Wedding Jam

A few people have asked me and my mom for the tasty Jam recipes that we used to make our wedding jams.  Sadly, We didn't really write down recipes for any of them, but I can tell you we followed the same pattern each time.

4 cups fruit
1 cup fruit juice
1-3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice(depending on the acidity of the fruit...You want enough acid to prevent botulism)
3 Tablespoons Pectin (this is less than the recipe on the jar calls for!)
1 1/2 cup sugar

Here is the Recipe for those who want an 'accurate' recipe for the "Favorite".

2 Cups Apricots (pitted and diced)
2 Cups Nectarines (peeled, pitted and diced)
1 Cup "Simply Naked" Orange + Mango Juice
3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
3 Tablespoons Pectin

Put ALL of the above ingredients in a kettle.  Stir.  Bring to a boil.  Let boil for abour 2 minutes

Then add 1 1/2 cups sugar.  Keep stirring.  Bring back to a boil and let boil for another minute.

Then Jar into jars.

After jarring, put in a hot water bath and boil for 5 minutes, then remove from water and let rest on the counter.  Listen for the 'sealing' pop!  Then Enjoy!

Carrot Cake, a Wedding Cake

In case you didn't know, I got married on August 31, 2012!

We both LOVE Carrot Cake!  We both LOVE my parents recipe for carrot cake.  It's super moist and flavorful.  So, it was clear what we wanted for cake at our wedding.  Our wedding list was just about 190.  So we decided, that if we cut a cake into 16 pieces(a very generous portion), we would need 12 cakes.

My Aunt Mary volunteered to make 5 cakes.  I asked her to make hers nutless and 9x13.  So they'd be square pieces, and the nutted pieces would be from 9" rounds.  This I would make with my parents.  We thought we'd make 8 more.  We made 4 batches (8 rounds), 2 weeks before the wedding and froze them.  We made 5 batches (10 rounds), the week before and froze them.  (So we ended with 14 cakes!)

Do not worry about 5 weeks prior to the wedding we tested the recipe and freezing it.  We then tested SEVERAL different recipes for frosting.  We settled with a combination of my aunt' recipe and our sister-in-law's recipe.

Two Kitchen-aids to make the frosting

Then the day before the wedding, my mom, cousin Megan and I made all the frosting.  The day of the wedding several aunts and an uncle frosted the cakes!

Decorating the morning of the wedding!

It was really simple to make our own cakes...and we had GREAT RESULTS!  And 2.5 cakes left over!

Endless cake...

So, I share here the recipe!

Carrot Cake

No Oil, Refrigerate Cake after cooling.

3 eggs

1 cup gran sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoon baking powder

2 cup flour


1 cup raisins

1 ½ cup crushed pineapple (drain slightly)

1 cup coconut

½ cup chopped walnuts

1 ½ cup apple sauce (sugar free)

2 cup carrots chopped fine


Cream together eggs, sugar, apple sauce at low speed. In separate bowl
combine flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, baking powder and add to creamed
mixture. Then add vanilla.

Lastly add carrots, raisins, nuts, pineapple and coconut. Mix on low speed.

Pour cake mixture into a 9 X 13 greased and floured pan. (or 2 – 9” rounds)

Bake at 350 for 1 hour 9 X 13 or 9” rounds bake 45 minutes. Test with
toothpick. Cake done if toothpick comes out clean.

When cool frost with Cream Cheese Frosting recipe below.

Then refrigerate.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8 oz package cream cheese (softened)

1 4 oz stick butter (softened)

2 ½ cups powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla

Mix together well cream cheese and butter, add vanilla and powdered sugar
and mix well so it is a little fluffy.

Frost cakes and refrigerate for best results.