Kentucky Jam Cake is a moist, spiced cake made with blackberry jam and baked in three layers. It’s finished with a rich caramel icing to create an old fashioned Southern favorite.
Kate’s Recipe Rundown
A couple years ago, I posted a handwritten recipe for Kentucky Jam Cake on Facebook. So many people chimed in with comments about their love for the cake, so I put it on my list to try. In the meantime, I managed to lose that recipe, but I found several more in various spiral-bound cookbooks from the 60s and 70s.
This cake did not disappoint! It’s incredibly moist and tender, with warm spices, walnuts, and a delectable caramel icing. A whole cup of blackberry jam adds something special—a subtle fruity flavor that pairs really nicely with the spices and icing.
With its three layers, it makes for a gorgeous presentation.
Enjoy! Kate
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Ingredients
- A full cup of blackberry jam gives this cake its name. You can use either seedless or seeded jam (I used seedless).
- Buttermilk keeps the cake light and moist. If you don’t have it, pour 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice into a measuring cup, then fill with milk to the 1-cup line.
How to Make Kentucky Jam Layer Cake
- Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Then, add the eggs one at a time, and blackberry jam, beating after each addition.
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, ground cloves, and allspice.
- Add half the flour mixture to the jam mixture, then half the buttermilk. Stir to combine, and repeat with the remaining flour mixture and buttermilk.
- Divide the cake batter into three greased 9-inch round pans, and bake for 35 minutes at 325°F.
Making the Caramel Icing
- Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Bring to a boil, and cook until the mixture reaches 235°–240°F on a candy thermometer.
- Let cool for 5 minutes, then beat with a hand mixer until thickened. This will take about 5 minutes.
- Layer one-third of the frosting between the layers of the cake, then pour the remaining frosting on top, letting it drip down the sides. Don’t touch the frosting once it hits the cake, or it will become grainy.
Troubleshooting Tips for the Frosting
The cake itself is a piece of cake (ha!) but the old fashioned frosting requires a little TLC so it sets up properly and spreads nicely.
- A candy thermometer is key for this frosting. It’s cooked to 235°F (soft-ball stage) so it’ll set up. Cooking it longer will cause it to get too hard.
- After the frosting gets to 235°F, let it sit for 5 minutes to cool slightly, THEN beat it with a hand mixer. You could do it by hand, but considering it takes 5 minutes with a hand mixer, it’ll take even longer by hand.
- One-third of the frosting goes between the cake layers. That can be spread with a knife or offset spatula. The frosting on the top and sides needs to be poured over the cake. If you try to frost it with a knife, it’ll start to set up before you’re done, and get grainy.
- If the frosting starts to set up between frosting the cake layers and pouring it over the top, put it back on the stovetop over medium heat until it’s pourable again.
📖 Recipe
Kentucky Jam Layer Cake
This three layer cake is a classic Southern treat! With blackberry jam, warm spices, walnuts, and a caramel icing, it's a delightful special occasion dessert.
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 cup butter, softened (2 sticks)
- 2 cups sugar
- 5 eggs
- 1 cup seedless blackberry jam
- 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup finely chopped nuts
- 1 cup chopped dates or raisins (optional)
For the caramel icing:
- 2 cups light brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 3 tablespoons butter
- Dash of salt
- ⅔ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
For the cake:
- Spray three 9-inch cake pans with cooking spray or grease with butter. Line each pan with parchment paper so the cakes come out easily.
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with a hand mixer until light and fluffy.1 cup butter,, 2 cups sugar
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Then, add the jam and beat to combine.5 eggs, 1 cup seedless blackberry jam
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, ground cloves, and allspice.3 cups sifted all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground cloves, ½ teaspoon allspice
- Add half the flour mixture to the butter and sugar mixture and stir gently to combine. Add half the buttermilk and stir to combine.1 cup buttermilk
- Repeat with the remaining flour mixture and remaining buttermilk. Do not over mix.
- Stir in the nuts and raisins/dates, if using.1 cup finely chopped nuts, 1 cup chopped dates or raisins
- Divide the batter evenly between the cake pans. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with dry crumbs. `Cool completely.
For the caramel icing:
- Place all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.2 cups light brown sugar, 1 cup granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons light corn syrup, 3 tablespoons butter, Dash of salt, ⅔ cup heavy cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Stop stirring and cook until the mixture reaches 235–240°F. This will take less than 5 minutes so keep a close eye on it.
- Remove from the heat and cool for 5 minutes.
- Beat the icing with a hand mixer until thick. This will take 3–5 minutes.
- Spread ⅓ of the caramel icing between the layers of the jam cake. The frosting will set quickly.
- Return the icing to the heat and let warm up until pourable, for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and stir. Remove from the heat. Pour the remaining icing over the top of the cake, coaxing it down the sides as needed. It will set up fast, so pour slowly so you don’t have pools of frosting on one side but not the other.
- Let set for an hour before serving.
Notes
Don’t have buttermilk? Pour 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice into a glass measuring cup, and fill up to the 1-cup line with milk.
Store any leftover cake in an airtight container. The caramel frosting will soften a bit (but tastes just as delicious).
You can freeze the cake for up to two months. Let it defrost overnight at room temperature before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 633kcalCarbohydrates: 101gProtein: 6gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 100mgSodium: 198mgPotassium: 165mgFiber: 1gSugar: 78gVitamin A: 667IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 75mgIron: 2mg
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