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2000s Recipes + Menus

Dried-Apple Stack Cakes

Makes 12 individual cakes
  • Active time:1 hr
  • Start to finish:2 days (includes time for flavors to develop)
January 2008
This winter dessert is based on traditional stack-cake recipes from Appalachia. Small layers (baked in muffin tins) are sandwiched together with a jamlike apple filling to create individual desserts that are unlike any cake you've come across.

For filling

  • 9 oz unsulfured dried apples (4 cups)
  • 4 cups unfiltered apple cider
  • 3 cups water
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground mace
  • 6 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

For cakes

  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 tablespoon cider vinegar
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • Pinch of ground cloves
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 6 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup molasses (not robust or blackstrap)
  • 1 large egg

  • Equipment:

    2 muffin pans with 12 (1/3- to 1/2-cup) muffin cups each

  • Accompaniment:

    lightly sweetened whipped cream

Make filling:

  • Simmer all filling ingredients and a pinch of salt in a 4- to 5-quart heavy pot, uncovered, stirring occasionally and mashing apples with a potato masher as they soften, until a thick purée forms, about 1 1/2 hours. Cool completely.

Make cakes:

  • Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Butter muffin cups.
  • Stir together milk and vinegar and let stand 10 minutes to curdle.
  • Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, and cloves.
  • Beat butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in molasses and egg. At low speed, add flour mixture in 3 batches alternately with curdled milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until each addition is just incorporated. Spread 1 heaping tablespoon batter in each muffin cup and bake just until a wooden pick inserted in center of a cake comes out clean with some crumbs adhering, 11 to 13 minutes. Cool 5 minutes in pans on racks, then invert onto racks to cool completely.

Assemble Cakes:

  • Spread about 2 tablespoons filling on top of 1 cake and invert another cake over filling, then spread a heaping tablespoon filling on top. Make 11 more stacks (you will have about 2 cups filling left over). Transfer to an airtight container and chill at least 2 days for flavors to develop. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Cooks’ notes:
  • Cakes can be assembled 3 days ahead and chilled in an airtight container.
  • Leftover filling can be used like apple butter.

Recipe by Ruth Cousineau

Photography by Romulo Yanes

Keywords
ruth cousineau,
apple,
fruit,
dessert