Blackberry Pie and Blackberry Jam Cake: Best of Show Winners

Hey friends... Here are the 2019 Best of Show Recipes!! Enjoy.

2019 Ohio State Fair, Best of Show: Blackberry Pie

Karri Perry, BlueRibbonKitchen.blogspot.com

Baking temp: 375

Time: 60 minutes

Yields: 9-inch pie

Pie Dough

2 ½ cups all purpose flour

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 ½ teaspoon salt

½ cup Crisco shortening -either butter flavor or original is fine

8 Tbsp (1/2 cup) unsalted butter

6-8 Tablespoons ice cold water and vodka mixed 50/50

Filling

5 cups rinsed fresh blackberries

1 cup granulated sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ cup arrowroot

¼ teaspoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Garnish- Brush with milk and sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar before baking

Step 1: Mix together flour, sugar and salt, set aside.  Make pie dough by cutting the butter and  shortening  into the flour, sugar and salt. (Use a pastry blender, food processor or stand mixer with the paddle attachment)   Add liquid a little at a time…Once dough comes together, shape into 2 equal disks and let rest, covered tightly, at least one hour in the refrigerator before rolling the dough.

Step 2: Roll out 1 disk of prepared dough to ¼ inch thick, fill pie plate, and crimp the edges.  Set aside in refrigerator.  Roll out the second disk of dough and cut out 25-35  2-inch decorative leaves* to cover pie or roll the disk as one solid piece to serve as the top crust.  Return the prepared dough to the refrigerator until ready to assemble the pie.

Step 3: Stir together the sugar, arrowroot, cinnamon and zest, set aside.  In a medium bowl, add the fresh rinsed and patted dry blackberries.  Drizzle the lemon juice over the waiting berries.  Pour sugar mixture over the blackberries and gently fold to lightly coat the blackberries.

Step 4: Fill pie shell with the blackberry mixture.  Add dough cut-outs of decorative shapes to the top of the pie if desired, or apply a full top crust, being sure to vent the pie by making  4-5 slits in the pie dough.  Brush the top of the pie with milk, and sprinkle lightly with a cinnamon sugar mixture.

Step 5: Bake in preheated 375-degree oven, on the lowest rack for 60 minutes or until the filling is bubbling in the center and the crust is golden.  Allow to cool before serving.

*Decorative pie-crust or pie dough-cutters in leaf and other shapes are available at Williams-Sonoma, Cincinnati-Cake and Candy, occasionally available in the baking aisles of craft stores.  Cutters also available online and on eBay for retired sets.

2019 Butler County Fair, Best of Show: Blackberry Jam Cake

Karri Perry, BlueRibbonKitchen.blogspot.com

Special Thanks to the Roudebush Family, 1976 family reunion recipe of Ms. Albert Snyder of Minerva, Kentucky. 

Baking temp: 350 degrees

Time: 35-40 minutes

Yields: 1 three-layer cake

Cake:

2 ¼ cup granulated sugar

½ cup butter softened-unsalted

½ cup shortening

6 eggs lightly beaten

2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon allspice

2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon cocoa powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

2 cups seedless blackberry jam

Caramel Frosting:

2 sticks unsalted butter

2 cups brown sugar

½ cup milk-room temperature

1 tsp vanilla

3-4 cups confectioner’s sugar

1-2 tsp additional of heavy cream or milk to thin if necessary

Step 1:  Line three 8” or 9” cake pans with parchment rounds and spray with a non-stick cooking spray, on the bottom and on the sides of the cake pan.  *Yes, it is necessary to do both the spray and the parchment or the cakes will never come out of the pans…trust me on this.

Step 2: Mix together the flour, salt, cocoa powder, spices, and baking powder, set aside.  In a small bowl, measure the blackberry jam and stir to loosen the jam, set aside.  In a medium bowl cream together the butter, shortening  and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes).  Add the eggs and mix.  Add ¼ of the milk and ¼ of the flour mixture alternating between the two, until all of the ingredients are combined.   Mix in the blackberry jam.

Step 3: Pour the batter evenly into the prepared cake pans.  Bake cakes on the middle rack of a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out cleanly from the center of the cake.

Step 4: Let cakes rest for 3 minutes in cake pans, then run a paring knife around the edges of the cake pans (cakes  will need to have a paring knife used to loosen the edges) Invert cakes onto a cooling rack and remove the parchment paper from each cake to allow heat to escape.  When parchment is removed, you may notice bits of jam that have settled at the bottom of each cake layer—this is normal and will become delicious jam bites in the final product.  Allow cakes to cool to room temperature before frosting.

Step 5:  Make the caramel frosting: In a heavy-bottomed sauce pan, over medium heat, melt butter and brown sugar, bring to a boil.  Allow to boil for 1 minute.  Turn heat off, and carefully add the milk, stirring well to combine.  Turn the heat back on and return mixture to a boil and then turn off heat. Let mixture cool to warm.

Step 5: When ready to frost the cake:  In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, mix the warm caramel sauce with the confectioner’s sugar, adding ½ cup at a time until the desired frosting consistency is reached.  If frosting becomes too thick, add milk or cream 1 tsp at a time to thin.

Step 6: Using a platter or cake plate, frost and stack each layer, frosting in between, on the tops and sides of the cake.  Using an off-set spatula and working quickly with the warm cooked caramel frosting is helpful in creating a beautiful cake.  ** If frosting gets too thick or begins to harden while working with it, add a small amount of milk to thin.

Garnish with fresh blackberries.