Frugal Crafts & Homemade Gifts
(Monthly featured column by BetterBudgeting's
crafty readers!)
Cake-in-a-Jar
Gifts
by
Loy Ellen Gross
This is a great
little gift that helps stretch a box of cake mix farther and earns a lot of
smiles. Since the cake is pre-baked and single-serving, this is an especially
nice gift for those without large families who wouldn't normally bake a cake for
themselves -- grandparents, college students, newly graduated twenty-somethings.
More...
I usually make
several cake flavors (red devil, marble, and carrot are favorites), and package
three together in a box or gift bag. With a decorated jar lid, this makes a
great presentation out of what is, essentially, a storable cupcake.
Best of all, this makes a great gift from a child! You'll need to help with the
baking and sealing to prevent burns, but the kids can grease the jars, cut the
paper, mix the ingredients, pour the batter, and decorate the lids when done.
Items needed:
1 box of cake
mix - any flavor
Eggs, oil and water (see below)
Pour-on frosting or softened frosting
Parchment paper
Shortening or Cake Release
8 straight-sided pint canning jars
Instructions:
1) Cut 8 parchment squares large
enough to separate ingredients in the pint jars. If you want to be fancy, turn
the jar over and trace it onto the parchment, then cut the circle slightly
larger with pinking or decorative shears. Optionally, leave a 'tail' on each
parchment that will stick up and allow the recipient to easily remove the
frosting from the jar.
2) Grease the insides of the jars, being careful to keep the rim clean. (Wilton
cake release works really, really well and is cost-effective if you're doing
several batches.) Don't use spray-on products as they will get all over the top
of the jar, burn, and make they whole thing smell/taste burnt. Preheat oven to
350 degrees.
3) Prepare the cake mix according to directions - but - add one extra egg and
subtract 1/3 cup of water.
4) Pour one cup cake mix into each jar, making sure to keep the sides clean. A
strip of aluminum foil wrapped around the inside rim works well for this.
5) Place jars on a cookie sheet and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick
inserted in center of cake comes out clean.
6) While baking, place jar lids in a pan of boiling water. Leave the lids in
until you are ready to place them onto the jars.
7) When the cake is done, set it on a wire rack for five minutes to cool (no
longer!), then place the parchment on top of the cake and add a dollop of
frosting. If you've left tails on your parchment, make sure they stick up above
the level of the frosting but NOT over the jar rim. You won't get a good seal if
the parchment sticks up over the rim. Add a hot lid and screw the jar ring
tightly.
8) The lids will 'ping' as they cool and seal themselves. If you miss the
'ping', press on the lid. If it doesn't move at all, it's sealed. It is normal
for the cake to pull away from the sides of the jar slightly as it cools. This
means you did it correctly.
9) Add circles of fabric, ribbons, glued-on beads, kids' colorings and other
decorations to the lids. You can remove and replace the jar rings to aid in
decoration, as long as you are careful not to disturb the lids. Be sure to make
pretty labels.
Unsealed cakes should be refrigerated and eaten within two weeks. Sealed cakes
can be stored in the freezer indefinitely or in the fridge for several months.
For a nifty presentation, pack these in translucent white bags with curling
ribbon to keep them upright, and decorate the outside of the bag with ribbons,
crayons or cut-outs.
Oddly enough, I usually get the jars back, along with not-so-subtle hints about
the next holiday or gift-giving occasion coming up.
NOTE: Instructions for baking cakes in canning jars have been around for some
time -- we've created our own special recipe for firmer cake, figured out how to
include frosting without making the cake soggy and added ideas on how to package
it for a gift. Hope you like!
* * *
Copyright
© 2008 by Loy Ellen Gross. All rights reserved.
Want
to see more frugal craft ideas like this? Get a FREE Subscription to our monthly
newsletter!
