Jam Cake

Since ragweed pollen has taken over outside, I have been spending a little more time inside. This means I've been seeing a lot more of my kitchen. It seems that during the summer months I spend less time in there and more time at the grill, but hayfever will lure me back every time.

As busy as this summer has been, we have pretty much relied upon store bought treats to satisfy the sweet tooth. This is not typical of this household. There is almost always a cake on the cake stand or homemade cookies in the pantry. But I am happy to report that fall always puts me in a baking mood! :) Pumpkin rolls and pumpkin pies and pumpkin cakes...Apple pies and apple cakes and apple dumplings...and that's just to name a few.

I guess right now, since I'm pretty much forced to be indoors anyway, I'm kind of practicing for the baking frenzy that is to come. ;)

The other day I wanted to bake a cake but quickly realized I was low on some key ingredients. I really didn't want to run to the store so I was determined to find a cake recipe that didn't require 2 cups of sugar, since I had only about 1 1/2 cups in the canister. (Looks like I won't be voted Homemaker of the Year either!)

Did you ever notice how almost every cake recipe out there calls for 2 cups of sugar???

Then I found it. It was in one of my church cookbooks and I should have known I'd find it there. Almost every yummy recipe known to humankind comes from a local church cookbook. Those church ladies know how to cook! :)

This ended up being extremely delicious and I wanted to share the recipe with you. While I didn't think to take pics of the mixing and baking process, I did snap a shot of the finished product.



Well, almost finished. You know how I am. I can't leave well enough alone. I absolutely MUST do some little something to make it my own. Before I served it I added a raspberry glaze and dusted it with powdered sugar. YUMMY!!!

Here is the recipe:

Jam Cake
1 cup sugar
1 cup margarine
4 eggs, separated
1 cup buttermilk
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup blackberry or raspberry jam

Preheat oven to 350*. Lightly grease and flour bundt pan.

Cream margarine an sugar thoroughly. Add well beaten egg yolks. Dissolve soda in buttermilk. Sift together flour, baking powder, and spices and add alternately with buttermilk to sugar/margarine mixture. Beat egg whites until stiff and add to batter. Stir in jam* and mix well. Bake for 60 minutes or until done.

*I put the jam in a small bowl and stirred it up well until there were no lumps. This allows it to blend into the batter much better.

For the glaze I added...
In a microwave safe bowl, heat about 1/3 cup jam (the same kind you used in the cake) in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Stir well to remove any lumps. You may need to heat it a few more seconds to get it to the right consistency...you want it to be 'pourable'. Use a spoon to drizzle it over the cake, allowing it to run down the sides. Just before serving, dust lightly with powdered sugar.

While you really don't taste the jam that's in the cake, the glaze adds a definite POP of flavor! :) If you like spice cake, you'll love this. It is moist and delicious!