Blackberry Jam Cake – Part II

My paternal grandmother passed away when I was about 18 months old. I don’t remember her. But, if I didn’t learn anything else about her, I for sure learned that she was definitely a great cook/baker. My mother says that my grandmother made cinnamon rolls so good that they looked like they came from a store or market. My daddy told me she made ice cream or sherbet every Sunday. One week ice cream the next week sherbet. Can you imagine having home made ice cream every week?  It was probably pretty amazing. And then there’s the cakes… my dad says his mom only made 3 & 4 layer cakes. Well that’s my kind of cake baker because I only believe in 3 or more layers in a cake. Less than that… I don’t even think it’s a real cake. I’m being serious right now. The exception to that rule for me is the Pound Cake baked in the Angel Food Cake pan. A pound cake in a loaf pan is just a loaf. It’s not going to last long or go very far. And, if it does, the slices are thin thin…. That’s just mean to tease with a thin slice of cake.  I can’t get excited about it. Actually, I would probably have an attitude because of it.

Getting back to the Blackberry Jam Cake…. My dad and I were going over the recipe and he was sharing his memories of the cake…what kind of pan to bake it in, what goes in the cake, nuts (walnuts), coconut (its in the recipe but he doesn’t remember coconut being in the cake), and raisins (bigger raisins). I said well, I only know of raisins in one size (giggling at the same time). Nope, he was sure my grandmother used bigger raisins.  So, I went home and began my search on “bigger raisins” on the internet. I still wasn’t sure that there was such a thing. I only knew of raisins, currants and, prunes. I knew he didn’t want any prunes in the cake. At least I hoped not. … After a few word modifications in my search I found “the bigger raisin”!!!! It’s called a muscat or muscats (plural).

A muscat is a varied of a grape that has a pronounced sweet aroma and flavor. This grape is used to make raisins and wine. They are generally larger and may or may not have the edible seeds removed. What I have found so far is that they are not readily available locally. They are available to purchase online by the pound and are pricey if you ask me. But no one did….. 5 pounds of muscats are on their way from California and will be here sometime in the next 3 to 8 days. 🙂

The baking of the Famous Blackberry Jam Cake will commence shortly after the arrival of the M.I.A. muscats. Stay tuned for pictures of both!

Bye for now!

Kim Cherie

#septemberwritingchallenge

day3