My mother started making the Jam Cake at Christmas Time when I was a young girl. The Christmas Cake is now something we all look forward to as part of our yearly holiday. This cake must be made at least three weeks before Christmas, then wrapped and left alone until just before Christmas. On Christmas Eve the cake is then un-wrapped, set in a covered cake dish and displayed on the kitchen table where the wonderful aroma of this special cake brings back memories of all our Christmas pasts. On Christmas Eve night, the cake is then halved, sliced and shared at the yearly Christmas Eve gathering at Linda's house.

Cream the butter and sugar together. Add the beaten eggs and mix well. (Use a very large bowl because all the ingredients will eventually wind up in here together.)

Add the blackberry preserves (or blackberry jam if you cannot find preserves), the nuts, coconut and raisins a little at a time, stirring each time you add a little of all these ingredients. Now don't panic at this point. The cake is going to turn a funny grayish color because of the blackberries. Just take it by faith and keep on adding ingredients and stirring.

Now put the soda in the buttermilk (this will foam up so use a glass or bowl big enough to hold the mess) and stir this mixture of buttermilk and soda into your bowl with the other mixed ingredients ... you know, the grayish mixture of butter, sugar, jam, nuts, etc.

Now put the baking powder and salt into a separate bowl with the cake flour and stir this all up. Next, add the flour mixture a bit at a time into the jam, nut, coconut mixture. Stir well each time you add the flour mix into the jam mix. Now you have a lighter looking grayish mixture. Take my word for it, this is the way it always looks! No, the cake batter does NOT taste good at this point. This is normal too! (This cake MUST set up for about three weeks before it is considered DONE! Then all the flavors mix together and only then does it turn into the most wonderful Christmas Cake ever!)

Use 4 8-10 inch cake pans that have been buttered and floured exteremly well. Sort the cake mixture into these 4 cake pans and pop into the oven.

While the cake is baking, start the filling for the Jam Cake.

Put the sugar and flour together in a pan. Stir. Add the cream a bit at a time. Keep stirring. Bring this mix to a boil, stirring fairly often, then add the butter. Now while stirring often bring this to a boil again and then add the coconut. Let this mixture boil very slow until it is thick. Stir OFTEN.

I try to check the thickness of this filling by dropping a bit of the mix from a spoon into a glass of cold water. Eventually the drop or three of the mixture will hold together instead of spreading all over the glass. Cook the filling mixture until you get a drop of mix that holds together fairly well.

When you decide that this filling has cooked enough, then set it aside to cool.

Take cake out of pans when cooled enough to do so, and turn upside down on four plates to cool completely.

When cake and filling has cooled, then ice and stack all four layers together. Ice the sides and top of cake and decorate with the pecan halves.

Make sure the cake is completely cool, then gently wrap in foil. Wrap around the plate too. Now wrap the entire cake again in clean white material and place in the topmost kitchen cabinet or another safe place. Leave totally alone for 2 1/2 to 3 weeks.

I normally only last about 2 1/2 weeks before I just have to check to see if the cake is done. Of course, I must do a taste test in order to find out if it is ready. Try to leave enough of the cake to share with family and friends.

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