Kentucky Blackberry Jam Cake is covered in caramel icing. This southern cake is a special dessert any time of year and it is very popular for Christmas.
Blackberry Jam
What makes this cake so special is the Blackberry Jam that’s mixed into the cake batter. It gives the cake a sweet and slightly tangy flavor that is accentuated by the ultra-sweet caramel icing.
In addition to blackberry jam this cake is also flavored with chopped walnuts and lots of spice: cinnamon, allspice, and cloves.
More traditionally, this cake has three layers, but it is much easier to make a 2 layer cake and you need one less cake pan. 🙂
If you like spice cake and you like caramel icing, you will love this cake.
The cake layers are fabulously moist from all the jam added and the spices are so fragrant in every bite.
Kentucky Blackberry Jam Cake Origins
This is a distinctly southern cake that I believe has its roots with German settlers. It is very popular not only in Kentucky, but Tennessee as well.
Recipe Tips
Some Kentucky Jam Cakes use pecans so feel free to use them instead of walnuts.
More Southern Cakes
Kentucky Blackberry Jam Cake
Ingredients
Cake Batter
- 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup blackberry jam
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
Caramel Icing
- 10 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- walnuts for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray two 9-inch cake pans with baking spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until light and creamy, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Beat in eggs one at a time, scraping down sides of the bowl in between additions.
- Add the buttermilk, baking soda and jam and beat until incorporated.
- Whisk together flour, cloves, allspice, and cinnamon. Add to butter mixture in batches, beating just until combined. Stir in walnuts.
- Divide batter evenly between the two cake pans. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until they feel firm when pressed down on. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes and then turn them out on a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare Caramel Icing. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add brown sugar, bring mixture to a boil and simmer, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.
- Stir milk in and transfer mixture to a mixing bowl. Use electric mixer to beat mixture while gradually adding powdered sugar.
- Place bottom cake layer on a cake stand or serving platter. Gradually pour about half the icing on top. You want the icing to have cooled enough so that it all doesn’t run off the sides. Let the icing set up some and then place second layer on top.
- Pour remaining icing on the top layer. Decorate with walnuts if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Originally published October 21, 2018.
Recipe adapted from Nashville Eats
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
This cake is amazing. I’ve made it several times for church functions. There is never a bite left! Since it is so rich, I do just one layer per cake plate. I split the layer and then spread blackberry jam between the two layers I made from slicing through the one layer.
The icing is also easy to make and wonderful. This also freezers well before and after putting on the icing.
I normally get three round layers per recipe. It’s just a bit too much batter for two layers in my pans. I use parchment paper liners also.
This was a delicious cake from my past. Thank you
I made this today and it came out perfect. I used Lucky Claver Farm blackberry jam made here in Kentucky….it has seeds and is so good. Thanks to the women on here who said using jam with seeds would make it moist. It was!
I made this cake. The flavor was good but the overall cake was on the dry side.
A true Ky Jam cake is not a layer cake, My mother made them at 100 years ago and she made hers in a tube pan . Thanks
Traditional Kentucky blackberry cake, just like my grandmother made, very good.
Made for a special friend, she loved it.
I baked it in a disposable cake pan, I had enough batter left to fill a square disposable pan.
So I also enjoyed the fruits of my labor.
I also added a cup of fresh blackberries. I will definitely make again.
Oh and the icing, just give me a spoon.
My mother always made this for me. It had a different icing in between layers
I should probably wait until my family tastes it, but it looks so pretty! My great-grandmother used to make this cake & no one has been able to replicate it sincdaye she passed away. I hope this is close to hers!!
I baked this today for my dad’s birthday. It taste wonderful but the top layer was so heavy, it started to slide off the bottom layer as I was pouring the Carmel Icing. What did I do wrong?