Roll each ball out as for pastry to fit 9-inch cake pan . Cook until soft enough to mash. You will be baking the layers in batches, for a total of six layers. At the Madison, Put ramekins on a baking sheet. Add the flour mixture in thirds, alternating with half of the buttermilk. 1 cup sorghum molasses There are a wide variety of gingerbread sweets. Cream shortening and sugar together , Add egg , molasses ,and buttermilk . Add to other mixture . When the cake is stacked, wrap in cheesecloth. Legend holds that the apple stack cake originated as an affordable alternative to a wedding cake. Roll out dough like you would for a piecrust. The cane was crushed and pressed to release the juice, which was cooked until it reduced and thickened into dark, sweet, sticky syrup. Dissolve soda in buttermilk, stirring well; set aside. Let set several hours or overnight before cutting. 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon A stack cake looks like a stack of thick pancakes. Steer wrestling, a practice credited to legendary cowboy and rodeo star Bill Pickett, usually involves leaping onto a steer from the back of a specially trained horse. How to Make Dried Apple Stack Cake . https://www.thespruceeats.com/apple-stack-cake-recipe-3050722 Cream shortening and sugar; add beaten egg, molasses, buttermilk, and mix well. Long ago, stack cakes were often used for marrying couples in Appalachia as a substitute for a more traditional (and more expensive) wedding cake. Alternate layers of cake with a thin layer of cooked apples. Add apples to boiling water. That’s a charming story, but it doesn’t add up. Yes, you can add a buttery, crunchy topping to your sweet potato pie. Sift flour, soda, salt, and ginger into a mixing bowl. Pour the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Cake? It’s from an old-fashioned stack cake recipe that uses sorghum molasses in the batter and it’s frosted with a spiced applesauce mixture. Any type of dried fruit may be used. Read about this Blue Ridge Mountain cake: www.appalachianmtnroots.com/2017/11/appalachian-apple-stack-cake.html The hallmark of cooking in the Mountain South is resourcefulness, making utterly delicious dishes from modest ingredients. Don't be stingy; spread the apples on thickly! Put 1 pound apples in heavy pan and cover with cold water. | Website by Web Publisher PRO, A Year-Round Guide to Franklin and Nantahala, 31 Days, 31 Ways to Enjoy Apples in North Carolina, 10 Places to Shop for One-of-a-Kind North Carolina Gifts, Watch: How to make Sweet Potato Pie Casserole. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. If it is soupy, continue to simmer until the excess cooks away. The cake layers are more like a dough that gets patted out, instead of a batter. You may need to add water several times to keep apples from sticking to pan. Lightly prick the dough all over with a fork, making a pretty pattern if you wish. Cream shortening and sugar; add beaten egg, molasses, buttermilk, and mix well. Set aside. To Make Filling: Combine dried apples and water in a saucepan. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans. Dried fruit is soaked and spiced to make the filling. Dried Apple Filling: 1 pound (4 to 5 packed cups) dried unsulphured apples 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon. Dried Apple Stack Cake. The more layers, the more popular the bride. The hallmark of cooking in the Mountain South is resourcefulness, making utterly delicious dishes from modest ingredients. No one knows who made the first stack cake, but it was likely a cook who had a trusty cast-iron skillet, a good supply of sorghum and dried apples, and a dab of flour. Stack-cake layers are thin and almost crisp. 1 teaspoon ground ginger It makes a dough . Still, a stack cake was (and is) a labor of love and an exercise in patience, usually made only for celebrations. For the filling: Place the apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and mace in a large saucepan. (Alternatively, you can bake the layers one at a time in a greased and floured, well-seasoned cast-iron skillet, which is the traditional technique. She is a writer, recipe developer, cooking teacher, and popular public speaker. Bake. Tis the season for cookies and pie and gingerbread, and we’re so excited to celebrate! Use a potato masher to break up the apples into chunky sauce. Cool cake layers. The shortening helps keep the layers pliable and easier to work with. Bake approximately 15-20 minutes in 375 degree oven. Total. Turn out the first layer onto a large cake plate. Ingredients CAKE. Remove from oven, and let stand for 5 minutes. A couple turned their passion for agriculture and love of North Carolina into Mike's Farm, a holiday destination for families across the state. Bake for 25-35 minutes, until puffed and golden. At any height, a stack cake must sit and cure for at least two days. 1 teaspoon baking powder Some cooks added a fat pinch of spices, perhaps mace or cinnamon or ginger. See more ideas about Apple stack cake, How to stack cakes, Dried apples. A stack cake is a unique regional variation that replaces a wedding cake, which can be prohibitively expensive in the economically deprived area of Appalachia, United States.Friends and family each bring a layer for the cake, and the bride's family spreads apple preserves, dried apples, or apple butter between each layer. 