Four Layer Appalachian Stack Apple Spice Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Bring apples and cider to a boil in a large pot. Reduce to a simmer; cook, stirring occasionally, until apples begin to soften and liquid has reduced, 40 to 50 minutes. Add 1 cup water; cook, mashing apples slightly, until liquid has reduced, about 10 minutes. Add 2/3 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup water; simmer until apples are very soft and coated in syrup, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms with parchment paper, and butter parchment. Dust with flour; tap out excess. Set aside.
• Put butter and the remaining cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until creamy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low; mix in egg, molasses, buttermilk, baking soda, flour, spices, and salt.
• Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake until a cake tester inserted into centers comes out clean and tops spring back when lightly touched, about 35 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges of pans to loosen; invert to unmold. Remove parchment; reinvert onto racks. Let cool.
• Using a long serrated knife, cut each cake in half horizontally. Place 1 bottom layer on a serving platter. Top with 1/3 of the apple mixture, spreading to edges. Stack 1 top layer on top of apples, and top with another 1/3 of the apple mixture. Repeat with remaining cake bottom and apples, and top with remaining cake top. Let stand at room temperature at least 1 hour before serving. Sift confectioners' sugar over top of cake.

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 6 (9-inch) cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. Line bottoms of pans with parchment paper, and spray parchment paper with cooking spray.
• 2. In a medium bowl, beat shortening and sugar at medium speed with a mixer until creamy. Add buttermilk, molasses, egg and vanilla, beating well. In a large bowl, combine flour, ginger, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Make a well in center of flour mixture. Add shortening mixture, stirring just until combined.
• 3. On a lightly floured surface, form dough into a log; cut into six equal portions. Place one portion in each prepared pan, and use fingers to lightly pat dough to edges of pans. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks. Cake will have the consistency of a gingerbread cookie.
• 4. Cook time: Depends on how big you want your stack. This recipe makes one 9-inch cake with six stacks. Three stacks were baked simultaneously for 10 to 12 minutes The filling (recipe below) takes about an hour. Allow 24 hours for the cake to chill in the refrigerator.
• 5. Make filling: In large saucepan, combine dried fruit and all dry ingredients. Add enough liquid to cover. Bring to a low boil and cook, stirring often, for 45 minutes. Remove from heat, and let stand for 10 minutes or until cooled slightly. Transfer to the work bowl of a food processor or container of a blender; process until smooth. Use while still warm.
• 6. To put cake together, place one cake layer on a serving plate or cake stand; spread with about 3/4 cup warm fruit butter filling. Repeat procedure with remaining layers and fruit butter filling, stacking each on previous layer. Do not spread fruit butter filling on top layer. Cover and refrigerate cake for at least 24 hours. Just before serving, dust with confectioners' sugar.

Steps:

• For the filling:
• Put the apples, brown sugar, cider, and applejack in a large saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender, about 20 minutes. Drain the apples and reserve 1/4 cup of the liquid. Set aside.
• For the cake:
• Position the racks in the upper-middle and lower-middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat two baking sheets with cooking spray.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. In a large liquid measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk and vanilla.
• In large bowl, with an electric mixer at medium-high speed, beat the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low and add the molasses, beating until incorporated. Add the eggs one at a time and mix until incorporated. Gradually add the buttermilk (the mixture will look curdled); add the flour mixture and mix until a soft dough forms-it should look like cookie dough. Remove the dough from the bowl, pat into a round, cover in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
• Divide the dough into 6 equal portions, about 8 1/2 ounces each. On parchment paper, roll portions of dough into circles about 1/4 inch thick. Use an 8-inch cake pan as a guide to trim into uniform 8-inch circles. Bake one circle on each prepared sheet until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating and switching the baking sheets halfway through baking. Transfer the circles to cooling racks and let cool completely. The cakes will harden and set as they cool. Repeat with remaining dough. Reroll scraps to form a seventh layer.
• Place the first layer on a serving plate and spread with 1/4 cup of the apple butter. Arrange one-sixth of the cooled cooked apples on top of apple butter and top with another layer of cake. Repeat with the remaining filling and cake layers, ending with a cake layer on top. Wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until the layers soften, at least 12 hours and up to 2 days.
• For the glaze:
• In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, reserved apple cider mixture, and the molasses. Bring to a low boil over medium-high heat and cook until the sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter until smooth. Let cool for 5 minutes, then pour the glaze over the top of the cake. Slice and serve, or store the cake, covered, at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Line bottoms of 5 greased 6-in. round baking pans with parchment. In a large bowl, cream butter, brown sugar and molasses until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition (mixture may appear curdled). In another bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and ginger; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition., Transfer to prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to wire racks; remove paper. Cool completely., For the sauce, in a large heavy saucepan, combine apples, brown sugar, water and bourbon. Cook, covered, over medium-low heat until apples are soft and pliable, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add butter. Cook and stir, uncovered, until sauce is thin and syrupy, 5-10 minutes longer. Remove from heat; cool completely., Using a long serrated knife, trim tops of cakes if domed. Spread 1 tablespoon apple butter on a rimmed serving plate; top with 1 cake layer. Spread with about 1/3 cup apple butter. Top with 2/3 cup apple and bourbon sauce. Repeat layers. Drizzle any remaining sauce from apple mixture over top of cake. Refrigerate, covered, at least 24 hours before serving.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, ginger, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with molasses and buttermilk, beating well after each addition., Drop 2 scant 1/4 cupfuls of batter, at least 7 in. apart, onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. With well-floured fingers, pat each into a 5- to 6-in. circle. Bake 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Repeat with remaining batter., To assemble, place 1 cake layer on a serving plate; spread with 2 tablespoons apple butter. Repeat layers 4 times; top with a sixth layer. Repeat to make 2 more stack cakes. Refrigerate, covered, until serving. If desired, serve with additional apple butter.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease bottoms of two 9 inch round layer cake pans.
• In a large bowl, mix the spice cake mix, dried apples, pecans, coconut, currants, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla extract and butter. Pour the mixture into the cake pans.
• Bake in the preheated oven 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
• Split each cake layer into four sections. Spread apple butter between the sections and reassemble layers.

Steps:

• Place apples and water in a 6-qt. stockpot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 40-45 minutes or until apples are softened, stirring occasionally. Mash into a chunky sauce. Stir in brown sugar and pie spice; simmer, uncovered, 10-15 minutes longer or until liquid is absorbed and sauce is thickened. Cool completely., Preheat oven to 400°. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and baking soda; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition., Divide dough into 8 portions; shape each into a disk. Cut out eight 9-in. circles of parchment. With a floured rolling pin, roll out a dough disk to fit each parchment circle. Transfer to baking sheets. Bake until golden brown, 10-12 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely., Place1 layer on a serving plate; spread with 2/3 cup filling. Repeat layers. Top with remaining cake layer, wrap tightly in plastic wrap; refrigerate 1-2 days or until layers soften. If desired, sprinkle cake with confectioner's sugar.