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FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | DECEMBER 2025 35 If you have any questions, call or text me at (951) 275-7081. Blackberry Jam Cake The recipe for December is a blackberry jam cake with icing, a classic Southern cake usually served during the holiday season. Norma McGee submitted it and said her mother always cooked the cake for Thanksgiving or Christmas. The recipe was given to her family by a neighbor in Alabama who made cakes to supplement her income. Norma's entire family loves this cake. Serves 8 to 12. • 2 cups sugar • 1 cup melted butter • 1 cup buttermilk (note: if available, use whole buttermilk rather than low fat buttermilk) • 1 tablespoon soda • 6 eggs, separated • 3 cups all-purpose flour • 2 cups blackberry jam (note: Norma prefers the kind with seeds rather than seedless) • 1 teaspoon salt • 1/2 box seedless raisins • 1 teaspoon cloves • 1 teaspoon cinnamon • 1 teaspoon nutmeg • 1 teaspoon vanilla • 3 cups sugar • 5 tablespoons flour (mixed in with sugar) • 3 cups sweet milk (whole milk) • 6 eggs (yolks and whites) • Optional decorations: fresh blackberries, whole and/or chopped pecans CAKE INGREDIENTS ICING INGREDIENTS CAKE DIRECTIONS ICING DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. 2. Prepare four 8- or 9-inch cake pans by cutting two pieces of wax or parchment paper for the bottom of each pan. Place in a cross position. Lightly oil the wax paper of each pan. Set aside. 3. Mix the sugar with the melted butter; add the buttermilk, soda, and egg yolks, mixing until well combined. Slowly add the flour, in three or four portions, mixing until fully incorporated. Mix in the blackberry jam and salt. Next, add the raisins, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. 4. Finally, in a separate bowl beat the six egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold them into the cake batter with all of the above ingredients. 5. Divide the batter into the four prepared cake pans. 6. Bake at 325 degrees for approximately 30 minutes, or until the edges start to pull away from the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If the pans are placed on two oven shelves, rotate the cakes halfway through the baking so the cakes on the lower shelf don't overcook. 1. Option 1: Mix icing ingredients together and cook in the top of a double boiler. Stir constantly to keep the eggs from becoming lumpy. Cook over boiling water, until thick (takes about an hour). The frosting should reach a soft ball stage, about 240 degrees on a candy thermometer. You can also test to see if it forms a soft ball when dropped in cold water. 2. Option 2: If you have a large microwave-safe bowl and wish to use less time, Norma cooks the icing ingredients slowly in a microwave oven by stopping the microwave every minute or two to stir the ingredients; repeating this process (as many times as needed) until the icing thickens. 3. Once the icing is thick, add 1 teaspoon of vanilla, and 1 tablespoon of butter. Cool icing for 2 hours. Spread on each layer of the cooled cake, stacking one layer on top of another. Be sure to save enough frosting to frost top and sides of the stacked layers. If desired, top the cake with a pile of blackberries and/or add whole pecans to the top and/or chopped pecans to the side of the frosted cake. Note: If you like a good layer of icing between each layer of cake, increase the icing recipe by half. Thoroughly read the entire recipe before starting.

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