Lane Cake
Bringing Back Childhood Memories from Church gatherings,
this was the cake my grandmother always made. Toasted coconut,
pecans, golden raisins & a few tablespoons of good whiskey.
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Cake
1 cup whole milk, room temperature
6 large egg whites, room temperature (carton whites work)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 12
pieces and softened
Filling
5 tablespoons bourbon (I used 12 T for double recipe)
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Salt
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
3/4 cup pecans
3/4 cup golden raisins
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Frosting
2 large egg whites, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
1. MIX BATTER Adjust oven rack to middle position and
heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch
cake pans. Whisk milk, egg whites, and vanilla in large
liquid measuring cup. With electric mixer on low speed, mix
flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until combined. Add
butter, 1 piece at a time, and beat until only pea-size
pieces remain. Pour in half of milk mixture and increase
speed to medium-high. Beat until light and fluffy, about 1
minute. Slowly add remaining milk mixture and beat until
incorporated, about 30 seconds.
2. BAKE CAKES Scrape equal amounts of batter into
prepared pans and bake until toothpick inserted in center
comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool cakes in pans 10
minutes, then turn out onto wire rack. Cool completely, at
least 1 hour. (Cooled cakes can be wrapped in plastic
wrap and stored at room temperature for 2 days.)
(If you don't remove the cakes after 10 minutes to rack,
they may stick) (I made cake layers ahead of time & put
in freezer - wrapped in saran wrap & then foil)
3. MAKE FILLING Whisk bourbon, cream, cornstarch, and
salt in bowl until smooth. Process coconut in food
processor until finely ground. Add pecans and raisins and
pulse until coarsely ground. Melt butter in large skillet over
medium-low heat. Add processed coconut mixture and
cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and
fragrant, about 5 minutes. Stir in bourbon mixture and
bring to boil. Off heat, add condensed milk and vanilla.
Transfer to medium bowl and cool to room temperature,
about 30 minutes. (Filling can be refrigerated in airtight
container for 2 days. Bring filling to room temperature
before using.)
4. WHIP FROSTING With electric mixer fitted with whisk
attachment, whip egg whites and cream of tartar on
medium-high speed until frothy, about 30 seconds. With
mixer running, slowly add sugar and whip until soft peaks
form, about 2 minutes; set aside. Bring corn syrup to boil
in small saucepan over medium-high heat and cook until
large bubbles appear around perimeter of pan, about 1
minute. With mixer running, slowly pour hot syrup into
whites (avoid pouring syrup onto beaters or it will splash).
Add vanilla and beat until mixture has cooled and is very
thick and glossy, 3 to 5 minutes.
5. ASSEMBLE CAKE Place 1 cake round on serving
platter. Spread filling over cake, then top with second cake
round. Spread frosting evenly over top and sides of cake.
Serve. (Cake can be refrigerated, covered, for 2 days.
Bring to room temperature before serving.) (we actually
refrigerated the cake for 4 days before serving, & it was
so moist!)
The Fast Lane: Easier Lane Cake
FROSTING: Say goodbye to double boilers and candy
thermometers. Say hello to corn syrup, which we simply
heat and beat into sweetened egg whites.
(worked perfectly)
FILLING: In lieu of cooked-egg fillings that are prone to
curdling, we use sweetened condensed milk as our filling
base.
CAKE: Instead of tediously folding fussy whipped egg
whites into the batter, we pour in unbeaten whites for a
simpler mixing method.
I tried this recipe from Cook's Country
and made a couple of changes in the
filling. For 2 (2 layer) cakes, I added the
entire can of Eagle Brand Sweetened
Condensed Milk, and 12 T of Bourbon.
Also, the seven minute icing method is
unbelievably simple & works like a charm.
This method involves heating light syrup in
a sauce pan and slowing pouring over
eggs white (not allowing the syrup to touch
the edge of the bowl or the beaters as you
pour). Also, bake the layers on the middle
rack in your oven so cake rises evenly.
When the batter was made, beating the
butter into the flour coats the flour and
keeps the batter from becoming rubbery.
This was a great tip from Cook's Country.
The cake is better if made at least 3 days
ahead of time & stored in refrigerator.
Pumpkin Dip
1 15 oz can pumpkin
1 8 oz cream cheese
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
Mix softened cream cheese with powdered
sugar until creamy. Add other ingredients.
Serve with ginger snaps. This is my sister's recipe.
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Lane Cake Truffles
(this is my alternative recipe)
Use the same recipe for the cake layers
Make the Filling
Mix about 1/2 ratio cake to Filling
and roll into a ball (3/4" round)
Dip into a dark chocolate (I use tempered
dark chocolate - you could use chocolate chips or a
chocolate candy coating)
The first bite - the bourbon is a pleasant surprise.
The 2nd bite, you notice the cake texture.
Great Party Item! Delicious!
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Corny Corn Muffins
Prepare 2 boxes of Jiffy Muffin Mix (by directions)
Stir in 1 can of creamed corn
1 tsp sugar
Bake approx 15 min (check to see if brown on top)
Bake at 375 degrees - makes 2 dz min muffins
Optional: Add hot diced pickled peppers - about 2 T
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