Jam Tea Cake

 

Jam Tea Cake.  This is a wonderful breakfast cake that is sure to become a firm favorite with your family!  Its been a favorite of mine for a great many years, and no small wonder!

Its moist and delicious from a rich sour cream,  buttery and almond flavored batter.  Topped with swirls of your favorite preserves and flaked almonds, it always goes down a real treat.  Breakfast, brunch, coffee break, teatime, whenever! 

   

 

 

 

Not only is it moist and delicious, but it goes together very quickly. This makes it ideal to whip together  for last minute breakfast guests, and I can tell you, nobody has ever been able to turn down a piece of this!

It is the ideal showcase for the wonderful sweetness and flavor or homemade preserves.  If you are lucky enough to have rhubarb jam in the larder, you are in for a real treat! 

 

 

But it really goes beautifully with any flavor of preserves. Some favorites here are raspberry, strawberry, cherry, and mixed berry. Red colored preserves really show up nicely!

But blueberry and apricot, or peach are also nice.  And don't forget lemon curd, or even, dare I say it  . . . .  Nutella. If you are not fond of the flavor of almond extract,  you can use vanilla in its place.

 

WHAT YOU NEED  TO MAKE JAM TEA CAKE

Simple baking cupboard ingredients. There is nothing really out of the ordinary here. That's all a part of its simple charm! 

• 1 1/2 cups (210g) unbleached all purpose plain flour
• 1/3 cup (65g) granulated sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
• pinch of salt
• 4 TBS butter, melted
• 2 large free range eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup (60g) dairy sour cream
• 1 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1/2 to 2/3 cup (110g to 145g) thick fruit jam or preserves, or all fruit spread
• 1/2 cup (85g) flaked almonds

 

I have not made this using low fat sour cream, but I think it would probably work alright.  You could also use plain unsweetened yogurt in the place of the sour cream if that is all you have.

I only keep one kind of butter in my kitchen, slightly salted. Oh how I miss the Lurpak butter I could get in the UK. It was the best. 

All eggs are free range, large and organic if I can find them.

 

If I don't have homemade jam to use I use the best jam my money can buy.  I really like the Bonne Maman Jams from France, and no, its not just because of the jar.  They taste good and have plenty of fruit in them.

You can also use spreadable fruit.

 

HOW TO MAKE JAM TEA CAKE

This is probably one of the easiest cakes to make. It goes together just like a muffin or a quick bread in that you mix together the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients separately and then beat the two together! 

 

Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter an 8 inch square baking tin and line with some baking parchment leaving an overhang on two sides.

Sift the flour, soda, and baking powder into a bowl. Stir in the sugar and salt.

Whisk the melted butter, sour cream, beaten eggs, and almond extract together. Add to the dry ingredients and beat until smooth and fluffy. Spread into your pan evenly.

 

Dot the top with the jam. Insert a butter knife straight into the batter and swirl it in gently a few times to distribute it through the batter.

Sprinkle the flaked almonds over top.

Bake in the center of the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand in the pan for 10 minutes before lifting out onto a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

 

The batter is quite a thick batter. It is supposed to be thick. This is what prevents the jam from sinking all the way to the bottom.  

You might think you are never going to be able to spread it out in the pan, but the back of a metal spoon helps to do this beautifully!  I tend to dollop it into the pan in 9 big dollops and then spread it out from there! 

Don't over swirl the jam. You want nice pockets of sweet preserves as well as a bit of swirl throughout the cake!

 

If you are fond of using jam in your baking there is no end to the recipes here in my kitchen using that fabulous resource. (We are real jam people!) Here are some of my favorites!

SMALL BATCH JAM CRUMBLE BARS -  with the short bread base, jam filling and crumbled shortbread topping these tasty bars go down a real treat with a nice hot cuppa! 

EASY JAM HEARTS - Heart shaped buttery cookies with scrumptious jam centres. No rolling out or cookie cutters needed.  Dolloped on the baking sheet and shaped with your hands, they are very easy to make. 

JAM DOUGHNUT MUFFINS - These are so scrumptious I once made them three times in one week! Moist and delicious with jammy centers and a cinnamon sugar coating.

 

This really is a fabulous breakfast cake.  I guarantee your family is going to love it.  Put the kettle on and make a pot of tea because a nice hot cuppa goes perfectly!  

Note, I like to dust it lightly with some icing sugar to serve. It pretties it up very nicely!

Jam Tea Cake

Yield: Makes one 8-inch cake

Author: Marie Rayner

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 45 MinTotal time: 55 Min

This fabulous breakfast cake goes together very quickly and is a great way to use up whatever jam you have languishing in the refrigerator. I especially love to use raspberry, cherry or strawberry jam. Its also a really nice way to showcase some of your homemade preserves.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups (210g) unbleached all purpose plain flour
• 1/3 cup (65g) granulated sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
• pinch of salt
• 4 TBS butter, melted
• 2 large free range eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup (60g) dairy sour cream
• 1 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1/2 to 2/3 cup (110g to 145g) thick fruit jam or preserves, or all fruit spread
• 1/2 cup (85g) flaked almonds

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter an 8 inch square baking tin and line with some baking parchment leaving an overhang on two sides.
2. Sift the flour, soda, and baking powder into a bowl. Stir in the sugar and salt.
3. Whisk the melted butter, sour cream, beaten eggs, and almond extract together. Add to the dry ingredients and beat until smooth and fluffy. Spread into your pan evenly.
4. Dot the top with the jam. Insert a butter knife straight into the batter and swirl it in gently a few times to distribute it through the batter.
5. Sprinkle the flaked almonds over top.
6. Bake in the center of the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand in the pan for 10 minutes before lifting out onto a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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