I Made It From Scratch #2

I told you last week that Stephanie will be hosting a weekly Make it From Scratch Carnival. Make sure you go visit on Tuesday so you can see all the other entries. I decided, since I don't usually post on Sunday's...it will be my new Sunday thing to write about while Jake is watching his 5 hours of NASCAR (remember I only like the last 50 laps).

Last week my parents came to visit. I always try to cook a nice meal while they are here. I made the most delicious dish (chicken breast with a wild (well, wild from the grocery store) mushroom sauce). It was so good. But that isn't what I am using as my entry for the carnival. I just wanted to tell you about it. Ha. I did however, make a cake from scratch. Isn't that exciting? For some of you it might not be a big deal but for me....well, it requires measuring so - it was a very big deal. The cake I picked came from a cookbook I received as a Christmas gift from Stephanie and I used an ingredient she gave me (more on that later) so I figured it was an appropriate entry!!!! If you have been a follower of my blog very long you know I LOVE blackberries. The cake is Jam Cake made from Blackberry Jam. I guess Jam cakes used to be really popular in the south and there are many variations. I liked this recipe because you really tasted the fruit & it turned out incredibly moist. I did have a little glitch. The recipe said to use a tube pan???? I thought what in the heck is a tube cake pan? It sounds a little like a bundt pan so I just used one of those. The cake mix was nearly to the top of the pan and did spill over a little. Luckily I expected that outcome so I put a pan underneath to catch it. I did have to cook it a little longer so it did get a little brown on the edges but it didn't take away from the great flavor.
So, here is the recipe. I hope you try it. Let me know if you do.

Jam Cake

1 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon ground cloves
4 eggs
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 1/2 cups blackberry jam
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 cups of flour
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon of baking soda

Cream butter & sugar: add eggs & blackberry jam. Beat thoroughly. Sift flour, measure and resift with baking soda, salt and spices; add alternately with milk to the first mixture. Beat well; pour into well-greased tube cake pan. Bake for about 55 minutes at 350 degrees.


I didn't add the cloves & nutmeg but did throw in an extra teaspoon of cinnamon. I sent half of the cake to my sister's house and they loved it as well. I heard it didn't last through the night. So...I guess my first "from scratch" cake was a success!!!

For more Made it From Scratch be sure to visit Stephanie at Stop the Ride on Feb. 27th!