Apple Butter Spice Stack Cake

Desserts

Apple Butter Spice Stack Cake

Three spice cakes are chilled and split to make six thin layers for this apple butter stack cake. It needs an overnight rest after assembly, so plan to make it ahead and add the whipped cream when serving.
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Serves
12 servings

Bring it to the table

About this recipe.

Six thin spice-cake layers with apple butter filling, served with buttermilk whipped cream.

Before you start

Gather your ingredients.

Check your pantry before you begin. Full quantities and serving adjustments are in the recipe card below.

See the ingredient checklist

Cake

  • 1 1/4 cups unsalted butter (melted and slightly cooled, plus more for pans)
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour (500 g)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar (200 g)
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup chilled buttermilk (preferably whole-milk)
  • 1 cup sorghum or pure cane syrup (300 g)
  • 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or 1 teaspoon Morton kosher salt)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or extract

Filling and cream

  • 4 1/2 cups apple butter
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 cup chilled heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup chilled buttermilk (preferably whole-milk)
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3 tablespoons powdered sugar (plus more for dusting)

Cold layers are easier to split

The thin layers are delicate. Chill the cakes before slicing and handle them with broad spatulas or cake lifters as you stack them.

At the table

Cut thin wedges and add the buttermilk whipped cream beside each portion.

The cooking plan

How to make Apple Butter Spice Stack Cake.

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F with racks in the upper and lower thirds. Butter three 9-inch round cake pans and line their bases with parchment. Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, cake cinnamon, cake ginger and allspice in a large bowl.

  2. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, cake buttermilk, syrup, measured cake salt, vanilla and melted butter. Fold into the dry ingredients until smooth; the batter will be thick. Divide evenly among the pans, about 560 g per pan, and smooth the tops.

  3. Bake for 20–25 minutes, rotating the pans between racks and front to back halfway through, until the tops are pale golden, matte and firm to the touch. Cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then loosen the edges and turn onto racks. Remove the parchment and chill the cakes until cold, at least 45 minutes.

  4. Mix the apple butter with the filling cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Trim any domed cake tops, then use a long serrated knife to split each cold cake horizontally into two thin layers.

  5. Put one layer cut-side up on a platter and spread with 2/3 cup apple butter mixture. Repeat with four more layers and the same amount of filling on each. Add the final layer cut-side down. Spread the remaining apple butter mixture thinly over the top and sides.

  6. Cover with a large bowl or cloche, or loosely wrap, and refrigerate for 8–12 hours so the layers settle together.

  7. Just before serving, beat the heavy cream, remaining buttermilk, remaining measured salt and powdered sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed for about 5 minutes, until soft peaks form. Dust the cake with powdered sugar, cut thin slices and serve with the whipped cream.

Let’s cook

The full recipe.

Check off ingredients as you get them ready.

Changing servings? The ingredient list scales automatically. Adjust quantities named in the steps to match, and choose pans and cooking times for your batch.

The Broken Scale

Apple Butter Spice Stack Cake

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Six thin spice-cake layers with apple butter filling, served with buttermilk whipped cream.
Print Recipe
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Appalachian-American
Ingredients Instructions Notes

Ingredients
  

Cake
  • 1 ¼ cups unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled, plus more for pans
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour 500 g
  • 1 cup granulated sugar 200 g
  •  
    1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  •  
    1 tablespoon ground ginger
  •  
    1 teaspoon ground allspice
  •  
    3 large eggs
  •  
    1 cup chilled buttermilk preferably whole-milk
  •  
    1 cup sorghum or pure cane syrup 300 g
  •  
    2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt or 1 teaspoon Morton kosher salt
  •  
    2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or extract
Filling and cream
  •  
    4 ½ cups apple butter
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  •  
    ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
  •  
    ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
  •  
    1 cup chilled heavy cream
  •  
    ½ cup chilled buttermilk preferably whole-milk
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  •  
    3 tablespoons powdered sugar plus more for dusting

Instructions
 

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F with racks in the upper and lower thirds. Butter three 9-inch round cake pans and line their bases with parchment. Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, cake cinnamon, cake ginger and allspice in a large bowl.
  2. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, cake buttermilk, syrup, measured cake salt, vanilla and melted butter. Fold into the dry ingredients until smooth; the batter will be thick. Divide evenly among the pans, about 560 g per pan, and smooth the tops.
  3. Bake for 20–25 minutes, rotating the pans between racks and front to back halfway through, until the tops are pale golden, matte and firm to the touch. Cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then loosen the edges and turn onto racks. Remove the parchment and chill the cakes until cold, at least 45 minutes.
  4. Mix the apple butter with the filling cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Trim any domed cake tops, then use a long serrated knife to split each cold cake horizontally into two thin layers.
  5. Put one layer cut-side up on a platter and spread with 2/3 cup apple butter mixture. Repeat with four more layers and the same amount of filling on each. Add the final layer cut-side down. Spread the remaining apple butter mixture thinly over the top and sides.
  6. Cover with a large bowl or cloche, or loosely wrap, and refrigerate for 8–12 hours so the layers settle together.
  7. Just before serving, beat the heavy cream, remaining buttermilk, remaining measured salt and powdered sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed for about 5 minutes, until soft peaks form. Dust the cake with powdered sugar, cut thin slices and serve with the whipped cream.

Notes

Makes 8–12 servings.
Use sorghum syrup or pure cane syrup; honey and maple syrup are not direct replacements in this formula.
Allow for baking, chilling the layers, assembly and an 8–12-hour refrigerated rest. No complete total time is specified.

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Use the serving controls in the recipe card. Ingredient quantities change automatically; quantities written in the instructions, pan sizes and cooking times still need your attention.

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