Back before the days of automobiles, when folks went to family reunions in Kentucky they went in wagons. But after Ma, Pa, and the eight kids got in the wagon, there wasn’t a lot of room for the food they were taking. To save on space, they invented the Kentucky Stack Pie. Instead of taking four single pies, they stacked four pies on top of each other, making an amazing dessert that fed 20 or more yet had only a tiny footprint.
The Kentucky Stack Pie is four chess pies stacked with caramel icing between each layer, covering the top, and dripping down the sides. It is so rich that only a sliver will satisfy, which is why it serves so many.
It is a tradition in our family to make one for Christmas, but stack pie tastes just as good on the Fourth of July or at a family reunion in the park. It takes a 2-3 hours to make one, but the result is well worth the time. Here’s how to do it.
Step Number One: Making Four Pie Crusts
I use four 8-inch pie pans, but they are a bit hard to find these days. You can use four shallow 9-inch pans as well.
Four Crusts
4 cups of flour
1 ½ tsp. salt
1 ½ cups of Crisco shortening (not butter flavored)
12-13 tablespoons ice water
No-stick spray (like Pam)
Note: If you have no 8-inch pie pans and need to use 9-inch pans, make another batch of crust (1 1/3 C. flour, ½ tsp. salt, ½ C. Crisco, 3-4 T. ice water) to supplement what you have already made.
In a large mixing bowl, combine 4 C. of all-purpose flour with 1 ½ tsp. of salt. Take 1 ½ C. of Crisco shortening (not butter-flavored) and combine it gradually with the flour mixture using a pastry cutter (or fork) until the mixture becoming crumbly (that is, consists of tiny clumps of flour).
Add ice-cold water one tablespoon at a time, then stir with a fork until the dough forms a mass that adheres together (that is, you can mold it into a baseball that holds together). This should take 12-13 tablespoons.
Divide the dough into 4 equal balls.
Coat four 8-inch pie pans or plates generously with no-stick spray.
One at a time, roll out a ball of pastry between pieces of wax paper and then coat a pie pan with crust. The pastry should come just to the inner top rim of the pie pan. Do not extend the crust so that it covers the lip of the pie pan. If you do, it will break off when you remove the pie from the pan. Set these pastries aside while you make the pie filling.
Step Number Two: Making the Pie Filling
Filling
10 egg yolks
3 cups granulated sugar
1 ½ cups butter or margarine
1 cup whipping cream (heavy cream)
½ tsp. vanilla
Separate the yolks of ten eggs and beat them well in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in 3 cups of sugar, beating well again. Add 1 ½ cups of melted butter or margarine, 1 cup of whipping cream, and ½ tsp. of vanilla.
Pour about 1 ½ cups of filling into each pie shell. If there is some extra, make the bottom shell fuller.
Step Number Three: Baking the Pies
Baking
Bake two to four pies at a time at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes until the filling is done. It may bubble up during the cooking, but your fingers will tell you when the pie centers are firm to the touch and ready to come out. Allow the pies to cool in their pans.
Once they have cooled, run a long, thin spatula around them and under to slip them out of their pans. Stack them on a cake dish or large plate, icing each one lightly with caramel frosting (see below), as you go. Frost the top pie generously and let the icing drip down the sides.
Step Number Four: Icing the Pie
Caramel frosting
2 cups of brown sugar
1 cup of whipping cream (heavy cream)
½ tsp. of vanilla or vanilla extract
½ cup of powdered sugar (confectioner’s sugar)
Mix 2 cups of brown sugar and 1 cup of whipping cream and heat on medium high until it comes to a soft boil. Cook it 10 minutes until the mixture thickens a bit. Remove from the heat and let cool for 15 minutes or so. Stir in ½ tsp. of vanilla extract. Next, add ½ cup of powered sugar and beat with a hand mixer until creamy. If it seems too firm to spread, beat in some whipping cream (or Half-n-half or milk) a tablespoon at a time. The consistency should be such that the icing will pool on the top pie and then drip slowly down the edges of the stacked pies without spreading too much on the bottom plate. When the consistency seems right, frost the top of each pie as you stack them. On the last pie, spread the icing gently so that it goes over the edge and slowly drips down the sides. It is better that it not drip down the sides at all than to be so thin that it drains down and forms a lake on your cake dish.
This dessert rots tooth enamel on contact, but it sure is good! Enjoy.