Frosted Jam Cake
Submitted by bernien
Southern blackberry jam cake with allspice, cinnamon, raisins, and chopped nuts in a buttermilk batter, frosted with cooked caramel icing and pecan halves. A three-layer heritage cake.
YIELD
12 servingsPREP
25 minCOOK
35 minREADY
60 minJam cake is a Southern Appalachian tradition that turns up at every wedding, funeral, and holiday gathering in the region. The signature move is folding blackberry jam directly into the batter, where it adds sweetness, moisture, and a faintly purple-brown crumb shot through with fruit. Allspice and cinnamon back up the jam with warm spice depth.
Buttermilk does two important jobs. Its acidity activates the baking soda for lift, and its tang balances the heavy jam sweetness so the cake doesn’t read as cloying. Raisins and chopped nuts folded in add textural interest in every bite.
The cooked caramel icing is the move that elevates this cake from rustic to special-occasion. Heavy cream and sugar boil to 234°F (112°C), the soft-ball stage, then cool slightly before beating with butter until it just starts to thicken. The icing has to be spread warm while still pourable, since it sets up firm as it cools. Decorate with pecan halves around the top edge. Pair with strong coffee for a proper Southern dessert.
Pro Tips
- Use seedless blackberry jam for smoother batter. Seedy jam leaves crunchy bits throughout the crumb.
- Beat the cooked icing only until it begins to thicken, not stiff. Over-beaten icing turns grainy.
- Spread the icing the moment it reaches spreadable consistency. It sets fast.
- Leave the cake sides unfrosted as written. The look is traditional and shows off the fruit-flecked crumb.
Variations
- Substitute homemade strawberry jam or apricot preserves for the blackberry for different flavor profiles.
- Add ½ cup of bourbon or brandy to the cake batter for an adult-level Kentucky-style jam cake.
- Swap pecans for walnuts or omit nuts entirely for nut-free version.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350℉ (180℃)., then grease and flour 3 9- inch cake pans.
Cream the butter and sugar until light then beat in the eggs and jam, blending well.
Sift the dry ingredients together and then add the dry ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk, to the creamed mixture, blending well after each addition.
Stir in the raisins and nuts.
Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the cake tests done, in the preheated oven.
Cool for 5 minutes on wire racks and turn out of the cake pans to cool to room temperature.
When cool, spread with the warm icing.
Icing: Combine the cream and sugar in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil, cooking at a full rolling boil for 2 minutes, (A candy thermometer will read 234 degrees F.)
Cool slightly, then beat until it just begins to thicken.
Beat in the butter and immediately spread between the layers and on top of the cake leaving the sides unfrosted.
Decorate with the pecan halves.
Comments
