From a homegrown horse to homemade whiskey, a mammoth monster to a tiny butterfly, a fighting fish to a celebrated rock, Alabama is a land of symbols. Some are heroic, others are inspiring and a few take the cake. Actually, one is a cake.
State Dessert: The Lane cake
In 1898, Clayton, Alabama’s Emma Rylander Lane entered her cake in a county fair contest. Winning the event was just the beginning. Word spread about the confectionary delight akin to fruitcake on steroids. The Lane cake received statewide and national acclaim.
The Lane cake is mentioned in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird and became a favorite of President Jimmy Carter who served it in the White House. In Alabama the cake became a favorite dessert.
“Making a Lane cake is not too difficult,” says Denise Cochran Fisher, social media host of “South Alabama Cooking.” “But you must have everything just right. Use only egg whites and whip those whites until they have peaks. That gives it a lightness and freshness.”…