Lane Cake

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour bottoms of 4 9-inch layer cake pans, 1-1/2″ deep.

LANE CAKE:

Sift flour, baking powder and salt.
Cream butter and sugar until very light then add vanilla.
At low speed alternately beat in flour mixture (1/4 cup at a time) with milk (1/3 cup at a time), just until smooth.
Gently fold in stiffly beaten egg whites.
Pour batter evenly into 4 cake pans to a depth of about 1″.
Bake for 20 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.
Cool in pans for 5 minutes, then turn out on cake racks.

LANE FILLING:

Beat egg yolks slightly in a saucepan (fork). Add in sugar and butter and cook over low heat. Stirring, cook five minutes or until slightly thickened.
Add rest of ingredients; remove from heat and cool.
Spread this filling between the 4 cake layers. After cake has been “filled” then make frosting. This gives cake time to soak in a little of the flavor.

LANE FROSTING:

In a small saucepan, heat corn syrup to boiling stage. With mixer, beat egg whites in dry clean bowl until they form soft peaks. Add salt then slowly pour in the corn syrup, continuing to beat until frosting is fluffy and forms peaks when beater is lifted up out of frosting.
Fold in vanilla. Spread frosting over top and sides of the four filled cake layers.

This is one cake that really improves in flavor with time!

FILLINGS – may vary; for example, one layer may have pecans and coconut, the next layer almonds. This more traditional recipe was passed down from my grandmum.