ARSH TATER CAKE
Irish potato noun—(a) variant forms arsh potato, arsh tater; (b) the common white potato with Irish added to distinguish it from a sweet potato. Dictionary of Smoky Mountain English.
This is my favorite traditional Appalachian dessert.
CAKE
- 1/2 cup softened butter
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup warm mashed potatoes (If I have mashed potatoes left over from supper I pop them in the freezer so I’ll have them handy to warm up when I make the cake)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon cocoa
- 2 cups plain flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon sodie (baking soda)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup sweet milk (just regular whole milk)
- 1 cup black walnuts
- 3 egg whites beaten light (save the yolks for the icing)
ICING
- 1 cup sweet cream (or evaporated milk)
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 beaten egg yolks
- 1 lump butter (1 tablespoon)
- 1 cup black walnuts or a little less
- 1 1/2 cups shredded sweetened coconut
Beat egg whites till light and fluffy; set aside. Sift together all dry ingredients except cocoa; set aside. Cream butter and sugar. Add cocoa and vanilla; mix well; add mashed potatoes mix well. Alternately add dry ingredients and milk; mix well after each addition. Fold in black walnuts and egg whites. Pour batter into greased and floured 9-inch cake pans. Using parchment lined pans helps prevent sticking. Bake at 350˚ for 30 minutes or till done. Remove cake from pans and let cool. To make icing, cook cream, sugar, and reserved egg yolks over low heat until thick; remove from heat. Stir in butter, coconut, and black walnuts. Place one layer on a cake stand; pour half of icing on top; place other layer on top and add rest of icing spreading it evenly and allowing it to drip down the sides.
TP
—Celebrating Southern Appalachian Food written by Jim Casada and Tipper Pressley
Arsh Tater Cake is hands down my favorite dessert. I just love it! It’s definitely sweet, but there’s a real earthy heartiness to it as well.
The one I made for Christmas is practically gone. I noticed both my nephews were excited to see it with the other desserts and that made me happy. I know they have fond memories of eating it at Granny’s get togethers and someday they’ll remember eating it at mine.
You can find our cookbook here.
Last night’s video: Christmas at Celebrating Appalachia 2024.
Tipper
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If you use the mashed potatoes, does it matter if you had previously seasoned them with butter and salt/pepper or do you have to reserve an unseasoned portion of the potatoes to use for this cake? May be a crazy question, but I was just wondering.
jamo-it is fine to use mashed potatoes you have seasoned 🙂
As some folks would say, “That cake looks larupin’ good.” I had never heard tell of it until you mentioned it last year.
I have fond memories of my grandmother saying ‘arsh tater’ from time to time! She was such a loving and kind lady and good cook as well.
My all time favorite cakes are coconut and the bakeless fruitcake made with crushed graham crackers. Don’t know what it is called but the crackers are completely pulverized, then milk heated close to boiling, mix in marshmallows and orange slice candies and nuts, mix it all, then let it age a few days. Scrumptious! Also like regular cake mix cake with German chocolate icing (don’t like chocolate cake).
Hi Tipper! Black Walnuts are hard for me to find. Three years ago, my Kroger had them. I’ll just use regular walnuts. Any tips on when and where to find them? I do love them!
Teresa-you might check Amazon and also Walmart might sell them online if they don’t in your area 🙂
Teresa, until this hot dry summer I have had a truckload of black walnuts for the last several years free for the taking. I couldn’t give most of them away. After trying to crack and pick them out of the shell, most people decide they are more trouble than they are worth. The squirrels love them and have no problem cracking them. A lesson here, never pick up a squirrel until you know for certain it is graveyard dead!
Good morning everyone. Tipper, I made your orange pull apart bread and crack candy. Both were delicious. I am going to make the cake next. One question, can I freeze some. With only me and one son, we have so many leftovers. One of my aunts was an incredible baker. But her recipes were in grams and kilos, also written in German. Her recipes were more like notes with amounts. They are lost of course. But I helped her bake and she had an icing like this minus the coconut. If this is similar it will be incredible. If anyone thinks I can freeze some, I’d appreciate if you can tell me. Your recipes and stories are my morning routine with my coffee. Hug Granny for me. Anna from Arkansas.
