Cooking with Paula Deen Special Issues – September 2019

PAULA DEEN’S FALL BAKING 106

½ cup all-vegetable shortening
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup whole buttermilk
1⁄3 cup molasses
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3½ cups all-purpose fl our
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch ground nutmeg
Apricot Ginger Filling (recipe follows)
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Garnish: soft dried apricots

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Spray 6 (9-inch) round
   cake pans with cooking spray. Line bottom of
   pans with parchment paper; spray parchment.


2. In a medium bowl, beat shortening and
   granulated sugar with a mixer at medium
   speed until creamy. Add buttermilk, molasses,
   egg, and vanilla, beating well.


3. In a large bowl, whisk together fl our, ginger,
   baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
   Make a well in center of fl our mixture;
   add shortening mixture, stirring just until
   combined.


4. On a lightly fl oured surface, shape dough
   into a log; cut into 6 equal portions. Place one
   portion in each prepared pan, and use fi ngers

to lightly pat dough to edges of pans.

5. Bake until lightly browned, 10 to
   12 minutes. Remove from pans, and let
   cool completely on wire racks. (Cake layers
   will have the consistency of a gingerbread
   cookie.)


6. Place one cake layer on a serving plate or
   cake stand; spread with about ¾ cup warm
   Apricot Ginger Filling. Repeat procedure
   four times; top with remaining cake layer.
   Cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.
   Just before serving, dust with confectioners’
   sugar. Garnish with apricots, if desired.

Apricot Ging er Filling

Makes about 4 cups

4 cups soft dried apricots

1 cup sugar

½ teaspoon ground ginger

3 cups apricot nectar

1. In a large saucepan, combine apricots,
   sugar, ginger, and enough nectar to
   cover. Bring to a low boil over medium
   heat. Reduce heat, and simmer, stirring
   frequently, for 45 minutes. Remove from
   heat, and let stand until slightly cooled,
   about 10 minutes. Transfer mixture to
   the work bowl of a food processor or the
   container of a blender; process until smooth.
   Useimmediately.

Old-Fashioned Stack Cake

with Apricot Ginger Filling

Makes 1 (9-inch) cake

If you don’t have 6 cake pans, loosely coverthebatter

and keep it at room temperature while youbakelayers

in batches. Let the cake pans cool completelybetween

bakes. For a taller stack cake, simply doubletherecipe.

Kitchen Tip