2 cups sugar

1 cup butter

4 eggs, separated

1 cup crushed pineapple with juice

1 cup blackberry jam

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon ginger

2 teaspoons allspice

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons nutmeg

1 teaspoon soda

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup hickory nuts, black walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, cream the sugar and butter until fluffy. Separate the egg yolks from the whites. Reserve the whites. Add one yolk at a time, and beat well after each addition.

Stir in the pineapple and the jam. Blend well. Sift the flour, ginger, allspice, cinnamon and nutmeg together. Add the soda to the buttermilk. Adding alternately, blend the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture together. Beat well. Whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form, and fold into batter.

Stir in the nuts, and pour into three greased and floured 8- or 9-inch cake pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes until done. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan, and then remove from the pans and cool before icing with the following recipe.

Caramel icing

1/2 cup margarine

1 cup brown sugar

3 tablespoons milk

1 pound confectioner's sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

In a saucepan, melt margarine. Add brown sugar and milk. Let the mixture come to a boil. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Beat in sugar until mixture is thick enough to spread (may not take the entire box of sugar). Add the vanilla and stir. Spread on cooled cake