Now This, is a Cake!

When Bigmother made cakes they were sometimes 10" high. Having 3-4 layers of cake and 2-3 layers of icing. One of my favorites was her Jam cake with caramel icing. It tastes like a cross between a spice cake and gingerbread to me and when I make it now, I leave off the icing and bake it in 2- 5" X 9" X 3" loaf pans. The first recipe for caramel icing is the one she always used. The second one is a bit easier to make.

JAM CAKE
1 cup butter
2 cup sugar
3eggs, beaten
3 cup flour
1 teaspoon each of, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, vanilla, salt, soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup blackberry jam
1 cup nuts, optional
1 cup raisins, optional
Cream butter and sugar. add eggs and buttermilk, add jam, add spices to flour and mix together.
stir in additions of nuts and raisins.
Pour into 8-9" cake pans
bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes. makes 3- 4 layers, frost with caramel icing

CARAMEL FROSTING
In a saucepan put:
2 cups packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup butter
Stir, cooking until all is melted. Boil without stirring 3-5 minutes or to the soft-ball stage ( 238 degrees F)
Remove from heat and add 1 teaspoon vanilla and beat until cool and thick.
Double for more layers on cake.
OR
CARAMEL ICING
Melt in a saucepan: 1/3 cup butter.
Add 1 cup light brown sugar and 1/4 cup cream.
Cook to 238 degrees f. ( soft ball stage)
remove from heat and beat in 1 box powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla.. Beat until thick enough to spread.