Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F and place the rack in the middle position.

Step 2

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.

Step 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.

Step 4

Add the molasses. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a flexible spatula to get all of the molasses into the mixture.

Step 5

Add the eggs one at a time. Scrape all the way to the bottom of the bowl and mix on low speed.

Step 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.

Step 7

Shape the dough into a ball and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Step 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.

Step 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.

Step 10

Slide the disks off the baking sheet onto a flat surface to cool.

Step 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.

Step 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.

Step 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.