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Jam Cake for Layer or Loaf
One cupful of sugar, three tablespoonfuls of sour cream, one-half cupful of butter. One cupful of any kind of jam, two cupfuls of flour, one teaspoonful soda in flour, two teaspoonfuls of cinnamon, one-half teaspoonful nutmeg, three eggs, use yolks of two and one-half eggs.
A spice cake of the creamed-butter type, written in the shorthand of a period when every cook knew the method and only needed the proportions. Nothing here is difficult, but the original omits pan size, oven heat and baking time entirely.
- The missing ovenBake at 350F. Two 8- or 9-inch layers take 25-30 minutes; a loaf pan takes 45-55 minutes, testing with a skewer at the centre.
- The egg instruction"Three eggs, use yolks of two and one-half eggs" is genuinely muddled as printed. One possible reading is three whole eggs with a little white held back for another use; splitting half an egg yolk is not worth attempting, so use two whole eggs plus one yolk and reserve the spare white, or simply use three whole eggs.
- Sour creamIn this period the term meant raw cream left to sour naturally, which varied in sharpness rather than being standardised as today's cultured product is. Modern full-fat sour cream works; the jam contributes additional acid to react with the soda.
- Three tablespoons is not a typoThree tablespoons looks small -- but with a cupful of jam and three eggs there is moisture enough. Measure the jam generously and beat it in thoroughly rather than adding milk.
- Soda in the flourSift the teaspoon of soda with the flour and spices rather than dissolving it in liquid, as directed. Get the batter into the pans promptly once the jam goes in, since the rise begins immediately.
- Which jamThe recipe says any kind; blackberry is the usual choice in the Southern jam-cake tradition and suits the cinnamon and nutmeg. Seedless preserves behave best; a very loose jelly will slacken the batter.
- Yield and finishingEnough for two thin layers or one modest loaf, serving eight to ten. Layer cakes of this kind were filled with more of the same jam and finished with a boiled white icing or caramel frosting.
Jam cake belongs to the American upland South, where it became a fixture of Christmas and funeral tables in Kentucky and Tennessee, though versions travelled widely in late nineteenth-century community and household cookbooks. Blackberry preserves sweeten and moisten the cake, and cinnamon and nutmeg are used with a heavy hand. The pairing of soured cream with soda is older than commercial baking powder and persisted in home kitchens long after tinned leavening was available, giving a tender, slightly tangy crumb.