Appalachian Apple Stack Cake for Colleen
This recipe is fairly "new" to me, it's one made by Elery's Mother and a Christmas tradition in their family. His Mother died before he met me, and no one had taken on the challenge of making "Nanny's" apple stack cake. Elery kept talking about it, though, and remembering and so I decided that it was time. I even dehydrated apples especially for use in this recipe, because I wanted it to be just like he remembered.
Being a Yankee, I know nothing of stack cakes. There is an old story that says it was a wedding cake, and that each guest brought a layer and the more layers there were the more "popular" the bride and groom. I think that's been de-bunked, but it's a nice story.
Anyway, last year I made the filling too runny, I think, and so this year I cooked it longer. You're supposed to assemble a day ahead so that the filling can permeate the cookie-type layers. Last year's was just too soggy, I think, and Elery wouldn't really say but he did comment that he thought maybe thicker filling would be a good idea. This year I cooked the filling longer and tomorrow when we eat it we'll see how it turns out.
The recipe says it makes 7 layers but I measure 1/2 cup per pan and still only get 6 and the layers are pretty thin, so this year I stuck with 6. This is last year's picture. I've seen some recipes that take buttermilk and seem more like cake than this one, these layers are more like cookies. I've also seen the addition of cloves or ginger and I'd like that, but then it wouldn't be "Nanny's", so I don't fiddle with it.
Vola Barnes' Apple Stack Cake
Cake:
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
Filling:
2 eight oz. packages dried apples\
5 cups wter
1 cup sugar
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
This recipe makes seven 8 inch rounds. (I only get six from this)
Stir together flour, soda & cream of tartar. Cream sugar, shortening and butter until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Add vanilla, then flour mixture, beating at low speed. Put 1/2 cup of dough into each greased and floured cake pan, as many pans as will fit in your oven. Bake for 8-10 minutes, cool a couple of minutes in the pan then turn out onto racks to cool completely.
Simmer apples and water for 45-50 minutes or until apples are very soft. Add sugar and spices and mash the apples. While filling is still hot, stack layers, spreading filling on each layer before adding the next layer. Chill several hours covered.
Serves 16
So, Colleen, there you go. It's not chocolate (grin), but add some whipped cream and it's dessert!
Annie
Comments (17)
7 years ago
7 years agoRelated Discussions
Breakfast --Share Yours
Comments (53)Actually I have several favorite breakfasts, sorry ladies, neither one of the 2 below is low cal, but not real bad. 1. Chipped beef on browned toast with a pad of butter quartered around the plate before you put the broken up toast down (or homemade biscuits, rare) and then the chipped beef gravy, top this off with some ground pepper just a small touch of cinnamon. 2. Two buttermilk pancakes (with real butter) on the first and top one, with some quality sage sausage (link or patty, local butcher) on the side, and two over easy eggs on the top of the pancakes with a little fine ground pepper on top of eggs! I cut this all up in a checkerboard pattern from the eggs down, somewhat neatly, eat the top layer with the eggs and 1/2 the sausage, then put maple syrup on the second layer and eat it with the other 1/2 sausage! This with 2 cups of good coffee, Absolutely AWESOME! From reading this you would think I am enormous but actually I limit myself to once a week usually Sunday unless I'm going out for breakfast. I'm 6' and 210 to 220lbs appropriately proportioned. I had this breakfast at a local restaurant that was watched by others and requested so often (can I have what he's having) that it is now on there menu! Quite a compliment. Great post boy the way, breakfast is my favorite meal....See MoreWhat's for Dinner #335
Comments (95)Betty, I'm happy to. Here is the Tomato Marmalade recipe from Farm Journal, it's one of Elery's favorites. I'm saving some of Beachlily's Meyer lemons she gifted me with, they're sliced and frozen, waiting for ripe tomatoes to make this marmalade. Tomato Marmalade Recipe Makes about 9 half-pint jars 3 qt. ripe tomatoes (about 5 1/2 pounds) 3 oranges 2 lemons 4 sticks cinnamon 6 whole allspice 1 tbsp. whole cloves 6 c. sugar 1 tsp. salt Peel tomatoes and cut in small pieces. Drain. Slice oranges and lemons very thin, then quarter slices. Tie cinnamon, allspice, and cloves in a cheesecloth bag. Place tomatoes in large kettle. Add sugar and salt; stir until dissolved. Add oranges, lemons, and spice bag. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Continue to boil rapidly, stirring constantly, until thick and clear (about 50 minutes). Remove from heat; skim off foam. Fill hot marmalade into hot, sterilized half-pint jars, leaving . inch of head space. Wipe rims of jars with a dampened, clean paper towel; adjust two-piece metal canning lids. Process 10 minutes in a boiling water bath. This recipe I just found on a blog called "Once Upon A Chef", the author says she adapted it from a King Arthur Flour recipe. Chocolate Zucchini Bread Servings: One 8-1/2 x 4-1/2-inch loaf Ingredients 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1-2/3 cups all purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled off with a knife 1/3 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder (ok to substitute natural cocoa powder) 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder or instant coffee (optional) 2 cups shredded zucchini (from 1-2 zucchini), gently packed 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips Instructions Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8-1/2" x 4-1/2" loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place the butter in a large microwave-safe mixing bowl and microwave for one minute, or until just melted. Stir in the brown sugar until completely smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla and stir until incorporated. (Be sure to add the eggs after the brown sugar is mixed in, as the hot butter alone could cook the eggs.) Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, baking soda and instant coffee (if using) in a medium bowl. Add to the butter mixture and stir until well combined. It will be very thick. Stir in the shredded zucchini and chocolate chips. (It will still be thick -- that's okay.) Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread evenly. Bake for 60-65 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean (save for perhaps a smear from the melted chocolate chips). Let the loaf cool on a rack for about 10 minutes before turning out onto a rack to cool completely. This was good and I'd definitely make it again, maybe in mini-muffin form next time, it's rich and sweet and just a couple of bites might be enough. If not, well then, people would just have to eat a couple of the mini muffins! Annie...See MoreAnyone Nuked a Complete Several Item Meal?