Anna-so glad you like those!! I’ve never frozen the cake but seems like that would work. Hopefully if someone else knows they will chime in 🙂 Thank you!!
Anna, I am an avid fan of cooking and I am gluten free which has been quite the learning curve! I made a carrot cake just today. I have yet to cut into it to know whether it is any good or not. Since I am the only gluten free person in the house, I freeze things on a regular basis. Although I have not tried it with this cake in particular, I do believe that it would be successful since I have frozen individual slices of cake before. I use small containers and put leftovers in them for consuming in the future. Depending on the recipe, I wrap things individually in foil or plastic wrap and store them in ziploc bags in the freezer. When you get ready for a serving, and again, depending on the recipe, you can get a serving out and let it thaw at room temperature (or in the fridge) or warm it in the oven or microwave.
Another consideration is to half the recipe and only make one cake instead of two layers. That way there isn’t as much to consume or stow away in the freezer. That is exactly what I did with the carrot cake today. I hope this helps!
I haven’t tried the recipe for Arch Potato Cake but I will! It sounds delicious! I made a Candy Orange Slice Cake for this Christmas and it is so good! I will make your recipe for the Orange Bread at Easter we just love it also.
Tipper we love all the things you make on your YouTube channel!
Praying for Granny!
This cake looks so good. The icing reminds me of German Chocolate cake icing.
Any recipe with black walnuts has got to be good. You know I’m going to try it.
I am not a “cooker” (as our pastor’s grandson calls a “cook”) but it pleases me to read here how many of your readers try your recipes. And I note that either they are rarely disappointed or, if so, just don’t say. It is yet another way that you share. I am much inclined to believe that you love to share by giving more than you like to get. But then, your readers are like that to.
I really liked your Christmas videos! Celebrating Christmas with your family is priceless! The cake sounds and looks so good! Praying for Granny, your family and you! I am pop praying for the hurricane victims also. God bless you and yours❤❤ Happy New Year to all!
I watched you make this cake, and it looks good. It’s interesting that only one teaspoon of cocoa is used. Can you taste the chocolate? I’m going to make it for my daughter’s birthday Feb. 3. I’ll let you know what they thought of it. My husband and son-in-law would like it because they like coconut. I prefer pies to cake, and I don’t like coconut. My mother loves coconut and used to make a few desserts with mashed potatoes in them like donuts, sweet breads and potato candy. Daddy would probably like it if he was alive. He often used the term “arsh taters” when describing russet potatoes. His grandmother on his father’s side was Irish and he pronounced a lot of words like the Irish.
Tricia-you don’t taste chocolate but I do think it adds a depth of flavor that really helps it 🙂
Tricia, in my neck of the woods among the natives there are only two types of taters, they are “arsh taters” and “sweet taters.” Anyone the says “Irish potatoes”and “you guys” instead of y’all is an outsider and was not raised in Possum Kingdom, SC!
In my kingdom what you call “arsh taters” don’t have a first name. They are just “taters”. Calling them “arsh” confuses foreigners further. We always call “sweet taters” by both names. We don’t use y’all at all. We say “younz” or “you’ns”. “You Guys” exclude the distaff side which can evoke a homocide. If you slip up and say it, you quickly follow with “and Gals”
I’ve got to get my wife to make this cake. I truly love black walnuts and there’s way more than enough Irish in me to love potatoes prepared in any recipe.
I saw the video last night where you made the cake. It looked delicious. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Your cake looks and sounds delicious. I haven’t got to watch your video from last evening yet. I am taking my mama to get groceries and to see my dad in the nursing home this morning. When I get home, watching your video will be my relaxation time with a cup of afternoon coffee. You have no idea how your daily posts on this blog and your videos keep us all entertained! Thank you and Have a wonderful Monday everyone!!
