Chocolate & Jam Tea Cake
Written by Megan of Stetted.
With the temperatures warming and spring produce starting to emerge, my thoughts turn to the impending canning season.
I’m kind of a canning hoarder. Every summer I preserve food until I am sick of chopping and lifting jars, and convince myself that this will be enough to last us until the next season. But then once the new year rolls around, I get stingy with using that bounty. I calculate every last jar, trying to determine if it will last until I can get my hands on sun-ripened tomatoes or sweet strawberries.
As it always happens, thanks to food swaps, planning, and shifting breakfast choices, we have excess of jam when the spring strawberries pop up. While many preserves can last for more than one year if canned properly, I like to replenish my stores yearly for the best quality and flavor. That means cracking open a precious jar or two and finding creative applications.
This chocolate tea cake comes together quickly and is a great way to use up any older jars of jam you have hanging around. The jam lends a subtle flavor to the chocolate, making it easy to swap in any of your favorite flavors. I’m partial to strawberry, cherry, and pear, but feel free to experiment with your star preserve.
The cake is best served warm, so either plan to make it the day-of, or reheat slices in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. You can top it with powdered sugar, fresh fruit, whipped cream, neufchatel cheese, or even more jam of the same flavor.
I won’t tell anyone if you sneak a slice or two for breakfast.
Chocolate & Jam Tea Cake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup self-rising flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or chocolate extract
- 1 cup prepared jam
- 3/4 cup whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a loaf pan and line with parchment paper.
- Sift together flour and cocoa, and set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla, jam and milk.
- Stir flour into wet mixture until just combined.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let cool 10-15 minutes before serving. Store in an airtight container.
Notes
Nutrition
What’s your favorite way to use up extra preserves?
I love raspberry jam with chocolate cake. Every year I make my boyfriend a nice rich chocolate cake with raspberry jam spread between the layers. It’s even better the next day when the jam flavor really spreads into the cake.
Smells heavenly, yes, I can smell it!
Sounds amazing! I will have to give this recipe a try. I have way too many preserves in my basement, and I didn’t even make many last year.
Jams I use to flavour homemade yogurt, spread on a Victoria sponge cake, jam thumbprint cookies, to top vanilla ice cream, on scones and Queen’s Pudding. Jellies can be used to make a glaze for meats or sweet and sour sauce or to add a bit of sweetness to an acidic sauce like tomato based ones or to add to barbecue sauce. Marmalade I use for a zingy citrusy homemade yogurt, to make a glaze/sauce for chicken or duck and to add to cakes like marmalade teacake. I always under- estimate how many jars we’ll go through with our popular jams like Strawberry jam and Crab Apple jelly (never have made enough even though I make more each year :-), but we always have more than enough of the yummy-but-not-our-first-choice like pear preserves and apple jelly. It’s a fine art to judge how many to make to cover our own use and the ones I give as presents. An art that I haven’t mastered yet! :-/
I love using jam in cakes. You can use EVEN MORE if you make this recipe in 2 9 inch round pans and LAYER jam in between the layers. mmmmm… you’ll probably need about 3/4 of a jar for that.
I have never used jam in a cake! What a good idea!
Chocolate and jam just sound so delicious together!! I can see myself sipping on tea or coffee and enjoying a warm slice of this!
That s a fabulous piece of cake for tea. No, i can probably eat it as a whole meal.
What an absolutely gorgeous little loaf. I love the combination of chocolate and jam, yum.
Such a beautiful cake! I love baking treats to serve with tea. 🙂 I have a jar or two of jam sitting in my fridge and this looks like the perfect way to use them!
Just baked some chocolate cake yesterday but I haven’t thought of using jam with it. Oh well, its a good excuse to bake another cake soon! Thanks for the recipe!
I love this idea! Spring is coming here too and I tend to hoard my preserves. But with all the fresh berries coming, this is the perfect excuse to open a jar. And celebrate spring. Thanks for the lovely recipe.
Megan,
What a great use for jam! In the past I’ve taken bags of frozen berries out and made jam from them before the fresh crop was ready, and I’ve used jam in muffin batter to use it up, but never cake. This looks lovely–thanks!
My sweet girl turns 5 next week and she wants to have a tea party – this looks like the perfect cake for a tea party!
Oh, I love that idea, Allison.
This looks so lovely!!
Funny… we are just getting ready to start a whole30 ourselves, and I had an open jar of jam. I was thinking to myself that it would be a challenge to use it up within a week, but no more – my cake is cooling on the counter and my daughter is saying “Yum, that cake looks so good”. 🙂
What fun, Sarah! I’m thinking this loaf is going to have to be a part of our weekend…
Oh, this looks absolutely wonderful 🙂 my grandma always made the best jams
Wow, that cake looks amazing! I’ll have to try to make it.
Mine is in the oven right now!
This post is what got me interested in making and canning my own jam! I actually just tried it today, and it was a success! Pretty sure I’m addicted to it now! 🙂
This cake looks perfect! Can’t wait to try it soon!
This looks delicious and quite simple to make!
I made this last night using a Peach Honey butter that I needed to use up… it turned out SO good! The peach with the chocolate was so fantastic. I am excited to try other flavors in this bread!
Made this last week, it was delish! Just a small side note, there is actually no part of the recipe that says when to add the vanilla. Had I have been paying better attention I would have added it with the wet ingredients but didn’t realize it until after the fact that I had missed it all together.
Oops! Sorry about that Janine! We’ll get it fixed. I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe even without it 🙂
Exactly what I was looking for, although not to use up homemade, alas. Thank you so much.