Comments (28)OK! FIRST ATTEMPT I cooked chicken thigh, cut green beans and sweet potato. It's all I had we did not have any other potato. The potato had skin on but open both ends. The beans were thawed first. Since the piece of chicken weighed 2.5 oz I chose to go with 2.5 oz each of the potato and beans. I determined cooking times and methods (covered or not etc) from the instruction book for our nuker, the bean package, skill and experience. :-) I ratioed the weights to get the cooking times. The setting was high for all runs. PLAN: Nuke the sweet potato 1 minute, turn it over, add the beans and chicken and nuke it all for one more minute. WHAT HAPPENED: 1. The potato was apparently done at 1 minute. So I had to set it aside. I nuked the chicken and beans 1 minute same time. Chicken was covered with wax paper. It popped a couple times as expected but didn't explode. Beans were in a small open bowl - I forgot to put any water in the bowl. The chicken was done on top so I turned it over and nuked it another 30 seconds. It popped good and nearly blew the wax paper off. It was thoroughly cooked. (I didn't let it stand - hell with it - I was hungry.) 4. The beans were not done. I nuked em twice more at 30 seconds each time. The last time I added some water and covered the bowl with wax paper. They still were not done to my preference which is mush. If you like squeaky beans they were perfect. Blah. Cooked veggies should be mush. :-) 5. The sweet potato, as it turned out, was not done and needed maybe another 30 seconds and presumably turned over. WHAT TO DO NEXT TIME: 1. With same ingredients and weights nuke the beans first for about 1.5 minutes, add the chicken and sweet potato - nuke for 1 minute. Turn the chicken and sweet potato over and nuke for another 30 seconds. 2. Experiment with different ingredients. With chicken with use hard cover instead of wax paper. CONCLUSION: Though this attempt was basically a failure I have knowledge I didn't previously have and a good reference point from which to continue experimenting. The concept will work. It requires a compatable choice of foods. I think the learning curve would be short as one would quickly zero in on ingredients, cooking times and nuke settings....See MoreWhat's for dinner #339
Comments (81)What, no one is eating? Well, we are! We went to Elery's family Christmas, where we ate well. His daughter brought macaroni and cheese, youngest son brought raw vegetables and a crockpot full of loaded mashed potatoes. His middle son provided broccoli with cheese, some au gratin potatoes and a big dish full of sweet and sour meatballs. Elery and I brought a stuffed turkey roll, pork tenderloin Wellington stuffed with dried apples (yes, I've been watching Alton Brown again, LOL), and "bacon sushi", which is a bacon weave covered with a layer of seasoned grassfed ground beef and rolled with cheese in the center, then smoked. I made cookies and fudge and we took a roll of venison sausage, just in case there wasn't enough meat. (grin) I also made sugar cookies, fudge in three flavors, a gluten free peanut butter cookie with a peanut butter cup center, some of Grandma's Chewy Molasses cookies, pecan pie bars and the white chocolate/maraschino shortbread that is a favorite of his middle son. We've had some not-so-photogenic meals too, like pizza at Madi's birthday party and a bagel with cream cheese when I took stepmom for some outpatient surgery last week, but this week I'll make something better. I promise! Annie...See More- 7 years ago
- 7 years ago
- 7 years ago
- 7 years ago
- 7 years ago
- 7 years ago
- 7 years ago
- 7 years ago
- 7 years ago
7 years ago- 7 years ago
7 years ago- 7 years ago
- 7 years agolast modified: 7 years ago
annie1992Original Author