Apple Stack Cake ~ From Lost and Found Files

The following recipe is very old and interesting idea for a cake. Both of my Grandmothers made this cake. It was a way to use their stash of dried apples.

I have a clear memory of the day on my grandmothers farm (which was once called a plantation) when the ladies in the family gathered together to dry apples.

The apples had been picked from the orchards and were now in large tubs waiting under the big shade trees. The men drew water from the well to dashed on the apples and fill the tubs ~ there the apples bobbed until they were loaded into the bowls meet their fate.

This work day was turned into a family social event~ an all day affair.

This was the day to DRY APPLES.

In my memory I can still see them sitting in a circle surrounding the many tubs of apples. I remember the pans sitting on aprons as knives worked quickly to peel, core and cut the apples into slices.

At intervals the guys would show up and take the pails of apple slices over to a waiting ladder and up to the rooftops and spread them out on prepared screen racks. If there were more apples than racks, they spread out sheets to recieve the apples. The sheets made collecting the apples easier but didn't withstand winds. There the apples caught the heat of the sun and no doubt quickly dried. As I watched, I clearly remember thinking that was a really smart idea.

I was preschool age and of course stayed nearby playing with my cousins. We loved the over sized swing (well, to me, it was really big). Little did the adults suspect how attentive we were to their conversation, and believe you me, we knew all the dirt on everyone for miles around. They had no idea we were absorbing each tidbit into our memories.

ANYWAY~ the following recipe is made from ... dried apples.

Apple Stack Cake

INGREDIENTS

2 cups white sugar
1 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons baking powder
6 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 pounds dried apples, cooked and mashed
1 3/4 cups packed brown sugar
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground allspice

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Grease and flour six 8-inch pans.
In a large bowl mix together white sugar, shortening, eggs, soda, baking powder, flour, salt, buttermilk, and vanilla. Divide batter into 6 or 7 equal parts. Press into prepared pans.
Bake at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) for ten minutes.

To Make Filling: To the cooked and mashed apples, add the brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice, and mix. Layer 1 cake, spread filling between layer on top and sides. Do this with each of the 6 (or 7) layers. Let stand at least 12 hours before cutting.