A traditional cake in this area, blackberry jam cake can be frosted with other types of frosting, but the caramel made with brown sugar is a favorite.
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1 cup (2 sticks/225 g) butter, plus more for pans
- 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup (240 ml) blackberry jam
- 3½ cups (440 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup (115 g) chopped pecans
For the Caramel Frosting and Garnish
- ½ cup (1 stick/115 g) butter
- 1 cup packed (220 g) light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) whole milk
- About 2 cups (200 g) confectioners’ sugar
- Whole pecan halves for garnish (optional)
How to Make It
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Prepare the Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Butter two 9-inch (23-cm) round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and beat thoroughly. Add the buttermilk, baking soda, and jam.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cloves, allspice, and cinnamon. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in batches, beating to combine. Stir in the pecans.
- Divide the batter between the prepared pans. Bake the cakes for 40 minutes to an hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow them to cool for at least 15 minutes before turning them out of the pans onto a wire rack to cool completely. Prepare the Frosting
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the brown sugar and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Stir in the milk and transfer the brown sugar mixture to a medium mixing bowl. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar, beating continuously, until you have a consistency for spreading that you like.
- To assemble the cake, place one of the cake layers on a serving plate and spread the top with frosting (level the cake by slicing off the top with a knife if it rises higher in the middle). Stack the second layer on top of the first and spread the top with frosting. It’s best to make thick layers of frosting only for tops of the layers, leaving the sides of this cake bare. Garnish the top of the cake with pecans on top if desired and serve.
