Ingredients

serves 15-18

　　

Cake

1 cup vegetable shortening

　　1 1/3 cups granulated sugar

　　4 eggs

　　4 cups all-purpose flour

　　1 teaspoon baking powder

　　1 teaspoon baking soda

　　1 teaspoon salt

　　1 teaspoon ground allspice

　　1 teaspoon cinnamon

　　1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

　　1 cup buttermilk

　　1 cup chopped pecans

　　1 cup raisins

　　2 cups blackberry jam

　　

Caramel Icing

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

　　1 cup packed brown sugar

　　1/4 cup milk

　　2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 10-inch round cake pans.

　　

Step 2

For the cake, in a mixing bowl, cream the shortening and granulated sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Sift the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Add the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour. Stir in the nuts and raisins, then stir in the jam.

　　

Step 3

Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the cake pulls away from the pan. Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes, the turn them out onto cake racks to cool completely.

　　

Step 4

While the cake cools, make the icing. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the brown sugar, and bring to a boil. Boil over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the milk and continue stirring until the mixture returns to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and scrape the mixture into a mixing bowl. Let cool. Add the confectioners’ sugar a little at a time, beating well after each addition, until the icing is thick enough to spread. Fill and ice the cake.

　　

VARIATION

Step 5

You may prefer to bake this cake in a tube pan: Pour the batter into the greased and floured pan and bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 300 degrees and bake for about 1 hour 15 minutes, or until the cake tests done. Cool as directed for the 10-inch layers.

　　The Lady & Sons, Too! by Paula Deen. © 2001 by Paula H. Deen. Published by Random House. All Rights Reserved.Paula H. Deen was born and raised in Albany, Georgia. She later moved to Savannah, where she and her two sons, Bobby and Jamie, started the Bag Lady catering company. The business took off and evolved into The Lady & Sons Restaurant, which is located in Savannah’s historic district and specializes in Southern cooking. Paula is the host of Food Network’s Paula’s Home Cooking and is a regular guest on QVC, where her cookbooks are one of the newtowrk’s biggest sellers.