Apple Stack Cake & Friday Favorites

I've been freaking out a little since this was delivered to my mailbox. 

Spoiler Alert: Mine doesn't look this pretty.

Apples aren't my top-of-the-line, go-to fruit, but I do like them, and bottom line is that I trust anything Southern Living says. I make their Christmas Cover Cake every year, so I knew I had to make this. I started looking for an occasion. 

I bake so frequently that it is really better if I do it for an occasion, like a friend's birthday, or a holiday, or..tax day..whatever. But I try to justify the baking, lest a huge cake sit on our kitchen counter for days hours before it gets showed who's boss. Usually by me. 

I could make you my bitch.

Alex has started requesting that I give them away so we don't gain anymore weight. My mom gets excited every time that she sees I've baked a new one, and begs me to keep her a slice for just a couple of days until she can get down here and eat a piece. She still has only had maybe one slice of one or two of my cakes, bless her heart. But the early bird catches the worm. Anyhow, it's starting to become a problem. But I can't stop. And I won't stop.

When I realized that my friend Jazzy's (yes, that's her name. Don't ask for a full name, because the full name is actually much, much more awesome) birthday was coming up, I casually asked her if she liked apples. When she said yes, I got so excited and started masterminding my plot to own this cake.

It is a warm, cozy, rich cake that is perfect for fall. And the apples make it healthy! I can truly justify anything. 

Including the glaze dripping off that apple. It's an apple. You're getting way more than the recommended serving of fruit for the day.

The cake itself is a nice medium texture cake with hints of apple butter and the slight crunch of pecan. The filling is baked cinnamon apples, which ooze out of every layer. In the absence of a frosting, you instead enjoy a warm, buttery, almost-caramel-y sauce that drips off of anything that will sit still. And the best part is that, again, there's no decorating! So it's easy peasy! These are my favorites. I love the baking part, making the fillings, and even putting them together, but decorating cakes kind of freaks me out a little. It's my least favorite part of the process. 

Here is the recipe, courtesy of Southern Living. I usually tweak recipes, or take one thing from one place and one from another, but I did this recipe in full. Because it's freaking Southern Living. Who am I to argue with that. 

FILLING

3 pounds tart apples (such as Granny Smith), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch wedges

3 pounds crisp apples (such as Braeburn or Honeycrisp), peeled and chopped

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 lemon, sliced

CAKE

Vegetable cooking spray

6 (8-inch) round disposable aluminum foil cake pans

Parchment paper

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

5 large eggs, separated

1 1/2 teaspoons apple pie spice

3 cups all-purpose flour, divided

1 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup chopped toasted pecans

1 cup apple butter

APPLE CIDER GLAZE

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup apple cider

1/2 cup butter

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

PREPARATION

1. Prepare Filling: Bring first 4 ingredients to a light boil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring often, 25 to 30 minutes or until apples are tender and juices thicken. Discard lemon slices. Cool completely (about 2 hours). Cover and chill until ready to use.

2. Prepare Cake: Lightly grease disposable cake pans with cooking spray; line bottoms of pans with parchment paper, and lightly grease parchment paper.

3. Preheat oven to 350°. Beat butter at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.

4. Stir together apple pie spice and 2 3/4 cups flour in a medium bowl; stir together buttermilk and baking soda in a small bowl. Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition.

5. Stir together pecans and remaining 1/4 cup flour. Fold pecan mixture and apple butter into batter.

6. Beat egg whites at high speed with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Stir about one-third of egg whites into batter; fold in remaining egg whites.

7. Divide cake batter among prepared pans, spreading with an offset spatula.

8. Bake at 350° for 7 minutes; rotate pans from top rack to bottom rack. Bake 7 to 9 more minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

9. Make Apple Cider Glaze- Bring sugar, apple cider, butter, and corn syrup to a boil in a small heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring constantly, 4 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla. (Note: If necessary, microwave glaze in a microwave-safe bowl at HIGH 10 to 20 seconds before drizzling over cake).

10. Remove cake layers from oven, and brush each with 2 to 3 Tbsp. warm Apple Cider Glaze. (Reserve remaining glaze.) Cool cake layers in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks; discard parchment paper. Cool completely (about 30 minutes).

11. Assemble Cake: Place 1 layer, glaze-side up, on serving platter. Top with 1 1/2 cups filling. Repeat with remaining layers and filling. Top last layer with any remaining filling, and drizzle cake with desired amount of reserved Apple Cider Glaze.

Now onto Friday Favorites. 

1. These wooden slabs- These would add a fun, rustic touch into decor. They would be great for anywhere in the home; candles or trinkets come to mind. But I would use them to serve cake or cupcakes for an organic-looking display. I can think of so many uses for them!
2. This tea towel- I saw this in a store the other day and thought it was precious, especially if you move around and are proud of your homestate. You can move the little heart pin to anywhere in the US you want. Too cute.
3. How To Get Away With Murder- is anybody else watching this on ABC on Thursday nights? It is SO, so good. Viola Davis is incredibly convincing as criminal defense attorney Analiese Keating, and the murder mystery that is slowly and painfully unraveling is keeping me on the edge of me seat (I mean painful in the hurts-so-good sense). 
4. Baby Gap right now- I love this in-between Halloween and Christmas season, where you can snuggle up in plaid, suede, pom poms, and deer printed things. I have a big crush on this pompom beanie, these suede baby shoes, and this deer printed dress for Vivi. It would all be darling paired with tights for fall family pictures.
5. This massive cake dome- My sweetheart mama surprised me with this the other day, and I am in LOVE. The cakes I make tend to be really tall--much too tall for a standard sized cake stand dome. So I am left with the options of 1) covering the cake with the regular sized dome and smushing it, 2) covering the cake in saran wrap and getting frosting everywhere, or 3) eating the cake all in one sitting, because I have nothing to cover it with. I usually go with option 3. But this dome solves all life's problems. It is huge. Huge. Massive. It could cover a small wedding cake, I think. I love it and am so excited to use it for my next cake. Thanks, Mama!
6. These fancy measuring spoons- I need new measuring spoons. After moving 9 times in 10 years, my poor measuring spoons are a haphazard collection of the bizarre. These are beautiful, fancy, and they would match my beloved flatware. Definitely going on my Christmas wish list. 
7. This UGA Gameday cuff bracelet- Would be a great addition to a gameday outfit. Maybe it would bring some luck to the Bulldogs after that tragic game last week. 
8. Essie's Style Cartel. Loving dark fall nail colors! This is from Essie's Fall Collection, and it is a true inky blue. Topped with Seche Vite's fast drying top coat. My friend introduced this top coat to me, and she was right-- it has truly changed my life. I'm not even kidding. It dries ridiculously fast, thus letting me actually look forward to painting my nails.  Buy it now if you've never tried it. Trust me.
    
   
   
   We are looking forward to a chill Friday, a fun Saturday full of cornbread and football (and hopefully a Dawg win!), and Alex returning to us safely so that I can get more than 3 hours sleep at a time. 
   
   
   Now I have to go see what Bobby is into, because I'm pretty sure I hear him doing something in our bathroom.
   
   
   Keep on keepin' on!
   -Annette