Apple Stack Cake

Directions

For Filling:

1. Fill a large crockpot (5–6 quart) with apples.
2. Add sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and salt, mixing to combine.
3. Add water.
4. Cover and cook the mixture on low for 11 hours.
5. Use a slotted spoon to remove the apple slices and put them in a blender. Reserve the juice.
6. Puree the apples in the blender. If the mixture is too thick, add some of the juice.

For Cake:

7. Preheat oven to 350°F.
8. Spray six 9-inch round cake pans with non-stick cooking spray.
9. Line bottoms of pans with parchment and spray parchment with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
10. Beat shortening and sugar together in a bowl until creamy.
11. Add buttermilk, molasses, egg, and vanilla, beating well.
12. Combine the flour, ginger, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl.
13. Add flour mixture to the wet mixture slowly until well combined. The dough will be more like the consistency of cookie dough than cake batter.
14. Form the dough into a log on a lightly floured surface. Cut log into six equal portions.
15. Place one piece of the log into each of the prepared pans. Use your fingers to lightly press the dough to the edges of the pans.
16. Bake cakes for 10–12 minutes or until lightly browned.
17. Remove pans from the oven, remove the cakes from the pans, and place the cakes on wire racks to cool. The cakes will be firm like a gingerbread cookie.

For Assembly: 

18. Place one cake layer on a serving plate or cake stand and spread about ⅔ cup of warm apple butter filling on top.
19. Repeat step one using the remaining layers and apple butter filling, stacking each layer on the previous layer. However, do not spread filling on top of the last layer.
20. Cover and chill the cake in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours.
21. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.