Lady Baltimore cake is an elegant, showstopping dessert made from layers of airy cake, chewy fruit, crunchy nuts, and a cloud-like frosting. Here is how to make it.
Lady Baltimore Cake Recipe photo by Taste of Home

Special occasions call for showstopping desserts, and Lady Baltimore cake is one of our favorites. This towering layer cake is a masterclass in building complex textures and flavors. Airy, fluffy white cake layers alternate with stripes of a chewy, crunchy fruit-and-nut filling. The entire confection is topped with a cloud-like cap of white frosting. It’s beautiful.

The cake is a beloved vintage dessert, originally made in the Lady Baltimore Tea Room in Charleston, South Carolina, around the turn of the 20th century. Making the cake from scratch is admittedly a labor of love—there are plenty of easier cake recipes—but it’s an unforgettable dessert that will delight party guests.

Ingredients for Lady Baltimore Cake

  • Dried fruits and brandy: A signature element of Lady Baltimore cake is the dense layer of fruit and nuts between cake layers. Pre-soaking the fruits in brandy ensures that they’re plump, tender and flavorful.
  • Egg whites: Egg whites add plenty of volume and lightness to the cake batter. Bonus: For this recipe, you don’t need to whip the whites in advance! Just have them at room temperature before you start for the best results.
  • Buttermilk: Stirring buttermilk into the batter adds a tang to the cake, balancing the sweet frosting. If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, make an easy substitute with lemon or vinegar.
  • Butter: The creamy, rich frosting relies on butter for texture and flavor, so make sure to use a well-rated brand of butter.

Directions

Step 1: Prep the fruits

In a small bowl, combine the raisins and figs. Add brandy, and toss to combine. Let stand, covered, at room temperature, stirring occasionally, until the brandy is absorbed, about two hours.

Step 2: Prep the cake pans

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease three 8-inch round cake pans with butter or shortening. Line each pan with parchment, then grease the parchment as well.

Editor’s Tip: Properly preparing a cake pan ensures that the cake will be easy to remove after baking. This is especially important for a visually striking dessert like Lady Baltimore cake.

Step 3: Make the batter

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, orange zest, baking powder, baking soda and salt until blended. Add the buttermilk, butter and vanilla. Beat mixture on low speed 30 seconds, just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase the speed to medium, and beat for two minutes. Add the egg whites, and beat for two minutes longer.

Editor’s Tip: Leftover egg yolks can be frozen. They’re useful for homemade pudding or ice cream.

Step 4: Bake the cake layers

Transfer the batter to prepared cake pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake layer comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Let the cake layers cool in their pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire racks.

Step 5: Make the frosting

In a large bowl, cream the butter until fluffy. Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar. Beat in the vanilla and enough cream to reach desired consistency.

Editor’s Tip: You want the frosting to be soft enough to spread, but not so liquidy that it’s runny. Start by adding the smaller amount of cream, and increase one spoonful at a time until it’s right. If it gets too thin, add a bit more confectioners’ sugar.

Step 6: Make the fruit filling

For the fruit filling, transfer 1 cup of the prepared frosting to a small bowl. Stir in the pecans and raisin mixture (drain any excess liquid from the dried fruits first).

Step 7: Assemble the cake

Place one cake layer on a serving platter. Using a spatula or large spoon, spread with half of the fruit filling. Add another cake layer, and top with the remaining fruit filling.

Top with the final cake layer. Spread the plain frosting over the top and sides of the cake, aiming for an even thickness. Sweep the spatula over the frosting to create a wavy finish, which adds to the elegance of Lady Baltimore cake.

Recipe Variations

Lady Baltimore Cake TMB STUDIO

  • Swap the brandy: While brandy is a classic pairing for dried fruit, rum would also taste delicious. For a non-alcoholic option, try white grape juice or prune juice.
  • Switch the dried fruits: Just about any dried fruit would taste delicious in this recipe: golden raisins, apricots, prunes or dates. Lighter-colored fruits may give the cake a tarter, lighter flavor, while darker fruits will lean sweeter and richer.
  • Vary the nuts: Walnuts or blanched almonds would taste good in place of the pecans.

Lady Baltimore Cake Tips

Lady Baltimore Cake TMB STUDIO

Can I make a Lady Baltimore cake in advance?

You may bake the cake layers one day in advance. Allow them to cool completely, then tightly cover in wrap to preserve their moisture. Frosting and assembly should happen on the day you wish to eat the cake for optimal appearance and texture.

Leftover cake will keep for up to three days in the fridge. Store the cake under a dome or cake keeper. The texture will lose a bit of moisture and loft, but it will still taste delicious.

How do I achieve the light and fluffy texture in the Lady Baltimore cake layers?

The dreaded dense cake is one of the most common cake fails. This recipe uses a unique mixing method that doesn’t require the egg whites to be beaten before adding to the batter. This makes things much simpler for bakers, who don’t have to worry about knocking the air out of the whipped whites. However, you do want to make sure to beat the batter for the full two minutes required by the recipe, which will incorporate plenty of air and volume into the cake. Be gentle when pouring the batter into the pans for baking.

It’s also best to work with room-temperature ingredients when baking.

What’s the key to successfully making the icing for Lady Baltimore cake?

Consistency is the key to the frosting. Too thick, and the frosting won’t spread nicely. Too thin, and it will run and soak into the cake. Aim for a frothy, whipped consistency. Dip your spatula into the mixing bowl, then hold it up. The frosting should maintain some shape, but still have a “droop” at the tip (versus being so stiff that it doesn’t shift at all).

And always remember one of our top frosting tips: Never frost a warm cake!

Lady Baltimore Cake

I first made this cake for my fathers' birthday and now it is the only cake that he requests. This cake has complex flavors and is very unique. —Cleo Gonske, Redding, California
Lady Baltimore Cake Recipe photo by Taste of Home
Total Time

Prep: 30 min. + standing Bake: 20 min. + cooling

Makes

16 servings

Ingredients

  • 1-2/3 cups raisins, chopped
  • 8 dried figs, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup brandy
  • CAKE:
  • 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 teaspoons grated orange zest
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1-1/3 cups buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 large egg whites
  • FROSTING:
  • 2 cups butter, softened
  • 6 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/4 to 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted

Directions

  1. In a small bowl, combine raisins and figs. Add brandy; toss to combine. Let stand, covered, at room temperature until brandy is absorbed, about 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
  2. Preheat oven to 350°. Line bottoms of 3 greased 8-in. round cake pans with parchment; grease paper.
  3. In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, orange zest, baking powder, baking soda and salt until blended. Add buttermilk, butter and vanilla; beat on low speed 30 seconds or just until dry ingredients are moistened. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Add egg whites; beat 2 minutes longer.
  4. Transfer batter to prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 20-25 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.
  5. In a large bowl, cream butter until fluffy. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar. Beat in vanilla and enough cream to reach desired consistency. For filling, remove 1 cup frosting to a small bowl; stir in pecans and raisin mixture.
  6. Place 1 cake layer on a serving plate; spread with half the filling. Add another cake layer; top with remaining filling. Add remaining cake layer; spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake.

Nutrition Facts

1 piece: 745 calories, 36g fat (20g saturated fat), 81mg cholesterol, 373mg sodium, 102g carbohydrate (82g sugars, 2g fiber), 5g protein.