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Blackberry Cake
One cupful brown sugar, one-half cup of butter, one and one-half cupfuls of flour, one even teaspoonful soda, one teaspoonful nutmeg, one teaspoonful cinnamon, one cupful of blackberry jam stirred in last.
A compact jam cake of the kind that filled the "Dainty Dishes" chapter — sweet, spiced, and leavened by the reaction between soda and the acid in the fruit. The list is terse and leaves out both eggs and oven directions, so a few decisions have to be made before the pan goes in.
- The hinge: soda and jamThere is no other acid in the list, so the teaspoon of soda has only the blackberry jam to react with. That may be why the jam is stirred in last; either way, get the batter into the pan promptly, since lift begun on the counter is lift lost before the heat reaches it.
- No eggs are listedMany published jam cakes include eggs, and without them this batter is a stiff, short paste closer to a bar cookie than a cake. Beating in two eggs after the butter and sugar will loosen it; made exactly as printed, expect something dense.
- No liquid eitherThere is no milk or buttermilk in the list. With eggs added the batter will be spreadable; without them you may need a few tablespoons of milk or sour milk simply to get it into the pan.
- Oven temperatureNone is given. A modern equivalent of around 350F is a reasonable choice: brown sugar and jam both scorch, and anything hotter risks darkening the edges before the centre sets.
- Pan and timeThis is a small quantity: an 8-inch round or a small loaf tin, buttered and floured. Figure 30 to 40 minutes, testing with a straw or skewer in the centre.
- Brown sugarPeriod brown sugar was generally less refined and moister than today's light brown. Packing it firmly into the cup is the nearest simple substitute.
- The jamHome-made blackberry jam was often seedy and stiffer than modern preserves. Seedless jam makes for a smoother crumb; if yours is loose, the batter will be slacker and may need a few extra minutes in the oven.
- YieldA small cake, enough for a handful of slices. Wrapped, it should keep for several days.
Jam cakes belong to the thrifty end of American home baking: a jar of preserves that had gone slightly stiff or sugary in the cellar could be stirred into a butter batter and turned into something that read as a treat. Blackberry was one common choice, and the pairing with nutmeg and cinnamon is standard for the type. The chemistry is the same one behind sour-milk and molasses cakes of the period — an acidic ingredient plus saleratus or soda.