Apple Stack Sundae
Sorghum Cake, Apple Cake Fudge, Brown Butter Pecan Ice Cream, Apple Toffee Sauce, Apple Chips
Pastry Chef Gracie Fredericksen of Audrey | Nashville, TN
Adapted by StarChefs | June 2026 | Photo: Alexander Zeren
INGREDIENTS
Apple Chips:
100 grams granulated sugar
2 apples, thinly sliced
Malic acid
Brown Butter Pecan Ice Cream:
Yield: 4 quarts
170 grams butter
500 grams whole milk
175 grams heavy cream
140 grams granulated sugar
50 grams milk powder
32 grams glucose powder
3 grams ice cream stabilizer
1 gram kosher salt
90 grams egg yolks
Chopped butter-roasted pecans
Sorghum Cake:
Yield: 1 half sheet
16 ounces sorghum
16 ounces buttermilk
10 ounces vegetable oil
6 whole eggs
1.080 kilograms all-purpose flour
400 grams granulated sugar
36 grams baking powder
12 grams ground ginger
6 grams ground allspice
6 grams ground cinnamon
Apple Cake Fudge:
Apple butter
Melted butter
Apple Toffee Sauce:
Yield: 2 quarts
16 ounces apple cider
Brown sugar
Heavy cream
Butter
Kosher salt
To Assemble and Serve:
Brunoised apples
METHOD
For the Apple Chips:
Heat a dehydrator to 140°F. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar and 100 grams water. Bring to a simmer and cook until sugar is fully dissolved. Let cool. Dip apples into simple syrup, then transfer to a silicone-lined sheet tray. Season with malic acid. Dehydrate 24 hours. The next day, flip slices and dehydrate additional 24 hours, or until fully dried. Transfer to an airtight container with silica packets. Reserve.
For the Brown Butter Pecan Ice Cream:
In a sauté pan over medium heat, cook butter until browned. Let cool slightly. Transfer to a saucepan with milk and cream. Cover and refrigerate overnight. The next day, strain, discarding butter solids. Return milk mixture to saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer. Add sugar, milk powder, glucose powder, stabilizer, and salt. Cook until sugar has fully dissolved. Remove from heat and whisk in yolks. Let cool. Divide into 1-kilogram vacuum bags. Seal and freeze overnight. The next day, process in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to a mixing bowl and fold in pecans. Divide evenly into pint containers. Cover and freeze.
For the Sorghum Cake:
Heat oven to 350°F. In a large mixing bowl, whisk to combine sorghum, buttermilk, oil, and eggs. Set aside. In a separate mixing bowl, sift together remaining ingredients. Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just combined. Transfer batter to an oiled and parchment-lined half sheet tray. Bake 15 minutes, or until set. Let cool. Once cooled, cut into 1-inch cubes, reserving scraps separately. Transfer cubes to an airtight container and reserve.
For the Apple Cake Fudge:
In a food processor, combine apple butter, melted butter, and reserved Sorghum Cake scraps, Blend until desired consistency is achieved. Press mixture into a parchment-lined sheet pan. Refrigerate until firm. Once firm, cut into ½-inch cubes. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze.
For the Apple Toffee Sauce:
In a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring apple cider to a boil. Cook until reduced to a syrup-like consistency. Remove from heat and let cool. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate. In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, combine butter and brown sugar. Bring to a boil and cook until sugar is dissolved. In a separate saucepan over medium heat, warm cream. Slowly stream warmed cream into brown sugar mixture. Cook until desired thickness is achieved. Remove from heat and stir in reduced cider syrup and salt. Let cool. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate.
To Assemble and Serve:
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine Apple Toffee Sauce and brunoised apples. Cook until apples are fork-tender. Reduce heat and keep warm. In a sauté pan over medium heat, toast 3 cubes Sorghum Cake. Transfer to a shallow serving bowl. Top with 2 cubes Apple Cake Fudge followed by 2 scoops Brown Butter Pecan Ice Cream. Garnish with 1 Apple Chip. Tableside, pour warmed Apple Toffee Sauce over top.
