Old Fashioned Southern Jam Cake

Ingredients for Cake:
· 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
· 1 ½ cups granulated white sugar
· 1 cup canola oil
· 1 cup buttermilk
· 1 cup raisins
· 1 cup seedless blackberry jam
· 1 teaspoon baking soda
· 1 teaspoon baking powder
· 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
· 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
· 1 teaspoon allspice
· ½ teaspoon salt
· 1 teaspoon vanilla
· 3 eggs
· 1 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts

Ingredients for Caramel Frosting:
· 2 ¼ cups brown sugar
· 1 ½ sticks butter
· 2 teaspoons vanilla
· 3 tablespoons white corn syrup
· 4 ½ tablespoons milk
· 2 ¼ cups powdered sugar

Directions for Cake:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 9-inch round baking pans.
2. Combine all ingredients for the cake, with the exception of the pecans (or walnuts) and mix well on low speed of electric or stand mixer. Increase speed to high until sugar is completely dissolved.
3. Fold in pecans and pour batter evenly into the 2 pans. Bake for 40 minutes or until cake pulls away from the sides of pans. Cool on wire racks for 10 minutes and then remove from pans. Frost with caramel frosting.

Directions for Caramel Frosting:
1. Melt all ingredients except powdered sugar on top of stove. Remove from heat and add sugar.
2. Stir and cool until the frosting has a glazed look and is of spreading consistency. Spread between layers, on sides and top of cake.