Applesauce Strawberry Jam Cake has great fruity flavors perfect for a celebration. Applesauce is the secret ingredient for moisture and natural sweetness.
Mamaw Estine has always been a legend, but since being introduced to Dinner in 321 with her Fried Apple Pies, she's become an internet phenom! She makes this old fashioned jam cake recipe every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and it's one of those cakes that you can refrigerate or freeze to make it last a long time.
Strawberry jam cake is a hearty, moist cake that boasts comforting, holiday flavors with its dried spices and fruit flavors. A slice served with a glass of milk or cup of coffee creates the perfect, sweet moment!
Table of Contents
Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Precious Memories: Reminds you of family gatherings, holiday traditions, or cherished childhood memories which makes this cake taste even sweeter.
- Moist and Dense Texture: The combination of sweet and fruity flavors, moisture, spices, and texture variations makes it incredibly delicious!
- Traditional Flavors: Old-fashioned jam cake has been passed down through generations and those classic flavors will never grow old!
What is a Jam Cake?
Jam cake, also known as jelly cake, is believed to have originated in the Appalachian region, which spans several states including Kentucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina. The exact origin of jam cake is somewhat uncertain, but it has a long history in the American south.
Its primary ingredient is fruit preserves, which are used to flavor and moisten the cake. Also called Southern Jam Cake, it's known for its rich, spiced flavor featuring warm spices. Chopped nuts are frequently added to the batter for texture and flavor. Some jam cakes have a sweet and creamy caramel or brown sugar frosting.
Ingredients in Applesauce Strawberry Jam Cake
Scroll Down for Ingredient Amounts Listed in the Recipe Card Below
- All-Purpose Flour: Gives elasticity to the dough, helping it stretch and trap the gases formed resulting in a natural rise for the cake.
- Baking Soda: Helps the cake rise and achieve and tender crumb.
- Dried Spices: Ground Ginger, Ground Cinnamon & Allspice: These warm spices give this cake a comforting quality and holiday feel.
- Salted Butter: Adds richness and flavor.
- Granulated Sugar: Adds sweetness, moisture and tenderness to this jam cake recipe.
- Eggs: Binds the ingredients, helps with its rise and provides structure to the cake.
- Applesauce: Plays a similar role as butter or oil and helps keep the cake from becoming too dense or rubbery.
- Strawberry Jam: The star ingredient of this cake! It not only adds sweetness but also contributes to the cake's moisture and flavor.
- Drained Crushed Pineapple: Contributes the moisture and tenderness of the cake and an added natural sweetness and acidity.
- Raisins: These absorb the liquid from the cake, become plump and add a rich sweetness.
- Pecans: Adds a crunchy texture and nutty flavor. They complement the sweetness of the jam, applesauce and spices.
Tools You'll Need
How to make this Jam Cake Recipe
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice and ginger.
- In another large bowl, with a hand or stand mixer, cream together the wet ingredients, butter, sugar and eggs.
- Once fluffy, add applesauce, strawberry preserves and pineapple, mixing well after each addition.
- In a small bowl, combine raisins and pecans. Transfer a spoon of the flour mixture over the raisins and pecans and toss until they’re coated well.
- Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture. Mix on low speed until blended well. Once combined, add the raisins and pecans and mix again.
- Pour the batter into a greased and lined tube pan. Bake at 325°F 1 hour 20 minutes to an hour and a half or until cooked through and browned on top.
- Remove from the oven, invert the cake onto a plate, remove the lining, then invert onto a serving dish.
Recipe Tips and Substitutions
- Mamaw uses Smucker's Strawberry Preserves, but you can also use a seedless blackberry or raspberry jam. It's important that whatever brand you choose that it doesn't have extra pectin. This would make the cake extra dense.
- Walnut can be used in place of pecans.
Jam Cake Recipe Variations
One popular variation of Jam Cake is adding a rich and thick caramel frosting.
- Ingredients for Frosting: 10 tablespoons salted butter, 1 ¼ cups packed brown sugar, ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon milk, 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- Steps for Frosting: In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir occasionally to ensure even melting. Add the brown sugar and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Allow it to boil for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to low and carefully add the milk while continuing to stir. Simmer on low heat for an additional 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl. Using a hand or stand mixer, gradually add the powdered sugar, stirring continuously until well combined and smooth. Adjust the amount of powdered sugar as needed to achieve your desired frosting consistency.
If adding frosting to the cake, adorning the frosting with additional halved or chopped pecans is a beautiful touch
Another popular version is alcohol-infused jam cake. Some folks like to brush the cooked and cooled cake with bourbon or rum. In addition, they might soak a cheesecloth with more bourbon or rum and wrap the cake up tightly to absorb it's flavors.
Instead of a single-layer cake, you can make a layered jam cake by baking multiple cake layers and stacking them with frosting in between.
Storing and Freezing
Jam Cake can be stored in an air-tight container at room-temperature up to 1-2 weeks. It doesn't require refrigeration. In fact, refrigerating it can actually lead to a loss of moisture and dryness.
If you need to store the cake for an extended period, consider freezing it. Wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap then aluminum foil and place it in an airtight freezer-safe container or resealable plastic bag. Frozen jam cake can be stored for several months. Thaw at room-temperature before consuming.
FAQs
Yes! Adding jam to a cake batter is an excellent way to infuse flavor and added moisture.
Jam cake doesn't require refrigeration. In fact, refrigerating it can actually lead to a loss of moisture and dryness.
Adapt the recipe to cater to dietary preferences by using gluten-free flour or egg substitutes for a gluten-free or vegan version of jam cake.
Jam Cake typically includes all or some of these spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice and ginger.
Yes, you can simply omit pecans from the recipe or substitute with walnuts.
Other Cake Recipes
Applesauce Strawberry Jam Cake
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoons allspice
- 1 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 cup butter room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 ½ cups applesauce
- 1 cup strawberry jam
- 1 cup drained crushed pineapple
- 2 cups raisins
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice and ginger.
- In another large bowl, with a hand or stand mixer, cream together the wet ingredients, butter, sugar and eggs. Once fluffy, add applesauce, strawberry preserves and pineapple, mixing well after each addition.
- In a small bowl, combine raisins and pecans. Transfer a spoon of the flour mixture over the raisins and pecans and toss until they’re coated well.
- Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture. Mix on low speed until blended well. Once combined, add the raisins and pecans and mix again.
- Pour the batter into a greased and lined tube pan. Bake at 325°F 1 hour 20 minutes to an hour and a half or until cooked through and browned on top.
- Remove from the oven, invert the cake onto a plate, remove the lining, then invert onto a serving dish.
Video
Notes
- Mamaw uses Smucker's Strawberry Preserves, but you can also use a seedless blackberry or raspberry jam. It's important that whatever brand you choose that it doesn't have extra pectin. This would make the cake extra dense.
- Walnut can be used in place of pecans.
Peggy Sch
4 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking soda
I think one of those is probably supposed to be baking powder, right?
Laura Ashley
Thank you for pointing this out. I've deleted the 2tsp baking soda line. 🙂