Impress your guests with this layered dessert that’s as beautiful as it is delicious.
Blackberry Jam Cake
Makes 1 (8-Inch) Cake
Ingredients
- 1 (15.25-ounce) box French vanilla cake mix*
- 1 teaspoon apple pie spice
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3 large eggs
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 5½ cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 cup Seedless Blackberry Jam (recipe follows), divided
- ⅓ cup finely chopped pecans
- 8 fresh blackberries, halved
- Garnish: fresh blackberries, chopped pecans, fresh mint leaves
Seedless Blackberry Jam
- 2¼ pounds fresh blackberries
- 2¾ cups sugar, divided
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- Pinch kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons powdered pectin
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Spray 2 (8-inch) round cake pans with baking spray with flour.
- In a large bowl, whisk together cake mix and pie spice; make a well in center of mixture. Add milk, eggs, and oil; whisk until fully combined. Divide batter between cake pans.
- Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 23 to 25 minutes. Let cool in pans for 15 minutes. Remove from pans, and let cool completely on a wire rack.
- In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar, beating at low speed, until fully combined. Add ½ cup Seedless Blackberry Jam, and beat for 1 minute, scraping sides of bowl as needed.
- Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread remaining ½ cup Seedless Blackberry Jam over cake, leaving a 1-inch border. Sprinkle pecans over jam. Arrange blackberries in a single layer over pecans. Top with remaining cake layer, pressing slightly. Spread frosting on top and sides of cake. Chill for 1 hour before slicing. Garnish with blackberries, pecans, and mint, if desired.
Seedless Blackberry Jam
- In a large sauce pot, combine blackberries and 2½ cups sugar. Mash lightly using a potato masher; let stand for 15 minutes. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Add lemon juice and salt; cook, mashing and stirring frequently, until berries have broken down and are very soft, 30 to 40 minutes.
- Set a fine-mesh sieve over a large bowl. Carefully strain jam through sieve, pressing solids with the back of a spoon; discard solids. Return strained jam to pot over medium heat.
- In a small bowl, whisk together pectin and remaining ¼ cup sugar. Gradually whisk into jam. Bring to a boil, and cook for 1 minute. Transfer jam to clean glass jars. Seal and let cool to room temperature. Store refrigerated for up to 3 months.
Notes
*We used Duncan Hines Signature French Vanilla Cake Mix.
