Appalachian Stack Cake

The Method for Appalachian Stack Cake

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1. Simmer the dried apples with the water, 100 g sugar, cinnamon and allspice for 25 minutes until soft and thick. Mash roughly and keep warm.

   Mark done Start 25 min timer

2. Heat the oven to 180°C / 355°F. Beat the butter, 150 g sugar and molasses until smooth. Beat in the eggs and buttermilk.

   Mark done

3. Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger, cinnamon and salt and stir in to a stiff dough. Divide into 6 pieces and roll each into a 23 cm round about 5 mm thick.

   Mark done

4. Bake the rounds on lined trays, three at a time, for 10 minutes each batch until firm. Cool.

   Mark done Start 10 min timer

5. Stack the layers, spreading the warm filling between each. Wrap the cake well and leave to stand for 8 hours before slicing thinly.

   Mark done

What Can Go Wrong

1. Roll the dough evenly so that the layers bake alike.
2. Spread the filling to the edges.
3. Cut the cake with a serrated knife.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• Out of buttermilk? The usual stand-in is a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar stirred into 250 ml of ordinary milk and left five minutes; it is thinner than cultured buttermilk, so a batter may need a little less of it.

To Go With It

Hot coffee · Black tea · Warm milk · Whipped cream

Storing Leftovers

Keeps in an airtight container for 1 week; it improves over the first few days.

Common Questions

Appalachian Stack Cake Nutrition

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.