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Sliced Appalachian apple stack cake showing six thin layers with dark apple filling on a white cake stand

Appalachian Apple Stack Cake with Spiced Dried Apples

Six pressed molasses-ginger layers are baked, stacked with spiced dried-apple filling and rested 24 hours until soft enough to slice.
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Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 36 minutes
Total Time 1 day 1 hour 31 minutes
Servings: 12 slices
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 389
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Apple filling
  • 340 g unsulfured dried apples (12 oz); chopped into 1 cm pieces if the rings are large
  • 700 ml water (3 cups)
  • 150 g light brown sugar (3/4 cup); packed
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground allspice
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 pinch fine salt
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter (28 g)
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
Cake layers
  • 500 g all-purpose flour (4 cups); plus extra for dusting fingers
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp fine salt
  • 115 g unsalted butter (1/2 cup); softened
  • 150 g granulated sugar (3/4 cup)
  • 170 g sorghum syrup or unsulfured molasses (1/2 cup)
  • 1 large egg room temperature
  • 120 ml buttermilk (1/2 cup)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method
 

Start the filling
  1. Combine the dried apples, water, brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg and salt in a 3-quart / 2.8 L saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer on low for 30 minutes, stirring now and then, until the apples are soft. Start the dough while this simmers.
Make and bake the layers
  1. Heat the oven to 175 C / 350 F. Cut six 23 cm / 9-inch rounds from parchment paper. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and salt together in a bowl.
  2. Beat the butter and granulated sugar with a hand mixer for 2 to 3 minutes, until pale and fluffy. Beat in the sorghum syrup or molasses, egg and vanilla. Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk, and mix just until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms.
  3. Weigh the dough and divide it into 6 pieces, about 185 g each. Wrap four pieces in plastic. Set a parchment round in each of two 23 cm / 9-inch round cake pans. With floured fingertips, press one piece into each pan to an even 4 mm thickness, edge to edge, then prick all over with a fork.
  4. Bake the first two layers for 12 minutes, until the edges are set and lightly browned and the centers spring back when touched.
  5. While those bake, uncover the filling. Stir in the butter and lemon juice and mash with a potato masher. Simmer for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring often, until a spoon dragged across the bottom of the pan leaves a trail that doesn't fill back in. If it looks loose, keep cooking, because wet filling makes the layers slide. Leave it warm, not hot.
  6. Cool the baked layers in the pans for 5 minutes, then lift them out on their parchment onto a wire rack. Press the next two dough pieces into the pans on fresh parchment rounds and bake for 12 minutes. Repeat with the last two pieces. Cool all six layers for 15 minutes.
Assemble and rest
  1. Peel the parchment from the layers and set one on a serving plate. Spread about 150 g (a generous 1/2 cup) of the filling over it, stopping 1 cm from the edge. Repeat with four more layers, then set the last layer on top with no filling and press down gently.
  2. Wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours. Slice with a serrated knife and serve at room temperature.

Notes

  • Weigh each dough piece, about 185 g, so all six layers bake in the same time.
  • Keep unbaked dough pieces covered with plastic wrap while the pans are busy so they don't dry out.
  • Choose unsulfured dried apples for a deeper, caramel-like apple flavor in the filling.
  • Cool the baked layers for 15 minutes before stacking, but use the filling warm.
  • Refrigerate the assembled cake for the full 24 hours before slicing.