
 
I made this recipe today for a birthday celebration for two of my friends who had birthdays this week. It was great! But way too rich, with the butter and the brandy. Next time I'll just bite the bullet and do the original recipe, with the light fluffy meringue. But I plan to keep the grated orange peel idea from the Taste of Home recipe. The cake itself was divine with that little touch!

Glad you enjoyed it! I often find certain types of frosting WAY too rich for me. Sure they taste good, but a little goes a long with those types of frosting.
 
I never did either. There are many recipe variations online though, so if the Mrs. isn't keen on this one you can find others. There was one the Taste of Home website here - http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/lady-baltimore-cake

I like the addition of brandy in this recipe version :tongue:
I was intrigued and went ahead and made this cake the other day. I have eaten a piece twice now. I think if I eat one more piece I will have to go into rehab.
 
Back
Top