Recipe Index

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted, slightly cooled, plus more for pans
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp. ground ginger
• 1 tsp. ground allspice
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup chilled buttermilk, preferably whole milk
• 1 cup sorghum syrup or pure cane syrup
• 2 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 tsp. vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
• 4 1/2 cups store-bought apple butter (from about three 17-oz. jars)
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/8 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 cup chilled heavy cream
• 1/2 cup chilled buttermilk, preferably whole milk
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 3 Tbsp. powdered sugar, plus more for dusting

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F with racks in the upper and lower thirds, butter three 9-inch cake pans, and line their bottoms with parchment rounds.
2. Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, 1 Tbsp. cinnamon, 1 Tbsp. ginger, and allspice in a large bowl, and in a second bowl whisk the eggs, 1 cup buttermilk, sorghum syrup, 2 tsp. kosher salt, vanilla, and melted butter.
3. Stir the wet mixture into the dry ingredients with a spatula until a smooth, thick batter forms, divide the batter among the three pans at about 2 1/4 cups per pan, and smooth the surfaces.
4. Bake the three cakes for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the pans halfway, until pale golden and firm, cool them in the pans for 15 minutes, turn them out, peel off the parchment, and chill the layers for at least 45 minutes.
5. Stir the apple butter with 1 tsp. cinnamon, the nutmeg, cloves, and 1/8 tsp. ginger in a small bowl for the spiced filling.
6. Trim any domes from the chilled cakes with a long serrated knife and slice each cake in half horizontally to make 6 thin layers.
7. Stack the layers with generous spreads of spiced apple butter between them, leaving the top layer bare.
8. Whip the heavy cream, 1/2 cup buttermilk, 1/4 tsp. kosher salt, and powdered sugar together until soft peaks form, spread or dollop this buttermilk cream over the top of the stack cake, and dust the finished cake with more powdered sugar.

Total: 1 hr 45 minutes (plus 45 minute chill time)

Nutrition (per serving, where published)

Estimated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient data