Day 9: The cupcake trend has been around for a while and I have to admit – I am a over it. Don’t get me wrong, I would never pass up a cupcake {I am not one to pass up any cake!} but I am moving on to a new trend – Cakes in a Jar.
Mason jars are everywhere, so why not fill them with cake? All you need to do is buy 8 once mason jars {a store such as Target sells them}, bake your favorite cake and layer thin slices of it inside a jar with your favorite frosting. These little jars would make a fun and delicious holiday gift or party favor.
I made these jars for a friend of mine and used two of my favorite recipes: Pumpkin Spice Cake and Low-Fat Chocolate Cake {see recipes below}.
I topped the Pumpkin Spice Cake with mascarpone cheese frosting {a million times better than cream cheese frosting – trust me!} and caramel sauce. YUM.
For the Chocolate Cake I layered a few with strawberry jam {just a store bought jar of strawberry jam} and the rest were layered with peanut butter glaze.
I baked my cakes, allowed them to cool for an hour and then assembled the jars. First I put down a thin layer of cake, then frosting, more cake, more frosting, and topped with either store bought caramel sauce for the pumpkin cake or powdered sugar for the chocolate cakes.
My packaging was super simple – tags with the each jars’ contents listed and a ribbon.
The beauty of these cake jars is that they are a total blank canvas – make a basic cake {even a simple box cake will do} and mix up each jar with various toppings {frosting, fruit, nuts, crushed bits of your favorite candy bar, Oreos, and so much more}.
A few combos I plan to try this holiday season:
*chocolate and peppermint {with crushed bits of candy cane in a simple white frosting}
*gingerbread {ginger cake with a caramel glaze}
*tiramisu {layers of lady fingers, dark chocolate, and mascarpone cheese – topped with freshly ground espresso}
The possibilities are endless!
Pumpkin Spice Cake
-1 cup all purpose flour
-2/3 cup whole wheat flour
-1/2 tablespoon baking powder
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1 teaspoon cinnamon
-1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
-1/2 teaspoon allspice
-1 cup sugar
-2 eggs
-1/4 cup canola oil
-1 cup low fat buttermilk
-1 cup pure canned pumpkin
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients {flour through allspice} and set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer and combine the sugar, eggs, oil, vanilla extract, and canned pumpkin. Mix until well-combined {about a minute}
4. Add a third of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mix, and add in 1/3 of the buttermilk. Continue until all dry ingredients and buttermilk are incorporated. Do not over-mix, just mix until the dry ingrendients are incorporated.
5. Coat a cake pan {use any size you have – square or round – I used a 12 inch round pan} with non-stick cooking spray, fill with the batter, and bake for about 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Mascarpone Cheese Frosting
-One 8 ounce container of mascarpone cheese {at room temperature}
-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
-1/4 cup powdered sugar
1. Use an electric mixer or wooden spoon to mix together all three ingredients.
Low-Fat Chocolate Cake
-1 cup all purpose flour
-1/4 cup whole wheat flour
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1 cup sugar
-1 cup low-fat buttermilk
-2 teaspoons vanilla extract
-2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1. Pre-Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, cocoa powder, salt, and sugar.
3. Combine the buttermilk, vanilla extract, and oil in a small bowl. Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients while stirring with a wooden spoon. Stir until just combined – be careful to not over-mix!
4. Coat a 9 inch cake pan {round or square} with cooking spray and pour in the batter. Bake for about 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Peanut Butter Glaze
-1 cup of unsweetened creamy peanut butter
-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
-1/4 cup powdered sugar
1. Microwave the peanut butter for about a minute – just until it is melted and easy to stir.
2. Use an electric mixer or wooden spoon to combine the melted peanut butter with the vanilla extract and powdered sugar
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