The need can be anything from a new baby to a hospital stay to the loss of a loved one.
The desire on our part is the same, to make life easier for the recipient. To give them a gift of a warm, comforting, homemade meal.
When my church reached out and asked if I could bring a meal to a family that just had their first child I said yes before she could finish talking. Having just have had a baby myself, I know how wonderful a small kind gesture can be!
So in addition to the main grub, I decided to bring them a fun dessert.
I made the six different cakes in jars! They are roughly a single serving each, or if you are like me, they are half a single serving.
Each jar is different and each has its own distinctive frosting.
But here is the fun part.
I made them all from ONE cake recipe.
White Cake
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup milk
4 egg whites
2 cups cake flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
Combine sugar and shortening until well blended. In separate bowl, beat egg whites until light and frothy. (about 3 minutes) Sift baking powder into flour. Add flour to sugar mixture alternating with the milk. Add extract. Gently add egg whites and fold in until just combined.
Pour batter into prepared pans and bake at 350 for 25-35 minutes depending on your stove.
Baking tip specifically for jars:
Add 1/2 cup cake batter to well greased jar and bake at 325 for 35-45 minutes. The goal is to make sure the center is not raw, hence the longer cooking time. Start watching your jar at 30 minutes to make sure you don't over-bake.
Here is how I made six different cakes with one batter!
In every recipe I added the suggested ingredients to 1/2 cup of the plain white cake batter.
(I used this buttercream recipe and Cool Whip for my whipped topping)
Doh! That should totally say PEACH, not peace. Sorry!
This was a fun and easy way to make sure everyone gets something they would like!
I also tied a tag onto each jar describing the contents. I sorta had this vision of the new mom sitting at her kitchen table at 2:00am feeding her baby with every jar open in front of her and shes sampling a little from each one.
Maybe that was less of a vision and more of a fantasy. Cause like, I am still feeding my three month old at 2:00am.
I also added little words of encouragement on the top of each jar… a Bible saying on a couple, "Congrats", "Blessings", easy sayings like that.
This whole project with definitely a labor of love and I felt so privileged that I was able to offer up a small gift!
If you try it, be sure to leave a comment and let me stop by and gush over your Dessert for Someone Deserving!
I love this, Amanda!!! So creative and thoughtful! As soon as I can get some jars, we’re going to try this! (yes, I mean in like 6 months when my memory returns…babies!) We have loved being showered with meals this last week from friends–it really does mean a lot!
This is such a smart and thoughtful idea. I may just have a baby so you will bring some to me.
Amanda
LOVE this idea…so sweet and creative!! Don’t feel bad…last night was the very first time that our Karlena slept through the night….she is 3 days shy of 7 months. And I expect this is a fluke and tonight will not be the same! Here’s to 2am feedings and the opportunity to spend some time loving on our babes and praying for our friends!
Blessings, Kristin
such a great idea! love how i recipe can be so versatile!
I bet they were blown away when they saw what you brought them, what a nice thing to do. You are such a kind soul.
These are so sweet, Amanda! They are such a perfect, thoughtful idea for gifts!
Not only is the idea of the single serving and the use of one batter for all the different concepts just lovely and fantastic, but the gesture and the kind encouraging words of the personalization of the note on each is just so sweet and kind.
What a sweet idea and so special to create 6 unique flavors! You really outdid yourself and I am sure the recipient loved every single bite of each cake flavor!
This is a great idea. Did you mention the size of jars you used? You have such great cakes& treats on your blog!
What a wonderful idea. I like the thought of the mom at the kitchen table sampling because I DEFINITELY would have been doing that! Love the tags on them, too!
I absolutely LOVE this idea. Those lucky people!
This is such a unique idea, I’ve got to try to something like this! Amazing!
How neat! I really enjoy this idea
What a GREAT idea to try a few different recipes! Thank you for sharing!
So amazing and beautiful! I didn’t know you could bake the cake right in the jar, I’m going to go buy some now! I wonder if any jar would suffice…I’ve seen many at Target/Walmart that are super cute.
Gorgeous and such a wonderful idea. And I love the verse written on the top of the lid. One of my favorites.
very charming dessert and very fun presentation.
This is darling!!! I love it, and will certainly borrow this idea from you! Thanks!!
