apple stack cake being assembled

In today’s Mountain Flavors class—We will eat cake!

I think of today’s portion of the class as the day for fancy doings or big goings on. We’ll whip up some of the most special cakes in my repertoire.

Carolyn and I are also going to take the class on a walk around the Folk School to see Black Walnut trees. We’re going to demonstrate the difficulty of getting at those wonderful black walnut goodies. We’re even going to let them try their hand at cracking some walnuts with a black walnut cracker that Blind Pig reader Ken Roper made for me several years back.

Tipper

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15 Comments

  1. My mother-in-law grew up in Wallins, Kentucky – near Twila (Harlan County). She used to wax poetic about the apple stack cakes the ladies in the mountains made. We found one at The Apple Barn near Gatlinburg on our way up to Michigan for a visit a few years before she passed. She said it was very good, but not like she remembered. Wish I’d had this recipe then. I’d have tried to make it for her. As for now, I’m gonna try to make it in her memory. Maybe she’ll “help.”

  2. Tipper, sounds like you’ve been busy. I love black walnuts. As a kid we would sat around and crack them with a hammer. Just couldn’t crack em fast enough. Mom would make those good ole apple stack cakes. So good.

  3. I ain’t got much use for a pressure washer but they do come in handy to blast the hulls off of black walnuts. That don’t help crack the shells but at least they are clean when you start. I’ll bet Ken’s design is a doozy.
    Ken is my hero! When I grow up I want to be just like him!

  4. Hi Tippr, looking for the link to print these recipes, is it available ? Thanks, Glynda

  5. ohh tipper everything sounds wonderful….id love to take these classes..of course id just love to be able to see you and give you a big ladybug hug…you have surely brightened my life with your blog…many thanks for the laughs…recipes,,,,quotes and music…much love to you all
    lynn

  6. I will be waiting for the black walnut bread recipe. Wish I could be there to eat cake, especially the stack cake.

  7. I love black walnuts! Looking forward to the bread recipe! People have tried everything to crack them–I’ve heard of people driving over them. Might ruin the car tires!!

  8. I enjoy eating black walnuts. I sometimes would find them shelled and buy them. Shelling them is a chore, so I am always thrilled when I find that someone has done the work for me. Arsh cake sounds like a great way to enjoy them in a sweet setting. I looked at the recipe and will probably take a stab at it. Enjoy the hike through the trees.

  9. Sounds like a sweet day. Black walnut bread, yum AND apple stack cake. As a friend says, “It don’t get no better.”

  10. I love black walnut cake. My dad use to crack them for my mother to make the cake. He used a whet stone to crack the nut on and a ball pein hammer. They are tough nuts to crack. ha ha. The cake with boiled icing on is the best cake in the world. We use to put the green husks with nuts inside on the driveway and run over them to remove the walnut. He also cracked hickory nuts for us kids to eat. We couldn’t eat any until he filled a cereal bowl then everyone got the same amount. Good times, good memories.

  11. Sweet! I love desert time and nobody makes sweets like a country girl makes them. They are solid as well as sweet. I hope your students are enjoying the class. Do you think they would go for a group photo so we could meet them and while I’m making requests, how about some more pictures of the food your preparing.

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