Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 sticks of unsalted butter (at room temperature) plus more for pans
1 1/3 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons moonshine (the legal kind, please)
4 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups diced apples. You many remove the skins if you’d like, but I leave them on.
1/2 cup black walnuts
2 quarts of apple butter (64 oz)
3 apples, cored, halved and cut into thin slices.
Powdered sugar for dusting
Method
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease the inside (sides and bottom) of your 9” cake pan(s) with the butter. Line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper. Make sure to also grease the top of the parchment paper. In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt and spices. Set aside. In a separate bowl, using a mixer, cream together the butter and granulated sugar until fluffy and color has lightened slightly. Add the eggs and beat until combined. Add in the moonshine and vanilla. Slowly add in the flour mixture making sure not to add too much at once. Mix until just combined. Carefully fold in the apples and walnuts until they are evenly distributed throughout the batter. Measure out 1 cup of cake batter per cake pan. Tap each pan to distribute batter evenly and reduce the amount of air pockets in the batter. For the Apple rosette top you will need to reserve one pan of batter to top with apple slices. Lay a circular row of apples along the outside edge of the cake pan. Work your way in overlapping the circle each time until you get to the center. For the middle of the Rose microwave an apple slice at 50% power for 15 second to soften it. Roll the apple slice into a pinwheel and place in the center of your apple slices. Bake each cake layer for 13-14 mins or until a toothpick inserted in the center pulls out cleanly. This recipe will make a 6 layer cake. Allow the layers to cool completely. Once all layers have cooled you may begin to assemble the cake. Make sure each layer is even. This is especially important for the first layer. You may use a large bread knife to trim off any high spots. Between each cake layer spread a thin layer of apple butter to 1/4 of an inch away from the cake’s edge. Top the cake with apple rosette cake layer and finish with a light dusting of powdered sugar. Cake is best enjoyed when allowed to cure 24 hours!
