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1.
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Preheat the oven to 350F and place the rack in the middle position.
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2.
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Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine.
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Set aside.
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3.
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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.
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4.
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Add the molasses.
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Scrape the sides of the bowl with a flexible spatula to get all of the molasses into the mixture.
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5.
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Add the eggs one at a time.
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Scrape all the way to the bottom of the bowl and mix on low speed.
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6.
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Alternately add the buttermilk and the dry mixture about a quarter at a time.
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Stop the mixer to scrape the bowl and turn it on again on low speed for about 10 seconds.
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The mixture should be stiff like a soft cookie dough.
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7.
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Shape the dough into a ball and wrap it in plastic wrap.
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Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
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8.
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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.
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Roll out the dough to the size of the parchment.
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Place the cake pan over the disk and trim away the excess around the edge.
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9.
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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.
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10.
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Slide the disks off the baking sheet onto a flat surface to cool.
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11.
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To make the filling, combine all the ingredients in a large, heavy-bottom saucepan and bring to a light simmer.
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Immediately transfer to the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse into a thick paste.
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12.
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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.
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Repeat until all the layers are used.
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Do not put apple filling on top of the cake.
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13.
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Wrap the cake well and refrigerate it for up to 24 hours.
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This gives the apple filling time to work itself into the cake.
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Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve chilled.