I had never heard of this cake before watching your channel. I’d love to try it. Do you think it would turn out the same in a 9×13 pan? I’m just curious because that would be an easier way to make it for me. I’m sure everyone enjoyed it. You’re sweet for thinking of others and for making memories too.
Rhonda-I think it would be good that way too 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing your Christmas Day with us. I surprised my grown daughter with “Christmas Gift” on Christmas morning. She spent the night with me Christmas Eve and then we went to my nieces house Christmas night. We had a lovely family gathering. As I get older holidays seem to get harder because I miss all those who have passed on. I teared up when I saw the ornaments, what a wonderful memory.
I too have lost all my older and some younger members of my family. My Christmas gift list has really shrunk and it makes me sad. Our get together are smaller but still sweet all the same.
Karen, I feel exactly like you do. The memories of the get togethers I have had with my family and after getting married, with my wife’s family cut at me like a knife. I enjoyed and loved her family just as much as my own. Most of the ones at these get togethers have passed on including my wife and daughter. I am grateful for all of the good memories but at the same time they hurt and are depressing for me. We had get togethers throughout the year, not only at Christmas.
I watched you make this cake yesterday as well as your Christmas celebration. It was lovely. Now In ready to see you make Matt’s favorite orange desert cake for after Christmas! The one you made for Chritmas in July!
Tipper, I made your Cake recently and my family loved it.
Jeanette-wonderful!
Sounds great, but how many egg whites? 3? and how many nuts in the cake it’s self?
Darlene-sorry for the typos 🙂 I fixed the recipe.
I will be making this too! I can hardly wait to try it!
I made the orange bread Matt loves so much at Christmas, and I will tell you what, that was SO delicious! It will be a must have at our Christmas dinner, too! It will be called the Pressley Orange Christmas Bread. I might have to sneak it in for a Christmas in July. We don’t do that, but sounds like a good excuse to make it!
We are preparing to go to our cousin’s showing and will take her over to the ridge for her final resting place. She will be laid where our people have been buried for well over 150 years.
Prayers for a beautiful, happy, healthy New Year! God bless all y’all!
Debbie-I fixed a few typos in the recipe so check it again before making. Still praying for your family!!
This sounds SO good! Sadly, I’m the rare bird in the family who loves coconut.
That cake does look tasty.
I forgot to write this, we had some bad storms yesterday morning with some tornadoes in them that didn’t touch down. Now the local weatherman is hinting at maybe getting some snow next week and throughout the rest of winter. I sure if Tipper hears this she will have her fingers crossed hoping to get some. Even though I can now stay home by the fire, I hope he is wrong, my son and grandson will still have to go to work if it does snow.
This sounds and looks like it would be good, but I am not much of a cake eater, I had rather have a cobbler pie. I do like a plain pound cake. Mother would make a raisin pound cake that I dearly loved. If there is GOOD homemade southern style cornbread dressing(not stuffing) at any meal, I will skip dessert in order to eat more dressing. My niece gave me a big pan of leftover dressing from our family Christmas get together, I think that was the best present I received! I have been eating on it since Christmas Eve, I have got one more helping.
I made meatloaf and mashed potatoes yesterday, was looking forward to potato patties today but after watching your video last night I decided to use my left overs for your cake instead of afore mentioned potato patties. Anxious to see what it tastes like–will share with my brother in law and sister and since I will probably wait until tomorrow to make it then it will be our New Years day dessert–I think it will fit in nicely with pork, greens, black eyed peas, corn meal dumplings, and mexican cornbread. Those ornaments Corrie had made were outstanding–making an ornament out of a piece of loved ones clothing would have been special enough but to add their own handwriting of a special quote just put it over the top. Prayers continuing for granny–and also praying for you to get some rest and recharge your body now that the busiest part of the holidays are over…it wont be long until you will have to get things started for the garden so rest and recuperate while you can and just enjoy some down time with your mom and your grandsons.
This sounds delicious! Kind of reminds me of a German Chocolate Cake. Can’t wait to try it!! Thanks for sharing this great recipe. I’m so proud to have your & Jom’s cookbook, what a treasure!
Regina