Kentucky Raspberry Jam Cake Recipe

Kentucky Raspberry Jam Cake

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Saturday, July 31, is National Raspberry Cake Day and here in Kentucky, no recipe file is complete without a recipe for Jam Cake. If you don't already have one, check with your grandmother because she probably does. But just in case she's not yet willing to share, here's a favorite Southern Jam Cake Recipe, adapted from a recipe by Richard T. Hougen, the manager of the Boone Tavern Hotel from 1940 to 1976.

Hougen was the original Iron Chef and ruled his kitchen with a cast iron skillet. Nothing ever went to waste and dishes were prepared with ingredients that were inexpensive and easy to obtain.

This is a moist, dense cake, traditionally baked in either a tube pan or a sheet pan but adapts well to layers, too, if you prefer. And in some areas of the country you'll see this cake served plain, with just a light sprinkling of powdered sugar. Other areas serve it with a cream cheese icing. But here in Kentucky? If it's not iced with the traditional caramel icing then it's not really a jam cake, now is it?

Ingredients

• 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teastpoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 ½ cups seedless raspberry jam
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup buttermilk

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 13 X 9 inch sheet cake pan or a 10 cup tube pan using either shortening and flour or a non-stick baking spray.
• Sift flour,m baking soda, salt, cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon together and set aside.
• In large bowl, with electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. (about 4 minutes)
• Add in eggs and jam and mix well.
• Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk and mix well between each addition. Stir in pecans.
• Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven until tester comes out clean. Approx. 35 minutes.
• Cool completely before icing.

Icing ingredients

• 2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup whipping cream
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

Directions

Combine brown sugar, granulated sugar and water in a heavy 2-quart saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring gently, until syrup reaches the thread stage, 234 degrees. Remove from heat, add cream and butter, and beat with electric mixer until thickened. Pour icing over cake and let it drizzle down the sides.