Stack Cake
1 cup shortening 1 cup buttermilk
2 cups white sugar 8-10 cups self-rising flour
2 eggs, slightly beaten dried apples, cooked and sweetened to taste
1 tsp vanilla or apple butter, or any other fruit desired
Old Fashioned Method: (This was done when women kept a “flour bowl” for use everyday.)
Sift flour in large bowl and make a “hole” in the middle of it.
Work the shortening into about 2/3 of the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs (“working” within the “hole” in the bowl of flour.) Add the sugar, eggs, vanilla and buttermilk, then mix until it begins to create the dough. Work the “liquid” mixture into the flour/shortening mixture, working around in the “hole” of flour. “Pull” in additional flour from the sides as needed to make the dough.
Simpler Method: If you’re not experienced in making dough within the flour this way, use about 7-8 cups of flour and mix shortening in the full amount of flour. Then add the sugar, eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk and mix completely with your hands or a fork, then turn out on a floured surface and add flour until dough is stiff enough to use.
When it is firm, turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead slightly, then put back into the bowl.
Making the Cake:
Pinch off a ball of dough about the size of a baseball and roll thin. Cut out a circle with a pot lid or cake pan (the rack for a small pressure cooker is just the right size!)
Bake at 400 degrees until brown to suit taste.
Put first layer on plate, spread fruit. Stack another layer and spread fruit. Repeat until desired height. We always use 6 layers.
(I’ve also used a very small pot lid and made “individual” cakes for 1-2 person families, although, the cake keeps well in the fridge and is great with coffee for breakfast – so most folks need a “whole” cake!)
Cooking dried apples: (also see detailed recipe below)
Put dried apples in a heavy pot and cover slightly with water. Start out cooking on med-low, and stir occasionally, adding more water if necessary.
When apples are reconstituted, mash them up with a potato masher. (We like ours kinda chunky.) Add about 1 – 2 cups of sugar (depending on type of apples used) cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves to taste. (This can be done a day or two before making cakes. Just keep it in the refrigerator until ready to use.)
Notes: 1 “recipe” of dough and 1 gallon bag of dried apples makes about 3 cakes
Family notes:
This is the recipe that my grandmother used and passed down to my Mother and her 4 sisters.
In the early 60’s we had a “Dollar Fund Raiser” at our Church. What everyone was to do was take $1 and do something with it to create more money for the Church. My Mother bought enough ingredients with $1 for 2 cakes. (Remember, this was a loooong time ago.) She then sold the cakes for $1 each and reinvested the money. I was only 5 or 6 at the time, so I don’t remember the amount, but I know we made and sold well over 100 cakes.
We had this “assembly” line thing going, Mother made the dough, rolled them and cut the layers out. Daddy put them in and took them out of the oven. In the early years, I used a pastry brush to brush the excess flour off the layers, then Daddy put the fruit on. As I got older, sometimes I’d put them in the oven and Daddy’d do the fruit, sometimes vise versa. We followed this pattern except for the last time Mother and I made cakes in 2001. At that time, she couldn’t stand long enough to make the dough, so Daddy and I pretty much made them – but you can bet that she was still “directing traffic”! LOL!
Cooking Dried Apples
Put apples into a heavy pan.
Bring water to the top of the apples, but not completely over.
Cook low – med-low until apples are reconstituted and soft.
(May need to add a little more water along the way.)
Mash apples with potato masher to desired consistency (we like ours pretty “chunky.”)
Begin flavoring to taste as per quart of dried apples:
1-1 ½ cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp all spice* *or use apple pie spice
½ tsp nutmeg*
pinch ground cloves*
Then use apples for desired recipes, such as fried pies and stack cakes.
I remember these very well! Mamaw’s was awesome. Christmas at Mamaw’s….what a memory!
I love parent and grandparent stories. My Mammaw Denton made her cakes and then put them in her canner. She hid them under the bed. LOL! Then each of her children’s families received one at Christmas. She said they needed to “sit” for a couple of weeks so the cake would absorb the flavor. I think back on it and wonder what kept them from molding but of course they were probably half frozen until the day we all came to visit and she heated the whole house. Your Mom must have really loved her church and the Lord to dedicate herself to such an endeavor at this time of the year. You were blessed Betty.
Sounds very much like my grandmother Merritt’s recipe that I makes each christmas. My family loves them, and I love doing what she did!! Merry Christmas to the Newman family.
And Merry Christmas to you all as well!
Yeah, I always loved helping with making the stack cakes as well. I remember Mother making the dough, Granddad putting in/taking out of the oven, I think at that point I dusted the flour off and you put on the apples. Oh how I miss those times!!!
Thank you for sending me the link to your recipe! And I LOVE the tradition your family enjoyed together. Makes me even surer of my own desire to make the cake part of my Christmas tradition : ) Merry Christmas!!
Merry Christmas to you, too!