Carrying On A Legacy Through A Recipe

Carrying On A Legacy Through A Recipe

 

One of the most rewarding experiences we have is sharing in the lives of our residents at our Assisted Living communities in Georgia and Tennessee.  They are an open history book and have so much to share.  Today we had the opportunity to host a fall afternoon cooking class with our residents in one of our Assisted Living communities.  We gathered with residents to reminisce, share stories, and exchange recipes. We discovered that an old fashioned fall favorite among our residents is Apple Stack Cake. They shared that this is an old Southern Appalachian dessert that was enjoyed at most holidays and social gatherings.  One resident shared the story that this was also a popular wedding tradition.  She explained that because wedding cakes were costly, neighbors would bring cake layers to donate to the bride. The family of the bride then would prepare the apples to spread between the layers of the cake. The number of layers per stack of her wedding cake often told the story of the bride’s popularity within the community. I guess it is true what they say…You learn something new every day!

Today we were reminded once again of the importance that our role in Senior Housing plays.  We have the opportunity to share the history of our seniors and celebrate their success.  It’s more to us than a community it becomes an extension of our family.  As the holidays approach we find ourselves overwhelmed with activities, social events, and family gatherings -its days like today that reassure us that what we do makes a difference in lives and that we are carrying on a legacy, even if it’s through a recipe!

Enjoy this special Apple Stack Cake Recipe shared by our residents and included in The BBQ Doctor’s Cookbook! 

Apple stack cake resized 600

 Old Fashioned Apple Stack Cake
    1/2 cup shortening
    1/2 cup sugar
    1 egg, well beaten
    1/3 cup molasses
    1/2 cup buttermilk
    3 1/2 cups flour
    1/2 teaspoon soda
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1 teaspoon ginger
    1 teaspoon vanilla
    Cooked dried apples

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream shortening and sugar; add beaten egg, molasses, buttermilk, and mix well. Sift flour, soda, salt, and ginger into a big mixing bowl. Make hole in center of dry ingredients and pour in creamed mix, stirring until well blended. Add vanilla, stir well, and roll out dough as you would for a piecrust. Cut to fit 9-inch pan or cast-iron skillet (this amount of dough will make 7 layers). Bake layers for 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly browned. When cool, stack layers with spiced, sweetened old-fashioned dried apples. (See recipe below.) Spread between layers and smooth around sides and top. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired, or beat egg whites into a meringue and spread on outside of cake. You may brown the meringue if desired. Prepare cake at least a day before serving it and put in refrigerator (it will keep several days, if necessary, in a cool place). To serve, slice into very thin layers.
Cooking Dried Apples
Put 1 pound apples in heavy pan and cover with cold water. You may need to add water several times to keep apples from sticking to pan. Cook until soft enough to mash. While still hot, mash apples and add 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup white sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon cloves, and 1 teaspoon allspice.
ENJOY!

Join us for Dinner or contact a Community today to request your copy of The BBQ Doctor’s Cookbook – A compilation of Classic Recipes from the families, residents and employees of Senior Solutions communities – Antebellum Grove, Warner Robins – GA; Carriage House Inn, Shelbyville – TN; Lakewood Place, Loudon – TN; River Oaks Place, Lenoir City – TN, River Oaks Place, Loudon – TN; Jamestowne Assisted Living, Kingston – TN; Wellspring Senior Living and Oakwood Senior Living, Knoxville – TN.

Is there a recipe that you’d like to share?  Leave it in the comments below and we may publish it in our next cookbook and you will receive a complimentary copy!
What’s your favorite Fall Recipe?

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