Massie Stack Cake

This photo is from my Southern Living Southern Heritage Cakes book, with a little history of the stack cake. Apparently it is from the Appalachian Mountains and in its earliest days it was used as a wedding cake where guests would each bring a layer. Can you see this today for even a shower event? First of all, I would imagine folks would all bring a different flavor no matter what was specified, and there'd be subtle competition about whose is the biggest and best. People would be dyeing theirs different colors to get them noticed, there'd be issues about whose went on top. (Can you tell I work at a place with 300 coworkers?)Still, it's a cute historical reference. I think what we need is a stack cake for retirement parties with a level for each year. Again, where I work, there'd be some very tall cakes. Yum. The library is a place where people really like to work and stay.

I've been looking at this because it has applesauce in it. It also uses '6 greased and floured 9-inch pans'. I'm sure you all have those at the ready. I didn't have that even before I cleared all our cabinets and moved.

3/4 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

1 cup molasses

(1 tube toothpaste for after eating...)

3 eggs

4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground ginger

1 cup milk

3 cups applesauce

Ground cinnamon

Cream shortening: gradually add sugar and molasses, beating until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Combine flour, soda, salt and ginger: add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. beat well after each addition.

Spoon batter evenly into the 6 pans. Bake at 375 F for 18 - 20 minutes (all six pans at once?). Carefully remove layers to the cooling racks.

Stack the cooled layers, spreading about 1/2 cup applesauce between each layer. Spoon remaining applesauce on top of cake. Sprinkle top of cake with cinnamon. Let stand overnight before serving. Yield: one 9-inch stack cake.

Note: Flavor of stack cake is enhanced when stored for several days.

Amy's Note: Smell in house is not enhanced by that. Also, who could resist this for days? I could see I'd be eating a layer and thinking no one would miss one.

I'm reading Hanging Hill by Chris Grabenstein. I am crazy about Chris and his books, and this one is so fabulous. Great suspense, action twists - and ghosts. I get to introduce him at a program next week at Bouchercon.