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Grandma Nevada's Apple Stack Cake

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound home dried tart apples: not store-bought dried apples
1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup sorghum molasses
1 egg 1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/3 cup shortening
approx 4-1/2 cups flour,
plus a bit for dusting the board when rolling each layer.

METHOD:

Cover the home-dried apples with water and cook over medium low heat, adding water until the apples are soft enough to begin breaking up when stirred. Cool and run the apples through a sieve or food processor/blender to produce a smooth sauce. In this “most mountain of deserts” it should be remembered that spices such as cinnamon, ginger or vanilla were seldom if ever available so keeping faithfully to just the natural flavors of these ingredients actually makes this a unique, healthy and very special treat!

Combine the remainder of the ingredients until the resultant dough is the consistence of stiff cookie dough – kneading by hand was my experience for best result. Separate dough into five to seven balls and roll each ball to a 1/8- or 1/4-inch thickness and cut into 8- or 9-inch rounds. Prick each layer with a fork, making a design if you wish, and sprinkle each layer with granulated sugar.

Bake on a greased cookie sheet at 400 degrees until golden brown – about eight minutes in my case. Cool and then place the first layer on a cake plate spreading a layer of the cooked applesauce to within half an inch from the edge. Alternate the layers of cake with applesauce leaving the best looking cake layer for the top. Cover the entire cake and store in a cool place or refrigerator several days before serving to allow the applesauce to penetrate and blend with the cake layers.