Stack Cake

Stack cake is an old pioneer recipe, usually served at weddings.  Each guest would bring a cake layer, which was spread with applesauce then the layers were stacked.  The brides popularity was measured by how tall the cake was.  This recipe is a molasses cake with an unusual ingredient, it's laced with beer and topped with a whipped lemon cream cheese frosting.  This cake was made for a birthday but what a fabulous wedding cake it would be!

Ingredients

 

Makes 6 thin 8 inch layers, serves 16

 

For the applesauce...

9-10 medium sized granny smith apples

1/2 cup sugar or to your taste

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

 

For the cake...

1 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 cup molasses

3 eggs

4 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup beer, I used a lager

For the frosting...

3 ounces cream cheese, full fat, room temperature

1 cup cold heavy cream

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

finely grated zest of 1/2 a lemon

 

Grease and flour 6- 8" pans.  If you don't have 6- 8inch pans than bake in batches, cleaning and greasing each time.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

 

 

To make the applesauce, peel, core and cut the apples into 1 inch pieces and place in a large saucepan.  Add 1/2 cup water and cover pan.  Place on medium high heat and bring to a simmer.  Reduce heat to medium and stirring frequently, continue to cook until apples are tender, being careful not to scorch the apples.  Remove the pan from the heat and add sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg,  Stir well.  Cool to room temperature.

 

 

 

 

To make the cake layers, in a mixing bowl, cream the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition.  Add molasses and mix well.  

Sift the dry ingredients together and add to the creamed mixture alternately with the beer, starting with the flour and ending with the flour, beating well after each addition. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Divide batter evenly between each pan (1 1/2 cups per pan).  Bake for 15 minutes until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and cool on wire racks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To make the frosting, in a mixing bowl 

using a paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese until light.  Add sugar, vanilla and lemon zest, mix until well combined.  Switch out the paddle attachment with a whisk attachment, and add heavy cream.  Whisk until smooth and of spreading consistency. 

 

To assemble the cake, place the first cake layer on a cake plate and spread a layer of applesauce over it.  Repeat with the next 4 layers.  Place the last layer on top and swirl frosting over top.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to a day before serving.  This cake is delicious served cold and slice into thin slices, this cake is very tall.  Enjoy!

 

 

Molasses Spice Cookies

October in Maine is the most beautiful time of year for me.  I love the cool crisp days, the fall colors and baking in a warm kitchen.  It seams to me that ginger, cinnamon and cloves are a fall kind of spice.  These warm spices combined with molasses make the most, soft and chewy, delicious cookies ever!  Molasses Spice Cookies are fall comfort food at its best.

 

 Just a couple of welcoming doors in Mid-Coast Maine, adorned in fall colors.

                 

♥♥♥ ♥♥ ♥♥♥ ♥♥ ♥♥♥ ♥♥ ♥♥♥

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 large egg

1/4 cup molasses

1 cup sugar, plus more for topping

1 1/2 sticks butter, melted and cooled

3 tablespoons minced candied ginger

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper

1.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves, set aside.

2.  In a mixing bowl of a stand mixer, fitter with a paddle attachment, combine the egg and molasses on low speed.  Add the sugar and candied ginger and beat on medium speed until well combined.

3.  On low speed, add the flour mixture slowly and mix until thoroughly combined.

4.  With a small 1 1/2 inch scoop, or use a heaping tablespoon, scoop dough and form into a ball, roll in a bowl of sugar to coat the whole ball.  Place on a dinner plate. Scoop, roll and coat the rest of the dough placing each ball on the plate.  Refrigerate the plate of dough balls for at least an hour.

 5.  Preheat the oven to 350° Position 2 racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and place the dough balls 2 inches apart on the parchment lined pans.

6.  Bake in the preheated oven for 8 minutes, then rotate the pans from top to bottom and turning each pan.  Bake another 7 minutes or until dark golden, puffed and crackled on the top.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy! 

 

Maine Wild Blueberry Gingerbread

Blueberry season is upon us here in Maine, a season, I for one, look forward to every summer.  Maine's wild blueberries grow naturally in fields and barrens throughout the Downeast coast and are indigenous to Maine .  Native Americans were the first to use the tiny blue berries, both fresh and dried, for their flavor, nutrition and healing qualities but it was not until the 1840′s that wild blueberries were first harvested commercially.  

I found this recipe in a flyer called Maine Blueberry Recipes, put out by the Maine Department of Agriculture.  If your looking for a moist and really delicious quick bread, this is the one to try.  Fresh or frozen blueberries may be used and it freezes very well. 

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 tablespoons molasses

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350°

butter and line the bottom with parchment paper a 5X9 inch loaf pan.

1.   In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and salt until well combined.

2.   Add the egg and beat until light and fluffy.

3.   In a large bowl, sift together the flour, ginger and cinnamon, set aside.

4.   In a small bowl, add molasses and baking soda, stir to combine and set aside.

5.   Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, starting with the flour first then buttermilk and ending with flour.  Mix until completely combined.  Add molasses mixture and mix to combine.  Fold in by hand the blueberries and mix carefully but thoroughly to distribute the berries throughout the mix.

 6.   Pour into prepared loaf pan and smooth the top.  Sprinkle the 3 tablespoons sugar, evenly over the top of the batter.  Place in the preheated oven and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean.  Remove from oven and place on a wire cooling rack.  Allow to cool for an hour, then turn out onto rack to cool completely before cutting.  Enjoy!

 

Bacon Fat Gingersnaps

Bacon seems to be all the rage these days, bacon ice cream, candied bacon, and the altogether funny, big bowl of bacon with a lettuce leaf in the middle, "look I made a salad" of Face Book fame.  I always get a chuckle out of that one.  I thought I would get on the band wagon myself when I found these wonderful looking Bacon Fat Gingersnaps over at Leite's Culinaria

These crunchy, spicy and slightly smoky little cookies are a true delight!  They are quick and easy to put together but you do have to have a supply of bacon drippings on hand.  I've been saving bacon drippings for two weeks, waiting to get just the right amount in my measuring cup.  It didn't help that the bacon I buy is quite lean, so rendering fat from that bacon was a lengthy process.  I hope you'll give them a try!

 Ingredients

3/4 cup bacon drippings (from 1 1/2 -2 pounds of bacon) at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 cup molasses (not Blackstrap)

1 large egg

2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

extra sugar for rolling the cookie dough in.

 

                                    Rendering that bacon Fat!

1.   Sift flour, salt, baking soda, ginger, allspice, and cinnamon together in a mixing bowl.  Add bacon drippings, granulated sugar, brown sugar, molasses and egg.  Mix together until a stiff dough forms.  Gather together into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours up to two days.

 

2.   Preheat oven to 350°F.  Line 2 baking pans with parchment paper.  In a small bowl, pour in about a 1/2 cup of granulated sugar.  With a small scoop or a tablespoon scoop out dough and form into balls.  Roll the dough balls in the sugar and place them on the parchment lined pans about 2" apart.

3.   Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool in the pan slightly, then transfer to a wire rack.