Images of extravagant celebrations may dance in your mind—and across your tongue—when hearing the name and having a bite of this classic Southern dessert. With a name like Lady Baltimore cake, a title once found in British nobility, one might imagine regality in each bite, as the flavors induce an idea of how a Lady Baltimore would have appeared: a woman of high society from a sumptuous time, befitting of a cake of such grandeur.
Alas, the only real Lady Baltimore was Joan Calvert, born in London, England, in 1588, the second wife to the first Lord Baltimore. Since the woman herself never visited the New World, we can say she was likely not the inspiration for the original recipe. However, the use of noble-adjacent names fo sweets was a bit of a trend from the 18th to the 20th centuries, and queen cakes, which long predate the Lady Baltimore cake, are the perfect example. Tiny, sweet desserts served to show extravagance,
