Granny has made this cake as far back as daughter Annette can remember. “She used to make it about a month before Christmas and seal it in a clean 50 gallon lard can. The older it is, the moister it gets.”

Granny poses with another kind of cake, her cake from her 80th birthday that Shalon made for her in 1993.

Batter:

1 cup butter

2 cups sugar

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

2 cups blackberry jam

6 eggs

1 teaspoon cloves (optional)

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons nutmeg

2 teaspoons allspice

Caramel icing:

1 stick of butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 or 3 tablespoons milk

For the batter:

Mix ingredients and pour batter into 2 8 or 9 inch greased round pans. Bake at 350º F. for 35 minutes or until tester comes out clean.

For the caramel icing:

Boil on medium heat until mixture is at the softball stage. Remove from heat and cool. Pour into mixing bowl. Add powdered sugar and milk until mixture forms icing. Once iced, seal the cake. It becomes better after a couple of days.

Desserts, 2001