1 c Unsalted butter
2 c Sugar
5 lg Eggs, beaten
3 c Flour plus 1 tbsp
1 1/2 ts Allspice
1 1/2 ts Cloves, ground
1/2 ts Cinnamon
1/4 ts Salt
1 c Buttermilk
1 ts Baking soda
1 c Raisins or dates, chopped
1 c Pecans, chopped
1 c Blackberry jam (seedless if possible)
Icing:
3 c Light brown sugar
1 c Evaporated milk
1/2 c Unsalted butter
In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs and combine well.
Into a bowl, sift together 3 cups of flour, allspice, cloves, cinnamon, and salt. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk and baking soda. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in batches alternating with the buttermilk mixture. Beat well after each addition.
In a bowl, toss together the raisins, pecans, and 1 Tbsp flour. Stir the mixture into the batter with the jam, stirring until well combined.
Line the bottoms of 2 buttered 9-inch cake pans with wax paper and butter the paper. Pour the batter into the pans and bake in the middle of a preheated 325f oven for 40 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Let layers cool in the pans on a rack for 15 minutes, invert them onto the rack and let cool completely.
In a saucepan, combine the brown sugar, evap. milk, and butter. Cook the mixture over mod-low heat, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved. Continue to cook, undisturbed, washing down any sugar crystals that form on the side of the pan, with a brush dipped in cold water, until it registers 238f on a candy thermometer. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, and beat until it is at spreading consistency. If the icing gets too thick, dip the icing spatula in hot water.
Transfer one layer, bottom up to a cake plate. Frost top with the icing and top it with the other layer, bottom side down. Frost the top and sides with remaining icing.
