Tennessee Christmas Cake Recipes

TENNESSEE MOUNTAIN STACK CAKE

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and place the rack in the middle position.
• 2. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
• 3. Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on medium speed until wet and grainy.
• 4. Add the molasses. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a flexible spatula to get all of the molasses into the mixture.
• 5. Add the eggs one at a time. Scrape all the way to the bottom of the bowl and mix on low speed.
• 6. Alternately add the buttermilk and the dry mixture about a quarter at a time. Stop the mixer to scrape the bowl and turn it on again on low speed for about 10 seconds. The mixture should be stiff like a soft cookie dough.
• 7. Shape the dough into a ball and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• 8. Divide the dough into 6 or 8 equal portions and place each one on a round piece of parchment paper a little larger than a 9-inch cake pan. Roll out the dough to the size of the parchment. Place the cake pan over the disk and trim away the excess around the edge.
• 9. Leaving the parchment paper underneath, lift the disks onto baking sheets and bake them for approximately 10 minutes, or until the top surface appears dry and a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
• 10. Slide the disks off the baking sheet onto a flat surface to cool.
• 11. To make the filling, combine all the ingredients in a large, heavy-bottom saucepan and bring to a light simmer. Immediately transfer to the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse into a thick paste.
• 12. To assemble the cake, spread about 1 cup of the filling onto each layer, taking care to center each disk on top of the one beneath it. Repeat until all the layers are used. Do not put apple filling on top of the cake.
• 13. Wrap the cake well and refrigerate it for up to 24 hours. This gives the apple filling time to work itself into the cake. Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve chilled.

GEORGIA'S TENNESSEE JAM CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease three 8 or 9 inch round cake pans and set aside.
• In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until each one is blended in. Dissolve the baking soda in the water; stir into the batter along with the blackberry jam. Combine the flour, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt; stir into the batter by hand, alternating with the buttermilk. Fold in the black walnuts and raisins if using. Divide the batter equally between the three pans, and spread in an even layer.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the top of the cakes spring back when lightly touched, about 35 minutes. Cool in the pans until cool enough to handle, then invert the cakes over a wire rack and remove pans to cool completely.

TENNESSEE STACK CAKE

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine 4 cups of dried apples and water. Bring to a boil, and let simmer over medium-low heat for 30 minutes, or until apples are very soft. Mash the apples slightly, and stir in the sugar. Set aside to cool.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and 1 1/4 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the buttermilk, baking soda, baking powder, salt and ginger. Mix in the flour about 1 cup at a time to form a stiff dough. Divide dough into 5 equal portions. Pat each portion of the dough into a 9 inch circle on greased cookie sheets.
• Bake for 6 to 8 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are golden. Carefully remove layers to a cooling rack.
• Stack the layers onto a serving plate, spreading about 3/4 cup of the apple filling between each layer. Spread the rest of the filling over the top layer, and arrange dried apple slices on top for garnish. Let stand overnight before serving.

TENNESSEE T-CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Add the brown sugar and white sugar to the melted butter and set aside (some of the brown sugar will melt).
• In mixer with paddle gently mix egg and bourbon vanilla.
• Add the butter and sugar mixture to the egg mixture and beat on low until mixed well.
• Add flour all at once to mixer. Mix well; you will see it look just like it did on the program, sticky and ribbon-like. I used a measuring cup to pour it into the paper cups without the mess of a melon baller.
• Bake at 350 degrees F for 14 minutes, turning at 7 minutes.
• Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Keep in closed container after cooled.
• Note: (makes a Wilton mini tin full).
• VARIATIONS:.
• FOR KEY LIME:.
• no vanilla, instead use 2 tsp key lime.
• FOR LEMON:.
• no vanilla, instead use 2 tsp lemon juice.
• FOR FUDGE:.
• Poke hole in hot t-cakes with large frosting tip. Fill with your favorite Hot Fudge Sundae topping.