Blackberry Jam Cake With Walnuts And Caramel Icing Recipes

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter and flour a large tube pan, or use a flour based baking spray such as Baker's Joy. Set the pan aside.
• 2. Separate the eggs, putting the yolks and whites in different mixing bowls. In another large bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a small bowl, mix ½ cup of the flour mixture with the walnuts and raisins.
• 3. Add the brown sugar, butter, and blackberry jam to the egg yolks, and stir together thoroughly. Stir in the buttermilk. Add the flour mixture. Beat the egg whites until they turn white but are loose and runny, not too "airy." Fold the egg whites into the batter. Then mix the nuts and raisins into final mixture blending only enough so that they are equally distributed in the batter.
• 4. Pour the batter into the tube pan and bake for 1 ½ to 2 hours. When a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, it's done.
• 5. Remove the pan from the oven and let the cake cool for about 10 minutes in the pan. Then loosen the cake from the sides of the pan by running a knife around the edge. Invert a cake plate over the pan, and invert the two together. Lift off the tube pan.
• 6. Caramel Icing: 8 tablespoons butter, softened 1/2 cup heavy cream 2 cups dark brown sugar, packed Mix all the ingredients together in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved and the icing is well blended. Remove from the heat and drizzle over cake while still warm. You can make the icing as thick as you like.

Steps:

• Make the cake:
• In a large bowl with an electric mixer cream together the butter and the sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs and combine the mixture well. Into a bowl sift together 3 cups of the flour, the allspice, the cloves, the cinnamon, and the salt. In another bowl combine the buttermilk and the baking soda. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in batches alternately with the buttermilk mixture, beating well after each addition. In a bowl toss together the raisins, the pecans, and the remaining 1 tablespoon flour and stir the mixture into the batter with the jam, stirring until the mixture is combined well. Line the bottoms of 2 buttered 9-inch cake pans with wax paper and butter the paper. Pour the batter into the pans and bake the layers in the middle of a preheated 325°F. oven for 40 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Let the layers cool in the pans on a rack for 15 minutes, invert them onto the rack, and let the layers cool completely.
• Make the icing
• In a saucepan combine the brown sugar, the evaporated milk, and the butter, cook the mixture over moderately low heat, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved, and cook it, undisturbed, washing down any sugar crystals clinging to the side of the pan with a brush dipped in cold water, until it registers 238°F. on a candy thermometer. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and beat it until it is of spreading consistency. If the icing gets too hard to spread, dip the icing spatula in hot water.
• Transfer one of the layers, bottom up, to a cake plate, frost the top with the icing, and top it with the remaining layer, bottom down. Frost the top and sides with the icing.

Steps:

• Soak the raisins in the whisky for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 10-inch bundt pan and coat with the bread crumbs.
• Cream the butter in a mixing bowl. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
• Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and cocoa and set aside. Combine the buttermilk and vanilla. Fold the flour mixture into the butter mixture, alternating with the buttermilk mixture in these proportions: 1/3 flour mixture, 1/2 buttermilk, 1/3 flour mixture, remaining buttermilk, remaining flour mixture. Do not beat.
• Drain the raisins and fold them into the batter along with the jam and walnuts. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until the cake is firm and bounces back in the center. Cool for 5 minutes, then unmold onto a rack.
• To make the icing: Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar and continue stirring for 2 minutes. Slowly pour in the milk and bring the mixture to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and confectioners' sugar. Beat until creamy and smooth. Thin with a little milk or whisky, if needed. Drizzle over the warm cake.

Steps:

• For cake:
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter and flour two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 2-inch-high sides. Sift first 6 ingredients into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until fluffy. Gradually add sugar, beating until well blended. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Beat in jam. Beat in dry ingredients in 4 additions alternately with buttermilk in 3 additions. Fold in walnuts. Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool cakes in pans 10 minutes. Run knife around pan sides to loosen cakes. Turn cakes out onto racks and cool completely.
• For icing:
• Combine brown sugar, evaporated milk, butter, molasses and salt in heavy medium saucepan. Whisk over medium-low heat until blended and smooth. Transfer mixture to large bowl. Cool to lukewarm, whisking occasionally, about 15 minutes. Working in batches, sift powdered sugar into mixture, beating until smooth after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract. Cover and refrigerate icing until firm enough to spread, about 30 minutes.
• Place 1 cake layer, flat side up, on serving platter. Spread 1 1/2 cups icing over top. Top with second cake layer, flat side down. Spread remaining icing over top and sides of cake. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover cake and refrigerate. Let cake stand at room temperature 2 hours before serving.)