Grandmas Blackberry Cake Recipes

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a bundt cake pan and prepare a pan for 12 cupcakes. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until each one is blended in. Dissolve the baking soda in the water and stir this mixture into the batter along with the blackberry jam.
• 2. Combine the flour, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt. Stir into the batter by hand, alternating with the buttermilk. Fold in the walnuts. Divide the batter into the bundt pan and cupcakes. Bake in the preheated oven until the top of the cakes spring back when lightly touched, about 35 minutes. Cupcakes will be done before bundt pan.
• 3. Set cupcakes on a wire rack to cool. Cool the cake in the bundt pan until warm to the touch, then invert the cake over a wire rack and remove pan to cool completely. If you wish you may frost with cream cheese frosting and (optional)garnish with more blackberry jam and fresh or frozen blackberries.
• 4. If you like you may freeze this cake before frosting it. When you remove from freezer, let thaw before icing.

Steps:

• Cake:.
• In the original recipe, my grandmother starts out by insisting that this be mixed BY HAND with a wooden spoon for 500 strokes. The mixer works fine. The original recipe was written for half lard and half butter (fresh churned), but in the letter my grandmother mentioned that she had started using shortening instead of the lard.
• Cream shortening and sugars.
• Add eggs, jam, and vanilla. Mix well.
• Sift all dry ingredients and add to the creamed sugar mixture. Mix well.
• Add buttermilk and nuts and mix by hand.
• This makes 3 round layers of a 8 or 9 inch layer cake. Bake 350 for 30 minutes or until done. Allow layers to cool before frosting.
• Icing:.
• For the frosting, my grandmother's original instructions called for using the leftover coffee that had been sitting on the stove all day keeping warm. I find that making up a cup of coffee with espresso powder works well. You do want a strong mocha flavor for the icing.
• Mix all the icing ingredients using a mixer. It will be a stiff icing.
• Making layer cakes must have been common back in the early 50s, because my grandmother didn't even bother to write down instructions for making icing or assembling the cake. She just listed the ingredients and how to make stong coffee. Needless to say, assemble like any other layer cake.

Steps:

• In large bowl mix cake mix, eggs, oil and Jello on high speed with electric mixer about 2 minutes.
• Add berries; mix until blended well.
• Pour into greased and floured 9x13-inch pan.
• Bake at 350 until fork inserted in center comes out clean, about 40-45 minutes.
• Allow cake to cool completely.
• In bowl make icing by beating cream cheese and butter until smooth. Gradually add confectioners' sugar.
• Frost cake, chill and serve.

Steps:

• Beat the egg and vinegar together in a small bowl, and set aside. Whisk together the flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl. Cut in the cold butter with a knife or pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (This can also be done in a food processor: pulse the cold butter or shortening until it's the size of small peas. Turn mixture into a bowl and proceed.) Stir in the egg and vinegar mixture. Add the ice water a tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork, until the flour mixture is moistened. Do not add more water than you need: when you squeeze a handful of the moistened pastry mixture, it should form a ball. Divide the dough in half and shape into balls. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to three days.
• Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Roll one ball out to fit a 9 inch pie plate. Place bottom crust in pie plate and chill for at least 20 minutes before baking. Roll out top crust and set aside. Arrange the apple slices on the bottom of the pie crust, then scatter the blackberries on top. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup sugar. Place the second pie crust on top of the fruit mixture, and pinch the top and bottom crusts together. Lightly sprinkle the top crust with water, followed by the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar. Poke several holes in the top of the crust with a fork to allow steam to escape during baking.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes.