Blackberry Jam Cake

This is a traditional butter cake, using one of my favorite vegan products out there - Earth Balance vegan buttery spread.  It consistently lets me achieve great baking results that friends and family can hardly believe are vegan.  If you don't like the idea of jam for frosting, you could try topping the cake with caramel frosting or caramel syrup instead.

Ingredients:

• Cooking spray
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 cup vegan sugar
• 1/2 cup vegan butter
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 Ener-G eggs
• 2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour*
• 2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 and 1/4 cups plain non-dairy milk
• 1 cup seedless blackberry jam
• 1 tablespoon vegan powdered sugar

1. Cut 2 circles of wax paper to fit in the bottom of 2 (9-inch) round cake pans.  Coat the bottoms of the pans with cooking spray (but not the sides of the pans), and line the bottoms with the wax paper circles.  Coat the wax paper with cooking spray, and dust evenly with 1 tablespoon flour.

2. Combine the sugar, butter, and vanilla extract in the bowl of a stand mixer; beat at medium speed for a few minutes, until well blended.  Add the Ener-G eggs; beat until blended.  Lightly spoon 2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour into dry measuring cups and level with a knife.  Combine the flour in a large bowl with the baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Add the flour mixture and the milk alternately to the sugar mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.

3. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans.  Tap the pans sharply against the counter once to remove any air bubbles, then bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes - a wooden pick inserted in the centers should come out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes in the pans on a wire rack, then remove the cakes from the pans and cool completely on a wire rack.

4. Place the jam in a bowl and stir with a whisk to smooth it out.  Place 1 cake layer on a plate, and spread with 1/2 cup of the jam.  Top with the second cake layer; spread the remaining 1/2 cup jam over the top of the cake.  Sprinkle with the powdered sugar.

*Measuring flour correctly is one of the keys to baking, hence why I always specify to spoon into measuring cups and level with a knife, rather than scooping right from the flour jar.  Another, even more accurate option is to weigh the flour.  The 2 and 1/4 cups called for in this recipe should be about 10 ounces.

Nutrition Info:
16 servings (1 slice), Calories 240 

Tasting Notes:
Remember those Pepperidge Farm Linzer cookies you used to eat before you became vegan?  Right, while turn those cookies into cake form and that's what you've got with this recipe.  Or like my mom's Christmas jam thumbprint cookies, but with soft cake as the base instead of a shortbread cookie.  In sum, delicious.

Rating:
5