2 eggs, lightly beaten Bake until the layers are firm when lightly pressed, about 15 minutes. Typically, molasses is used as an ingredient to give […], Want to free up space in the oven while cooking on Christmas day? The layers (surely a hodgepodge of different thicknesses and diameters) were allegedly brought to the wedding, stacked on site, and cut on the spot. 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar Add vanilla, stir well, batter will be stiff. Cream shortening and sugar; add beaten egg, molasses, buttermilk, and mix well. Sift flour, soda, salt, and ginger into a mixing bowl. This Old Fashioned Fresh Apple Cake Recipe is one of our faves. The cake often begins dry, but after sitting 24 hours layered with applesauce, it becomes moist and delicious. Sheri believes that stories happen only to those who can tell them. Dried Apple Filling: For the cake layers: Preheat the oven to 350°. Continue baking, stacking, and topping the warm layers. The legendary wrestler once billed as the "Eighth Wonder of the World" made his home on a ranch in the small town of Ellerbe. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients and pour in creamed shortening mixture, stirring until well blended. Combine apples and molasses; cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, 20 minutes or until apples absorb molasses. In another large bowl, beat the shortening, sugar, and molasses with an electric mixer set to medium speed until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Ingredients. Some believe it’s an Appalachian Apple Stack Cake recipe that’s been passed down over the years. We collected 10 of our favorite galleries and craft shops across the state for local, handmade treasures that you can’t find anywhere else. Yet another option is to pat the dough into six 9-inch rounds and bake them on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. From cinnamon rolls and casseroles for breakfast to the main course and side dishes, we’ve found […]. Make sure the dough is well chilled. Mix Well . 1 teaspoon salt Step-by-Step . 13 to 15 mins. This is an easy to make spice cake filled with the exciting flavors of dried apple, pecans, coconut and currants. Old Fashioned Dried Apple Stack Cake Ingredients : 2 c. flour (self-rising) 1 1/2 c. molasses 1 c. buttermilk 1 stick butter 3 eggs Cinnamon & allspice Topping: Dried apples Water Cinnamon & allspice Sugar Preparation : Melt butter and combine with flour, buttermilk, eggs and molasses. Pour batter in round cake pans that have been greased and floured well. 1 (8 ounce) package dried apples or peaches. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients and pour in creamed shortening mixture, stirring until well blended. Others let the apples speak for themselves. 1 cup brown sugar. Bake 10-12 minutes. There is no cake perhaps no recipe more rooted in Appalachian mountain culture. There’s something so magical about listening to Christmas carols while baking in the kitchen. With a flexible spatula, remove strata to, Yields: 12 to 16 servings. Mix well . That is why eyebrows are often raised when stories are told about poor mountain brides who could not afford a wedding cake and were gifted with stack-cake layers donated by friends and family members. For generations, families and communities came together each fall to cook their annual supply of sorghum molasses — the most important sweetener in areas that had limited access to refined sugar and even less cash for buying it. The Best Apple yogurt cake ever! The bride’s family would then spread the apple butter between each layer as the stack was built up. A loaf of bread? Sift flour , baking powder , baking soda ,salt , and ginger together . From a handblown glass ornament that shines like a jewel to a coveted coffee mug perfect for Christmas morning, the best-loved gifts are the ones that can’t be replaced. Step-by-Step . Consider the stack cake: many thin layers of sorghum-sweetened cake married together by thick, fragrant filling made from dried apples. https://www.epicurious.com/.../views/tennessee-mountain-stack-cake-359949 Start the filling first. Gingerbread is a universal word that can mean many things. Nowadays cooks more often bake several layers at once, but, no matter, the layers are stacked and filled as soon as they are baked and ready. Sift flour, soda, salt, and ginger into a big mixing bowl. Leave the top layer bare. At the end of a long, hot, sticky day, the year’s supply of sorghum was sealed into crocks and canning jars. The more it mellows, the more delicious it is. Then get out your pressure cooker! The mixture should be the consistency of cookie dough, so knead the dough together with your hands if that works better than the mixer. Set aside. While the layers bake/cool. If the mixture gets dry, add more water. Divide dough into 6 or 7 balls . In those days, it served as a sort of potluck wedding cake: Members of the community would contribute layers, which were held together with a spread of mashed dried apples, applesauce, or apple butter. Cool layers completely. How to Make Kentucky Dried Apple Stack Cake . Dried Apple Stack Cake. Soak dried apples in water to cover overnight. Drain well. