Old Fashion Tennessee Stack Cake

Old Fashioned Tennessee Stack Cake

By Linda Westerlund

Place one oven rack on second level from bottom of oven

Place another rack on second level above the first rack.

Preheat oven 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Grease with Crisco seven (7) 8 inch cake pans.

Line with wax paper. Grease and flour wax paper and sides of pan. Set aside.

Combine ½ cup buttermilk, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder. Stir lightly. Set aside.

Cream together 1 cup shortening (Crisco) 2 ½ cups sugar. Add 2 eggs, 2 teaspoon vanilla. Beat well.

Combine 4 cups plain flour, 1 teaspoon salt. Mix.

Add milk mixture to shortening and sugar mixture, mixing with a spoon.

Stir in flour and salt mixture with spoon. Mix well.

Divide dough into 7 equal portions placing in plans (by just eyeballing it).

Dipping fingers in flour, spread dough to within ¼ inch of sides of pan leaving a slight rise in center of pan.

Do not press dough against the sides of pan.

Place 2 layers in oven on bottom rack. Bake until light brown around edges. Watch layers carefully.

Place on upper rack, (now place 2 more layers on bottom rack). Bake, watching carefully, until upper layers are golden brown. Remove upper layers to cooling rack. Place lower layers on upper rack and continue until all are done. Remove baked layers from pan as soon as cool enough to handle, handling carefully as they are very tender. Layers will become very stiff as they cool.

Place first layer on cake plate. Spread with cooked spiced apples. Continue until all layers are stacked. Do not spread apples on top layer. Let stand at least 24 hours to meller “the longer it sets, the better it gets”!

Dried Apples for Stack Cake

1 pound dried apples

Place in large, heavy (about 4 quart) Dutch oven. Almost (but not quite) cover apples with water. Let soak overnight. Cook until mushy. (I mash them with a hand potato masher). While the mixture is still hot, add ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon cloves, 2 cups sugar. Mix well. Taste for spices and sugar and adjust to your taste if necessary. Cool to room temperature. Spread between cake layers. Can cook apples ahead and keep in refrigerator.