Name: Jam Cake with Caramel Chocolate Ganache
Cook time: 32 to 34 minutes
Yield: 12 to 16 servings
Ingredients: Three 8-inch round cake pans, greased and bottoms lined with parchment paper circles; 2 3/4 cups (13 3/4 ounces) all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg; 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves; 1 teaspoon fine sea salt; 1 1/2 cups (17 1/4 ounces) jam, preferably blackberry, raspberry, or apricot; 3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature; 3/4 cup (6 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature; 1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) sugar; 4 eggs, at room temperature; 1 cup (4 ounces) sliced natural almonds, toasted; Caramel Chocolate Ganache

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Jam Cake with Caramel Chocolate GanacheErin Kunkel

Filled with spices, buttermilk, and jam, this moist cake has been in the baking repertoire of my husband's family for over a century. Although this particular recipe hails from Bowling Green, Kentucky, I found many other recipes for jam cake that originated further south. At first glance, I mistakenly thought the jam was merely a filling between the cake layers but to my happy surprise, the jam is actually an ingredient in the batter, creating a lovely berry hue to the cake and an even better berry taste. This down-home cake traditionally calls for a sweet caramel frosting, but I opted for a decadent caramel chocolate ganache. Make the ganache before you make the cake as it needs about 3 hours to firm up at room temperature (and is so much better when not refrigerated).

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