Alabama Lane Cake

September 16, 2014 by Mom Loves Baking 51 Comments

Alabama Lane Cake is a bourbon-laden layer cake with a coconut pecan icing that’s traditional in the American South.

Have you ever heard of Alabama Lane Cake? It’s a favorite in my family. The recipe has been handed down for generations. We call it simply Lane Cake in my family but I’m calling it Alabama Lane Cake in this post so readers know its origin. I’d never made it myself before now, but I have my grandmother’s handwritten recipe. That is not a huge help though since it gives no directions. Only ingredients. My mother has tried making it several times, as well as some of my cousins. They have all had trouble getting it to turn out just right. We recently had a family reunion and it was my cousin, Amy, who inspired me to finally attempt to make this much loved confection. Challenge accepted!

I decided to use my grandmother’s original ingredients, with the exception of a few additions and my own baking method. I was so delighted with the outcome. It came out great and that is why I am thrilled to share the recipe with you and all of my family members who would love to make this very special cake.

I used medium sized eggs for this recipe (it’s the egg on the right in this photo). Can you see the difference? The one on the left is large. I thought the eggs might have been a bit smaller at the turn of the century when my great grandmother was first making this recipe. Smaller eggs would provide for a smaller quantity of eggs whites. If you can’t find medium eggs, then you can measure the egg whites. You will need exactly 1 cup.

To make this cake, I used a method that is not the traditional creaming the butter and sugar, then adding eggs, dry ingredients and milk. No. This is the opposite and it works surprisingly well. So you start with your sifted cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix it together. Then, with your mixer on low, you slowly add cubes of very cold butter. It’s sort of like making a pie crust. Continue to mix on low until you have achieved fine crumbs. Then you add your milk and vanilla. Mix on low for 5 minutes. Gradually add your egg whites and mix on low for 3 more minutes. Voila! You have your beautifully perfect Lane Cake batter.

I used a Kitchenaid Mixer like this one to make the cake. You can find it on Amazon (affiliate):
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Divide the batter equally into your 3 prepared cake pans. Believe it or not, I used disposable cake pans (8″x1.25″ Hefty EZ Foil). It’s very important to prepare your pans properly so that your cakes won’t stick. I use Homemade Pan Release (Goop – see recipe below) and I also cut my own parchment circles.

Divide your batter equally amongst the 3 pans so that the cakes will be equally sized. DO NOT OVERBAKE. This is the key to a delicate, moist cake.

The filling ingredients. My grandmother didn’t specify golden raisins, but I thought they would be pretty.

My grandmother also didn’t have bourbon in her recipe but I thought it would be a nice addition. She had the word “wine” on her recipe card, but I wasn’t sure what kind. The bourbon turned out great. It gives it a boozy flavor which is lovely. When making the filling on the stove, stirring is the key. Don’t stop stirring or you might get scrambled eggs. Once it’s done, you will need to refrigerate, so that it thickens up enough to spread onto the cake without spilling over the sides.

Here’s my grandmother’s recipe card. Her handwriting wasn’t the best because her finger was damaged in a childhood collision she had with a fan. The index finger on her right hand was always straight. She couldn’t bend it but she could play the piano beautifully and she taught many students as well as played the organ at her church. And arranged flowers (from her garden) for her church every Sunday for 30 years!

My grandparents, Dorothy and Glenn. The sweet lady behind this special cake and her loving husband who was a big fan of her desserts. (You can see her forever straightened index finger in this photo.)

This is her brother, John Glenn (Uncle Gus), and an Alabama Lane Cake for his 90th birthday. I’m sure my grandmother would have made it for him if she had lived long enough. We think this one was made by his wife, Aunt Doris (around 1995).