The 135-Year-Old Recipe Harper Lee Made Famous

Lane cake has a history that’s almost as rich as its boozy, egg yolk–rich filling. What exactly makes this Alabama dessert so delicious—and how do you make it at home? Let’s find out.

What Is Lane Cake?

Lane cake, also known as prize cake or Alabama Lane cake, is a four-layer white cake with a bourbon-spiked raisin filling that originated in the American South. It’s the official state cake of Alabama.

The base for Lane cake is a variation of the old-fashioned 1-2-3-4 cake (a classic cake recipe with one cup of butter, two cups of sugar, three cups of flour, and four eggs) that calls exclusively for eight egg whites instead of four whole eggs. This results in a spongier texture.

The boozy filling traditionally contains egg yolks, sugar, butter, raisins, bourbon, and vanilla. Modern versions frequently feature pecans and coconut flakes.

Lane Cake History

Emma Rylander Lane of Clayton, Alabama is credited with inventing the Lane cake in the 1890s. She won first prize with it at the county fair in Columbus, Georgia, then published the recipe in her very own cookbook under the title “Prize Cake” in 1898.

Strangely enough, the decadent dessert has had quite the impact on American literature. Here are some of the most famous references:

• Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning To Kill a Mockingbird includes arguably the most iconic mention of the Lane cake. In the novel, the Finch’s neighbor, Miss Maudie, was famous for her Lane cake throughout the fictional town of Maycomb. “Miss Maudie baked a Lane cake so loaded with shinny it made me tight,” Scout Finch tells the reader. The cake was referenced several other times throughout the book.
• “I guess it would be more accurate to say that Mama never liked to cook, and welcomed my father into the kitchen whenever he was willing,” President Jimmy Carter wrote in his memoir Christmas In the Plains. “He was always the one who prepared batter cakes or waffles for breakfast, and he would even make a couple of Lane cakes for Christmas. Since this cake recipe required a strong dose of bourbon, it was just for the adult relatives, doctors, nurses, and other friends who would be invited to our house for eggnog.”

Lane Cake vs. Lady Baltimore Cake

Lane cake is frequently confused with Lady Baltimore cake, another Southern staple. Lady Baltimore cake originated in South Carolina in the early 1900s. The Lane cake is slightly older than its Charleston-born counterpart, which traditionally contains more ingredients in the filling (including figs and walnuts).

How to Make Lane Cake

The Lane cake is infamous for being a labor of love, but modern equipment has simplified the process quite a bit.

Our top-rated Lane cake recipe can’t be beat, according to the Allrecipes community.

“I made this a while back for my class after reading To Kill A Mockingbird and everybody loved it,” raves reviewer Lycoris. “My teacher told me after one bite ‘normal people can’t do this.’ He was practically dancing as he ate!”

“True, this cake took quite some time,” says another satisfied reviewer. “However, the results were worth it!.”

Get the recipe: Lane Cake