Kentucky Christmas Cake

This is also known as Jam Cake. I found the recipe in my search to try to find things to do with all the jam that I made last year and that is still in my freezer. I don’t know what I was thinking, we hardly eat jam???

I have to admit that the recipe intrigued me: coconut, bourbon-soaked pecans, raisins and blackberry jam. When I saw the lavender-colored batter, I was even more intrigued. It should have dawned on me that it would be purple from the jam but would I want to eat a cake that was purple? But it wasn’t purple at all after baking. I was kinda disappointed. :o(

Well, it turned out much better than I thought and is really yummy warm. I will be making this one this Christmas for sure! But be sure if you make it, to either eat it after cooling a bit out of the oven or after warming it a bit in the microwave…

• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups white sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup blackberry preserves
• 1 cup chopped pecans (you can soak them in bourbon for a few days prior to baking cake)
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F . Lightly grease one 10 inch tube pan and set aside.

1. Cream together the butter and sugar. Add eggs separately, beating well after each.
2. Sift together soda and flour; add alternately with buttermilk to creamed mixture. Mix well.
3. Add jam, pecans, coconut and raisins. Mix well and pour into prepared pan.

1. Bake for one hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Playdough

This is truly the best homemade playdough recipe I have ever found. It’s totally safe and non-toxic but doesn’t smell like something you should eat, tempting kids to pop it in their mouth and then spit it right back out all over their shirt. It doesn’t use so much salt that it sucks all the moisture out of your hands when playing with it. But the best part is that it is almost impossible to dry out. Even left open for days, it can be smushed up a bit and as good as new! And the hours of quiet entertainment is well worth the time it takes to clean up the mess… :o)

1/2 cup salt

1 cup flour

2 Tbsp oil

2 tsp cream of tartar

1 cup water

food coloring

Put all ingredients into a saucepan and mix well. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it reaches playdough consistency. Remove and let cool.

Have fun!

Pumpkin Bars

As I have said before, I love Fall because of all the yummy baking I get to do. Yesterday I had some Hubbard squash that had to be used and my friend Melody sent me a recipe for pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting. They were so yummy that I had to share the recipe. Thanks Melody!!!

4 eggs
1cup oil
1 2/3 cup sugar
1 (16oz) can pumpkin
2cups flour
2 tea. baking powder
2 tea. cinnamon
1 tea. salt
1 tea baking soda
FROSTING:
1 (3oz) softened cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tea. vanilla
Beat together eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light & fluffy. Then add the rest of the ingredients to pumpkin mixture and mix thoroughly. Spread batter in greased 15x10x1 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
FOR FROSTING: Cream together cream cheese and butter. Stir in vanilla. Add powdered sugar a bit at a time, beating until smooth.