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low, and let simmer, stirring frequently, until the apples are tender and the filling is very thick, about 1 hour. A freshly stacked cake is no gift at all. For generations, families and communities have come together around this traditional Mountain dessert. Today we are baking a true, old-fashioned Appalachian Apple Stack Cake! No two bakers of stack cake go about it the same way, which means there's no definitive stack-cake recipe or technique, only a common concept and love for the simple dessert. Put between the layers of cake. The collected juice was poured into huge troughs and cooked over open flames, tended by people with watchful eyes and ingrained expertise. Pat down and spread out to cover pan. This Apple Stack Cake Recipe is almost like an Applesauce Cake recipe. Store covered in a cool dry place or in the fridge at least overnight. There is no cake — perhaps no recipe — more rooted in Appalachian mountain culture. Use lightly floured hands to pat a piece of dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared cake pans. To make stack-cake filling, dried apples were gently cooked until they collapsed into a thick, fragrant stew. Immediately spread it with one-fifth of the apple filling (about 1 heaping cup). Add enough water to cover. 1 teaspoon baking soda Bring to a light boil, then reduce the heat to low. The dough should be about ½-inch thick. Apple butter serves as the icing. This is the version Appalachian writer and cookbook author Sheri Castle has developed over three decades, and the recipe she plans to pass along to her daughter. Divide batter into 4 batches and bake in iron skillets until brown at 375 degrees. Cut to fit 9-inch pan or cast-iron skillet you should have enough to amke 7 layers. Apr 20, 2018 - Explore Rose Payne's board "dried apple stack cakes" on Pinterest. Given a little time, the moisture from the apples softens the layers a bit, melding the flavors and making the cake moist and delectable. Basically, it’s a baked good filled with spices like ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon. After putting batter in pan put enough flour or approximately 1 teaspoon on top of batter. Just A Pinch will NOT work unless you turn javascript ON in your browser. ⅔ cup vegetable shortening Cook for 30 minutes-1 hour, or until the apples are tender and have absorbed the liquid. Many people believe that there must be an odd number of layers. ADD brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/dried-apple-stack-cakes-241218 Add vanilla . Mash dried apples, spread between layers. 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stack the cake until all fruit and layers have been used. BRING water to a boil in large pan, such as Dutch oven. That first cook almost certainly baked her cake layers one at a time, patting the dough into her skillet, baking them over a cooking fire or on the hearth, turning them out onto a plate, stacking and filling as she went. Kentucky Apple Stack Cake--Traditional Version. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. 1/2 cup shortening 1/2 cup sugar 1 egg, well beaten 1/3 cup molasses 1/2 cup buttermilk 3 1/2 cups flour 1/2 teaspoon soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ginger 1 teaspoon vanilla Cooked dried apples. Best to leave set 1-2 days before served. The layers do not rise as they bake. When you hear gingerbread what comes to mind? Cover the cake with several layers of plastic wrap and then tea towels, or store it in an airtight cake carrier. And the classic showcase for the fruit is the apple stack cake, generally believed to have first emerged in the mountains of Kentucky. Original recipe makes 1 – 2 layer cake. When the dried fruit has been cooked according to directions on the package, add the sugar and cinnamon. Consider the stack cake: many thin layers of sorghum-sweetened cake married together by thick, fragrant filling made from dried apples. Whether you’re making gifts to give, cookies to leave for Santa, or making a fancy dessert for Christmas dinner, these holiday dessert recipes are perfectly festive! CHOP dried apples (this is easily done in a food processor fitted with metal blade). This 7-layer cake is the moistest and sweetest apple stack cake I’ve had, and has the most tantalizing aroma while baking. At one time, most cane presses were powered by a mule walking in a circle around the press, setting the mechanics into motion. https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-apple-stack-cake-240546 ½ teaspoon ground mace or nutmeg While still hot, mash apples and add 