Anne Spencer Kitchen & Lightning Cake Recipe

Harlem Renaissance poet Anne Spencer was not only a celebrated writer and civil rights advocate but also a devoted gardener, hostess and keeper of a warm, welcoming home. In her Lynchburg, Virginia, house—now preserved as the Anne Spencer House & Garden Museum—Spencer and her husband, Edward Alexander Spencer, created a gathering place for artists, activists and thinkers during a segregated era. The kitchen, vibrant and intimate, remains one of the most personal windows into her daily life.

While working as a librarian at the all-Black Dunbar High School, Anne frequently supplemented the school’s collection with books from her own shelves. At home, she collected recipes from popular early 20th-century cookbooks, blending curiosity with tradition. Today, her kitchen stands carefully preserved, offering visitors a colorful, authentic glimpse into domestic life during the height of her literary career.

Like the rest of the house, Anne Spencer’s kitchen reflects her love of nature and color. Mint green cabinets trimmed with cheerful yellow accents are decorated with floral stencils, while the breakfast table is painted in her favored robin’s-egg blue — a shade she also used throughout her garden trellises.

One of the kitchen’s most striking details is a poem, “A Lover Muses,” painted directly onto a floor-to-ceiling cabinet near the sink. The cabinet once held cleaning supplies and still does today, blending beauty and practicality in a way that feels distinctly Anne.

A bold red upholstered door near the side porch adds another layer of history. Edward Spencer salvaged it from the Harrison Theatre, once Lynchburg’s only African American movie house, and repurposed it as part of the kitchen — an example of his inventive reuse and love of storytelling through objects.

Anne’s prolific garden also shaped her cooking. She often garnished salads with edible nasturtiums from her beds and enjoyed classic Southern dishes such as spoon bread and country ham, alongside recipes discovered through her cookbooks.

Although Anne’s writing, activism and gardening filled much of her days, Edward — affectionately known as “Pop” to the grandchildren — often took charge of cooking, preparing special meals such as oyster stew and holiday brunches. With frequent visitors and a busy household, the family also relied on help, but the kitchen remained the heart of daily life.

Today, the Anne Spencer House & Garden Museum remains one of the most intact historic house museums in the United States. Walking through the kitchen, visitors can still sense the rhythms of family meals, literary conversations and creative exchange — all grounded in a space where food, color and culture met.

Family gatherings in the Spencer kitchen often ended with a dessert beloved by Anne’s grandchildren: White Lightning Cake. Anne discovered the recipe in The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book by Fannie Farmer, a foundational American culinary text.

The version shared here reflects Anne’s own adaptation, expanded from the original single-layer cake to accommodate family and frequent guests. While the original recipe did not include frosting, a simple buttercream made with confectioners’ sugar was a popular and period-appropriate addition.

GINGER WARDER is a freelance writer specializing in arts, entertainment, travel with pets, and European destinations. Author of Fido’s Virginia and Fido’s Florida (both Countryman), she is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers and  lives in Richmond, Virginia with her German Shepherd, Lola, and her cat, Gizmo.

ROBERT RADIFERA has been creatively photographing weddings, interiors and portraits for over two decades. His interior work has been published in Southern Living, Southern Home, The Cottage Journal, HGTV Magazine, Virginia Wine & Country Weddings and Home and Design, as well as many other local and national publications.