Jam cake. Just saying the words “jam” and “cake” in the same sentence makes you happy already, right? Because jam is wonderful, and cake is wonderful, and it seems inevitable that they should be together. Maybe in the form of a warm and wonderful treat that is topped with a crunchy brown sugar topping and filled with (say it with me)… JAM. You want some jam cake now, right? Let’s make some!
I sometimes think that the things I cook up in my kitchen are all one big domino effect, because I can’t tell you how many times the leftover ingredients from one recipe turn on a lightbulb in my head that leads me to another recipe. For example, a while back I made these.
Cookies and jam ice cream sandwiches. The whole house was in a blissful stupor of jam and ice cream and cookie happiness while these were around. And then — sadness! — they were gone. I did still have about half a jar of the most awesomely scrumptious jam on earth though.
Somewhere around the same time we had some crumb cake too. (Does anyone else eat the crumbs completely off the crumb cake and THEN eat the cake part? Or is it only me?) And I started thinking — what if the jam and the crumb cake got married and had a baby?
Okay, so maybe it wouldn’t be THAT adorable, but it sure would taste good, right? Oh yes, right. This easy coffee cake not only has the amazing sour cherry jam in it, but also a swirl of apricot – mainly because that was what was lurking in the jam area of my fridge. You should fee free to experiment away with the jam of your choice. I made it early on a Sunday morning, and it is amazing what the aroma of baking jam cake can do in the way of getting teenagers out of their beds and dogs off of the couch. Not that dogs have any shot at jam cake.
Kibble, anyone? No? Okay, let’s make jam cake instead!
Jam Cake
- 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup butter
- 1 egg, beaten
- ¾ cup milk
- ½ cup apricot jam
- ½ cup cherry jam
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
- Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter with pastry blender to make a fine crumbly mixture – or you can use a food processor.
- Add egg and milk; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened.
- Spoon batter into a generously buttered 9-inch square pan. Spoon both jams over the batter, then swirl through the batter with a knife.
- Mix topping ingredients until crumbly and sprinkle evenly over batter.
- Bake at 400° for 25 to 30 minutes, until done. Cut into squares and serve while still warm.