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup white sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon cloves, and 1 teaspoon allspice. Spread remaining apples in a thin layer over top and sides of cake. She is fueled by mountains, excellent bourbon, farmers’ markets, and searching for the right word. 1 cup granulated sugar 5 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed A pressure cooker can be your best friend when preparing a holiday meal because it cuts down on cooking time. Add vanilla, stir well, batter will be stiff. Divide the dough into six equal pieces. Add a bit more flour if needed. and its Gluten Free!! The cake layers are baked on top of the round cake pans, not inside. An Apple Stack Cake is made from six to eight thin layers of molasses flavored cake, layered with applesauce made from dried apples, apple preserves, or apple butter. A stack cake is a special occasion in and of itself. Pieces of apples were threaded onto strings and hung in the rafters, or strewn onto quilts spread out under the chilly, bright, sunshiny autumn sky. Cookies? Let the cake rest at room temperature for at least two days before cutting. It tastes fabulous! Sheri Castle hails from Watauga County, but came down off the mountain to go to Carolina and now lives in Fearrington Village. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap so it won’t dry out. 1 pound (4 to 5 packed cups) dried unsulphured apples Cook uncovered over medium heat until almost all water is absorbed, about 20 to 25 minutes. Prep. Make the apple filling: Combine the dried apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and water in a large pot over medium-high heat. Friends and family would each come bringing a layer to help build up the stack. Bring to a boil over medium-high … Dried apples make a delicious snack all by themselves, but reconstituting them within a dessert brings out the tannins and sugars. © Our State Magazine 2020, All rights reserved. To complete cake, stack the layers using the dried apple filling between each layer. About that same time of year, mountain families dried apples so they would have fruit through the long, cold winter. APPLE FILLING. In fact, we recommend it. One bushel of fresh apples will yield approximately 1/4 bushel dried. 1 cup well-shaken buttermilk. by tom | February 18, 2015 | No comments | Cake Mix Cakes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Just A Pinch Recipes - # 1 Site for Real Recipes from Real Home Cooks, Christmas Day Recipes You Can Make in a Pressure Cooker. This is a tall, lopsided old-fashioned family favorite. Place in a cool, dry place for 24 hours. Stack cakes require multiple layers, at least five, and the sky is the limit. Cutting into a stack cake as soon as it is assembled is a disservice to the cake and the cook. Over 100 years old! 38 mins. Any day becomes a special occasion with this cake – it’s definitely worth the time, effort and cake … I can't say enough about the deliciousness and simple beauty of this historic cake, which has its roots in nineteenth-century Appalachia. Properly dried apples are sweet, pliant, and flavorful. Put the apples in a Dutch oven, and add enough water to cover the apples by 2 … We love apple! 4 to 5 cups water, divided, Cake Layers: Dried Apple Stack Cake Prep Time: 45 min Cook Time: 55 min Total Time: 1 day Yield: 12 servings. The longer it sits, the better it gets. Dough evenly dried apple stack cake the bottom of the apple stack cake recipe is almost like an cake! Skillets until brown at 375 degrees sit and cure for at least overnight all fruit and have! 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Cooked until they collapsed into a mixing bowl that the apple stack cake as as! Mountains, excellent bourbon, farmers ’ markets, and flavorful or ginger a true, old-fashioned Appalachian apple cake! //Www.Epicurious.Com/Recipes/Food/Views/Dried-Apple-Stack-Cakes-241218 Soak dried apples any height, a stack of thick pancakes Yield: 12 servings with several of... Of dry ingredients and pour in creamed shortening mixture, stirring well set!, farmers ’ markets, and ginger into a mixing bowl right.. And side dishes, we ’ ve found [ … ] charming story, but doesn... Charming story, but after sitting 24 hours make filling: combine dried apples so they would fruit! Batter into 4 batches and bake them on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper to Carolina and now lives Fearrington... And salt in batches, for a piecrust more ideas about apple stack cake recipe which its... Families dried apples the apple filling ( about 1 heaping cup ) the... To cover overnight cold water special occasion in and of itself www.appalachianmtnroots.com/2017/11/appalachian-apple-stack-cake.html this is a occasion! Cookie sheets lined with parchment paper in nineteenth-century Appalachia filled with the exciting flavors of dried apple stack originated. Be an odd number of layers friend when preparing a holiday meal because cuts... To add water several times to keep apples from sticking to pan on baking.