Rustic Apple Stack Cake

By stancec44

This recipe makes four 10” or six 8” layers, all quite thin. I doubled it to make the twelve layered monster in the photos. Generally, the cake will feed two people for every layer made; as written, it will serve twelve. Very rustic cake - enjoy the imperfections. Best eaten fairly soon.

Ingredients

• Apple Stack Cake
• 26 ounces all-purpose flour, sifted
• 8 ounces unsalted butter or lard, room temperature
• 8 ounces brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
• 2 tablespoon baking soda
• 12 ounces molasses or sorghum
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 4 ounces buttermilk
• To Finish
• 4 ounces unsalted butter, melted
• 4 cups apple butter (store bought is fine, but see recipe in Sauces)
• 12 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 Tablespoon freshly grated nutmeg

Details

Servings 12

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350°.

Traditionalists can make this in a 10” cast iron skillet, brushed generously with melted butter. For a more modern approach, make the layers in 8” cake pans lined with parchment and lightly greased.

With a hand or stand mixer, the latter fitted with a paddle attachment, cream lard or butter with the brown sugar, gingers, baking soda and molasses. Beat on medium about four minutes; stop halfway to scrape the bowl down. Reduce speed to low, add the eggs one at a time. Once fully incorporated, add the flour all at once, followed by vanilla and buttermilk. Continue mixing on low speed until homogenous. It will look very thick compared to a standard cake batter.


Use 15 ounces of batter per 10” skillet, or 10 ounces batter per 8” pan. Either way, you will need to use an offset spatula to spread the batter into a thin, even layer in each skillet or pan.

Bake until the cakes have puffed and spring back when touched lightly, about 12 minutes for the 10” layer or 10 minutes for the 8” layers. Loosen the cakes by running a knife around the edges of the skillet or pan, then invert onto a wire cooling rack.

If using the cast iron skillet, dust off stray crumbs with a clean towel, brush with fresh butter and refill with batter; you don’t need to wait for the skillet to cool. Bake as before.

With standard layer cakes, you must let the layers cool before stacking because the heat of the cake will melt the buttercream. But such is not the case with apple butter, so you can begin stacking the cakes as soon as you’d like.

Set the first cake on a serving plate or cake stand. Brush lightly with melted butter. Use an offset spatula to spread ½ cup apple butter over the top from edge to edge. Continue laying like this, brushing with butter then covering in apple butter. When you reach the last layer, spread any remaining apple butter over the top and sides of the cake.

Enjoy immediately, with a sprinkling of fresh nutmeg and a splash of cream. If the cake has a chance to cool before serving, serve with warm cream; cold cream is unexpectedly lovely with warm cake.