Mama's Jam Cake and Kentucky Cooking and Eatin'

"If beyond the pearly gates, I am permitted to select my place at the table, it will be among Kentuckians." ~Thomas D. Clark

Oh how true that statement is. If you have never been priviledged enough to sit at a Kentucky woman's table and eat then you have yet to really eat my dear one. And for those of us who are blessed to have been born and raised here in this fine bluegrass state well blessed we are indeed! As one of those Kentucky women I have so much pride and joy bringing food to my family and serving friends at my table. I also enjoy bringing dishes to potlucks and to shut - ins and friends and family who are "under the weather".

Nothing beats a Sunday dinner in Kentucky. As a child growing up on my dad's side of the family Sunday dinner would consist of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, green beans, baked beans, corn, cole slaw, biscuits or rolls, sweet potatoes, pies and cakes, deviled eggs, and more. On my mama's side it was meat loaf, mashed potatoes, corn, mac and cheese, and spinach. Mamaw always had peanut butter fudge and potato candy nearby as well! Both meals prepared differently but equally as yummy.

My mother's favorite cake is a Jam Cake. She loves them. At the catholic church picnics (which are a big deal here in Kentucky--if you are catholic or not), we always tried to win a jam cake at the cake wheel. Now the jam cakes always took two tickets, seeing as how they took so many ingredients and time to fix. Well there were many times that mom would just buy the board twice and walk right up there and pick up her jam cake. Some folks wouldn't like that way of doing things but mama would insist that it was fair n square!

Well here is my recipe of my own jam cake. My mother is not a baker but I am and since I am now a mama that is what this recipe is called and I now share it with you.

five eggs, beaten
two cups sugar
three cups flour
one cup butter
one cup buttermilk
one teaspoon soda
one-fourth teaspoon salt
one-half teaspoon cinnamon
one and one-half teaspoon allspice
one cup raisins
one cup chopped walnuts
one cup blackberry seedless jam

Cream butter and gradually stir the sugar in until mixture is light and fluffy. Add well-beaten eggs. Sift flour before measuring and add to the spices and salt. Dissolve soda in buttermilk and add it and the flour mixture alternately to the egg mixture and beat after each addition. Lightly dredge the fruit and nuts with extra flour and add them, with the jam, to the butter mixture. Stir to get good distribution. Grease and lightly dust with flour two 9 inch cake pans--fill to brim with batter. Bake at 325 degree for 40 minutes. Cool layers on racks and ice with caramel icing.

Caramel Frosting for Jam Cake

One and one-half cups firmly packed brown sugar
pinch of salt
one cup butter
three fourths cup flour
one cup heavy cream
one teaspoon vanilla

Mix sugar and flour. Cream butter until light and add sugar mixture, beating well. Mix in heavy cream and put in top of double boiler over boiling water. Stir constantly, and cook until about the thickness of medium cream sauce. Takes about 15 minutes after it melts. Allow to cool completely after cooking. Sets up after it's on the cake for a couple of hours.