We dusted the top of this flavorful, old-fashioned cake, from Patricia Loftus of Lake Forest, with confectioners’ sugar. But you could also frost the top and sides with your favorite cream cheese icing.
Blackberry jam cake
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Yield: 10 servings
1 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon each: baking soda, ground nutmeg, ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
3 tablespoons sour milk, see note
1 1/2 cups blackberry jam
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
3 eggs, separated
3/4 cup chopped raisins
Confectioners’ sugar or cream cheese frosting, optional
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Sift the flour, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and allspice together in a large mixing bowl; set aside. Stir the sour milk into 1 cup of the jam in a small bowl; set aside. Beat brown sugar and butter with a mixer on medium speed; beat in the egg yolks one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat until creamy.
2. Reduce mixer speed to low; add dry ingredients gradually, alternating the sour milk-jam mixture just until combined. Stir in the raisins.
3. Clean beaters; beat egg whites in a separate bowl until soft peaks form, about 4 minutes; set aside. Fold the egg whites into the batter. Transfer batter to two greased and floured 9-inch-round baking pans; bake until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 40-45 minutes. Cool in pans 15 minutes; remove from pans. Cool completely on wire racks.
4. Spread remaining 1/2 cup of the jam between cake layers. Dust top cake layer with confectioners’ sugar or frost cake with cream cheese icing, if desired.
Note: To make sour milk, stir 1 teaspoon vinegar into 1/3 cup milk; set aside about 10 minutes. Discard leftover milk.
Nutrition information per serving:
427 calories, 23% of calories from fat, 11 g fat, 6 g saturated fat, 88 mg cholesterol, 80 g carbohydrates, 5 g protein, 161 mg sodium, 1 g fiber
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If you have an old family favorite to share, send the recipe and information about it to Good Eating. If we test it and print it in this column, you’ll receive a gift certificate for $25 to Marshall Field’s. Send your recipe, along with your name, address and daytime phone number to: Heirloom Cooking, Good Eating section, Chicago Tribune, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611-4041; you also could fax it (312-755-0212) or send it via e-mail: ctc-goodeating@tribune.com. Recipes submitted become the property of the Chicago Tribune.
