Blackberry Jam Cake

Circle B Kitchen

This is simply a beautiful cake that’s as moist and tender as it is pretty. The original recipe called for 3/4 cup of jam, but I've upped that to 1 cup. Feel free to add a little more if you're so inclined. The recipe also asks you to pipe the top layer of batter over the jam, but if you don’t have a piping bag, just snip the corner of a ziplock back and use that. And might I suggest that you spray the foil before setting it on top of the cake for the last 30 minutes so it doesn’t stick.

Makes 1 (8-inch) cake

For the Cake:

2½ cups all-purpose flour

1¼ cups granulated sugar

1½ teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon grated fresh nutmeg

¾ cup whole milk

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 large eggs

½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or vanilla)

1 cup of blackberry jam (or more if you like)

For the Topping:

½ cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon kosher salt

¼ cup unsalted butter, melted

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8-inch round cake pan with baking spray with flour, and line pan with parchment paper.

For cake: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla bean paste. Add flour mixture to the milk mixture, stirring just until combined.

Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Spoon remaining batter into a large piping bag. Pipe a ring of batter around the inside edge of the pan. Spoon the jam into center of the ring. Pipe remaining batter on top of jam, and smooth with an offset spatula.

Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 55 minutes to 1 hour, covering with foil during last 30 minutes of baking to prevent excess browning. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes.

For topping: In a small bowl, stir together sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Run an offset spatula around edge of pan to loosen cake before turning out. Turn cake back over (so dome is on top). Brush top and sides of cake with melted butter. Sprinkle top with sugar mixture, and press into sides of cake.