an ode to roots | honor lineages with jam cake
This post is sponsored by the makers of Ball® home canning products.*
Learning how to can + preserve seasonal food has been such a rewarding and important part of my journey to connecting with the land I stand on, my ancestry + folkways. Food preservation was, an is, for everyone. It was a vital skill for resilience, and I truly believe, it still is. in celebrating the end of canning season + samhian on the wheel of the year, I’m connecting to my ancestors + honoring them through one of my love languages: cooking. this year i’ve found that not only to I have Celtic lineage through my father, embody the strong roots of my African ancestors, my body a bridge between many worlds. in learning more about African American history, my fathers own roots in Virginia + Georgia, learning food ways connects to my roots + my lineage. Food holds our stories, and many of those stories are left untold.
I was so intrigued to find this recipe for a spiced Jam Cake, in the cookbook. It mentioned how jams, like homemade canned blackberry + fig preserves, were used for sweetening cakes when sugar sources were sparse or too expensive, reuse + make do. It was the perfect opportunity to weave together the threads of my personal work use the Ball® Fig Rosemary + Red Wine Jam I made. This cake is historical, delicious and the perfect way to use the a Ball® Half Pint jar of Fig Preserves.
Magnolia + I poured our gratitude for this end of this season into our cake. Making, whisking, baking, our hands became the extension of our heart. While I shared + ate the cake with my children, I told them the story, and imagined my great great great grandmother Pearl or my grandfather at the table with us. In that spirit, I shared a plate with our neighbors + a local legend of the civil rights movement, wondering if he ever tasted jam cake as a child. He himself has his own stack of plates, unreturned, from meals shared from Coretta King Scott. Food crosses time + space, traditions and memories held in our hearts. I love the infusion of rosemary in the frosting and herb to connect us to our heart space and to remembrance. Remembering who we are + honoring where we come from.
Jam Cake
recipe from Jubilee: Recipes From Two Centuries of African American Cooking by Toni Tipton Martin.
Ingredients
softened butter
3 cups all purpose flour, plus extra from the pan
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg or allspice
2 sticks butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extracr
1 cup Ball® canning fig, rosemary + red wine jam
A batch of Brown Sugar Buttercream Frosting (recipe below)
Directions
preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat two 9 inch cake pans with butter. Dust with flour and shake out the excess.
in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves + allspice/nutmeg.
in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium speed until light, about 3 minutes. gradually beat in the sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until light + fluffy, about 5 minutes. add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition until well incorporated. with the mixer on low speed, beat in the flower mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour. beat in the vanilla and jam until well blended and the batter is smooth.
pour the batter into the prepared panda and bake until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. cool the cakes in the pans on wire racks for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
wipe away any excess crumbs on the surface of the cakes. place one of the cakes on a serving plate. spread the cake with half of the frosting to coat, then place the second cake on top. coat the top layer with the remaining frosting.
rosemary infused brown sugar buttercream frosting
i adapted this recipe from Toni Tipton Martin to be infused with rosemary to compliment the rosemary in the Ball® Canning Fig Rosemary + Red Wine Jam. you could leave the rosemary out if preferred.
makes about 2 1/2 cups
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup whole milk
3 cups sifted powdered sugar (i used a little less)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary
in a heavy bottomed pan or cast iron skillet, melt the butter over low heat. add sprigs of rosemary and simmer for 5 minutes. turn off, cover and let steep for 10 minutes. remove sprigs of rosemary, turn the heat back on and stir in brown sugar and milk. bring to a boil over high heat and boil for two minutes.
remove the pan from the heat, and with a wooden spoon, beat in the sifted powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla extract. beat until the frosting is cool and has thickened to spreading consistency. if the mixture becomes too thick, beat in half-and-half 1 tablespoon at a time.
*Disclosure: This is a sponsored post that is part of an ongoing partnership with the Fresh Preserving Division of Newell Brands. They have provided jars, equipment and monetary compensation. All thoughts and opinions expressed remain my own.
