Jam Cake With Caramel Chocolate Ganache
In a Jam?
This week I needed a cake for a fundraiser—something that didn’t need refrigeration and was sturdy enough to endure a few moves. The Jam Cake with Caramel Chocolate Ganache was the one. Bonus—it fit nicely into my basket.
According to Vintage Cakes by author Julie Richardson, the recipe is from Bowling Green, Kentucky. Her husband’s family had loved the jam cake for over a century.
I’m not going to lie…my first thought about jam was, “meh”. But wait!
From Meh to Magnificent
This cake was pretty simple to whip up. Buttermilk, butter, and four eggs promised a rich and dense crumb. But wait until you hear how it went from meh to magnificent.
First, the ganache took a little finesse. Traditionally, a jam cake is covered with a caramel frosting. In this case, the author swapped in a caramel chocolate ganache. Yum!
If you keep up with my writing, you may recall how I seized up my caramel sauce a few weeks ago. Well, perfection doesn’t offer learning opportunities—this time I seized my wisdom, and stirred up a sweet amber caramel cream to melt the chocolate. The result was the richer, more sophisticated cousin of the typical ganache.
Berry & Spice Make Everything Nice
It’s no surprise that the raspberry jam held an important role in this recipe. And no, a jam cake doesn’t have jam between the layers. The jam is in the batter. That’s the twist. As if buttermilk cake isn’t moist enough, adding a cup and a half of jam takes it to the next level.
What really cast magic upon this confection was how some warming spices enhanced the berry flavor. Neither the fruit nor the spice was overwhelming. They married together in perfection.
A “You-Can-Make-This-Again” Cake
I was unexpectedly excited about this cake. I’m not generally a cheerleader of the fruit-and-chocolate thing, but this cake just worked. It was surprisingly delightful—a little tang, a little comfort. I deemed it craveable. This will definitely go on the “you-can-make-this-again” list.
Not only a joy to eat (a party in my mouth, as I told my husband), but it was a beauty. Three pink-hued layers, draped and swirled in smooth ganache, and coated with toasty almonds—a cake for any occasion.
What’s Your Jam? The Transcend Moment
My jam-cake-delight stirred in me that sometimes little things can give us an unexpected boost. It got me thinking about what my jam is. Sometimes it’s the tried-and-true things that lift our mood. Whatever gives us energy and joy is our jam, and the beautiful part is that we don’t have to wait around for an outside force to infuse that into us.
My jam is creating something of beauty and providing value. Sometimes it’s a cake. This week, I was happy to make a cake and provide value. The cherry on top (or raspberry inside) was how pleased it made me feel.
I don’t know who received my cake, but I hope they enjoyed it. I hope they felt that it was constructed with love.
The fundraiser the cake went to was my friend’s labor of love—her jam—RoEll, Inc. Named after her children, the mission of “providing support to children and young adults needing financial assistance with medical/mental healthcare” warms my heart. It’s gratifying to use something that brings me joy to support such a vital cause.
What gives you energy, excites you, makes you feel good, or even just comforts you? Is it nature? Is it running? Is it binge-watching New Girl? Is it drinking coffee, wearing a fuzzy new sweatshirt? Ok, these are some more of mine…
What’s your jam?
Write down things that bring you joy. These can be anything, big or small, free or pricey, easy or hard—as long as they make you feel good. Resolve to do more of these things—even schedule them.
I’ll be over here jamming every week, making a new cake…until January, when I can make the Jam Cake again!
May you find your jam and let it make your days a little sweeter.