By Chef Matthew Welsch – Executive Chef West Virginia State Parks and Resorts
As the nights grow long, there’s less and less sun to warm our bones. The cold can creep into not just our bodies, but our very souls. There’s no better time, friends, than to get into the kitchen. Cook for your family, and you warm your home twice. The holiday season is especially poignant in Appalachia. After all, we shine the most when we come together. Whether it be to complete a job, raise a barn, juggle childcare, put in the garden, put up hay, or just to get through the day. Coming together is what we do best. So joining one another for the holidays stokes a hearth to carry us through the longest, darkest, and coldest nights.
Whenever I sit down to a family meal, I still see my Grandma’s plates. I can hear her laugh. I remember how delicious her food tasted, and I remember as a young child — I couldn’t understand the feeling these moments sparked. They simply felt warm.
As a West Virginia Chef, there is one dish that perfectly illustrates our holiday meals, and even though I didn’t grow up eating it — I eat it and cook it now, and oftentimes I’ll serve it at my restaurant. If nothing is more Appalachian than coming together to work through adversity, then no food represents that spirit more than this one, simple dish.
Have you ever heard of an Apple Stack Cake?
An apple stack cake looks like a stack of thin flapjacks. Nowadays, it would be called a “naked” cake. But what it really is is a layer of large sugar cookies layered with stewed apples, spiced apple sauce, or apple butter. It needs to be made a day ahead of time because, as it sits, the filling and the layers come together and it becomes this simple, beautiful cake. I like to dust mine with powdered sugar, but feel free to top it with more apples or even make an icing for it. That’s not traditional, but hey, it’s your cake!
According to legend, stack cakes were developed during the hard times when one family alone couldn’t provide the ingredients for an entire cake. So friends and family came together, everyone bringing a layer of the cake. Once assembled, the cake is a physical, delectable representation of all who contributed.
What’s more Appalachian than that!?
Here’s my recipe using dried apples, but you can also use apple butter or apple sauce. Post pictures of your stack cake online and tag @theVagabondChef, I’d love to see them.
Apple Stack Cake
Yield: 10 to 12 servings
Time: 2 1/4 hours, plus 1 hour cooling and 24 hours softening
Filling
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18 oz Dried Apples
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1 C Light Brown Sugar
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1 1⁄2 t Ground Cinnamon
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1⁄2 t Ground Cloves
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1⁄2 t Ground Allspice
Layers
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6 C All-Purpose Flour
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1 T Baking Powder
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1 t Baking Soda
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1⁄4 t Salt
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1⁄2 C Buttermilk
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2 ea Large Eggs
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1 t Vanilla Extract
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16 T Unsalted Butter, softened
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2 C Granulated Sugar
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Powdered sugar for dusting
Be sure to let the cake set at least 24 hours, as the moisture from the filling transforms the texture of the cookie-like layers into a tender apple-flavored cake.
For the filling: You’ve got a few options here. You can use applesauce, apple butter, or you can make your own filling by following these instructions:
Bring apples and water to boil in a covered medium saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer until apples are completely softened, about 10 minutes. Drain apples and let cool until just warm, about 15 minutes.
Puree apples in food processor until smooth. Transfer to bowl and stir in sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice.
For the layers: Adjust oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla in a large measuring cup.
With electric mixer at medium-high speed, beat butter and granulated sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down bowl as necessary. Add one-third of flour mixture and beat on medium-low speed until just incorporated, about 30 seconds. Add half of buttermilk mixture and beat on low speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape down bowl as necessary and repeat with half of remaining flour mixture, remaining buttermilk mixture, and remaining flour mixture. Give bowl a final scrape. Remember, the dough will be thick, like cookie dough.
Divide dough into 8 equal portions. Working with 2 portions at a time, roll each out into 10-inch circle about 1/4 inch thick. Using 9-inch cake pan as template, trim away excess dough to form two perfectly round 9-inch disks. Transfer disks to prepared baking sheets and bake until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating and switching baking sheets halfway through baking time. Transfer disks to a rack and cool completely, at least 1 hour. Repeat with the remaining dough. Layers can be wrapped tightly in plastic and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Place 1 layer on serving plate and spread with 1 cup filling. Repeat 6 times. Top with final layer, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate until layers soften, at least 24 hours or up to 2 days. Dust with powdered sugar and enjoy with your loved ones.