Best Southern Layered Jam Cake

4.89 from 18 votes

An impressive celebration cake with robust flavors from jam and warm spices.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American/Southern

Keyword blackberries, bundt cake, cinnamon, jam

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 26

Servings slices

Calories 573kcal

Author Paula

Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Grease and flour three 8-inch cake pans with solid vegetable shortening and flour or Wilton Cae release. I also wrap Wilton Cake Strips around my pans so that the cake bakes flat without a dome in the middle of the layer.
In the bowl of your electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides.
With the mixer on low, add the eggs one at a time allowing the yolk to disappear into the mixture before adding the next egg. Stop your mixer and scrape the sides.
In a separate bowl, add the sifted flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.
To your butter/sugar mixer in the bowl of your electric mixer, add the jam, once it's incorporated add 1/3 of the flour mixture. Next add 1/2 of the buttermilk, followed by another 1/3 flour, 1/2 buttermilk, and final 1/3 flour.
Stop the mixer and scrape the sides. Mix to incorporate everything one last time.
Pour the batter equally into your prepared 8-inch cake pans. Smooth the top evenly. Bake for 24 to 27 minutes at 350°F. You can test the cakes by inserting a wooden pick into the center of the cake. If it comes out with dry crumbs or no crumbs the cake is done.
Cool in the cake pan for 10 minutes before inverting on a wire rack to cool completely. Frost after the layers have cooled completely.

Bring the sugar, butter, milk, and salt to a boil. Boil 3 minutes stirring often.
Remove from the heat. Add baking powder and vanilla. Beat at med speed with an electric mixer for 5 minutes or until it begins to get thick.
Stir in 1 tablespoon heavy cream.
Place one cake layer on your cake stand. Level the layer is it's taller in the center. Then, pour about 3/4 cup caramel over the cake. I allow it to drip down the sides naturally but you can frost it traditionally on the sides. Work fast frosting the cake, as the frosting cools it gets thick and harder to work with.
Top the bottom later with another layer and pour icing over it.
Finally, place the third cake layer on the others and pour caramel icing over it. This recipe makes enough to frost a 3 layer cake and sides.