Fourth-Generation Blackberry Jam Cake
- 1 cup vegetable shortening
- 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
- 4 eggs
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup raisins
- 2 cups blackberry jam
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease and flour two 10-inch round cake pans.
- For the cake, in a mixing bowl, cream the shortening and granulated sugar until fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each.
- Sift the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.
- Add the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour.
- Stir in the nuts and raisins, then stir in the jam.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the cake pulls away from the pan.
- Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes, the turn them out onto cake racks to cool completely.
- While the cake cools, make the icing.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the brown sugar, and bring to a boil.
- Boil over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Add the milk and continue stirring until the mixture returns to a boil.
- Remove the pan from the heat and scrape the mixture into a mixing bowl.
- Let cool.
- Add the confectioners sugar a little at a time, beating well after each addition, until the icing is thick enough to spread.
- Fill and ice the cake.
- You may prefer to bake this cake in a tube pan: Pour the batter into the greased and floured pan and bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 300 degrees and bake for about 1 hour 15 minutes, or until the cake tests done.
- Cool as directed for the 10-inch layers.
vegetable shortening, sugar, eggs, allpurpose, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, buttermilk, pecans, raisins, blackberry jam, butter, brown sugar, milk, confectioners sugar
Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/fourth-generation-blackberry-jam-cake-382187 (may not work)