That has got to be one of the sweetest and creative things I have seen in awhile! What a great idea. =D You are one awesome/sweet lady!
What an awesome idea! I’m going to have to find a reason to make these, not that a really need a reason.
I tried to do this at Christmas with sweet dough and vanilla custard (like a pie in a jar). I used the short fat jars. I wish it would have come out as pretty as this, but the ppl I gave them to enjoyed them. Love your idea and will definitely use it in the future.
I absolutly love this idea! I can’t wait to try it out. Thanks for sharing it…now go get some sleep before you ahve to wake up at 2
Love these! They look fabulous!
Yum! What a great idea! I wish someone would make these for me. My baby #2 is due end of August! I do most of the baking in my family, so maybe I’ll have to make these for myself before I go off to the hospital.
I love this idea! What a beautiful gift to give someone, so creative and thoughtful:)
I really want to make these. Partly because I love the idea of baking cakes in jars, partly because they look so cute but mostly because I think it’s a beautiful way to say that you care. Your blog is amazing!
WOW this is wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing this very creative idea.
How lovely. I am sure they have been so happy receiving this. I love the idea!
Soooo beautiful!! I would be thrilled if someone went to such an effort for me!!
Amanda I LOOOOVE this!!! love the idea that you could make several versions all with the same cake batter! and your presentation…..is the BOMBDIGITY! haha!!
Love it!
Love making desserts in my little Ball jars! And really enjoyed reading all the ways you made that cake. Will be trying some for sure!
This is such a perfect idea. I love all the different cake flavors!
Not being familiar with canning jars, can anyone tell me what size these jars are? Can’t wait to try this. Thank you for sharing this great idea. Thanks in advance.
Ohmy…just took a break from “work”…
…and was going to see whats new over here.
))
This post is just amazing, so lovely, so giving,…I am just happy and want to do the same thing to someone right now. This idea is awesome, Amanda.
Love it, I am going to do this, you will hear from me
Much love and many blessings..
niner
do these keep for awhile or do you have to eat them right away? I made “cake in the jar” once to send to my son overseas and sealed with the canning lids and they supposedly would stay fresh for a long time. (for his 21st birthday)
You are too much, Amanda! I’m sure you made this new mom feel so special!
Is there a certain size jar to use??? Can’t wait to make these.
I AM JUST STARTING TO BAKE AT THE RIPE OLD AGE OF 50+. SINCE I’M A NEW-BE – COULD I USE A PRE-PACKAGED CAKE MIX TO MAKE THE CAKES IN A JAR?…THIER SO CUTE..
WOW – They all look amazing AMANDA! You are a kind soul and I am certain the recipent of these did sample each one! Thanks for sharing! I love your blog, it is so inspiring to me!
This is just the most fabulous idea ive seen in a long time! The blueberry one especially is calling my name! I love the clear way you laid out the post too, its just a gorgeous post entirely! Just to let you know you made a spelling mistake in the title of the peach cake recipe, i thought i should point it out cos if i was you i would want to know – please dont think im nit picking or anything!! Lovely post indeed
Wow! I’m so impressed! The lady with the new baby must have been floored!
Wow, that’s such a cool idea! I wonder if there is some way we can incorporate that over at http://www.bellyful.org.nz
These are wonderful! My mom ended up with a ton of extra jars, so I might break into her stash!
Would you recommend doing them ahead and freezing?
this is such a marvelous idea…thank you so much for sharing this…i definitely need to try this….
Love this idea…but really need to know what size jar…don’t want to end up with a burnt mess!! So glad I found your blog!
Great idea! I love it, so vreative, thoughtful and they all look YUMMY!
I just LOVE this idea! WHat a special treat! Is it greedy to think I wish someone would make this for me? lol I guess I’m just going to have to try my hand at it sometime. Just genious!
Such a beautiful gift to receive – lovely work. And I love the verse you wrote on the lid, a fave related to my 2nd born.
Are the egg whites just egg whites or do they need to be whipped to soft peaks?
AlthoughI dont have those jars in my possession anymore, I am fairly certain they were PINT sized jars. Hope that helps!
Wow, you don’t ever do anything the easy way do you? =) These look and sound awesome!! So many different flavors! I’m sure the family felt very blessed and loved with such a special treat!
Leaves me inspired…..as usual…thanks!
I am not at all surprised that you would be this thoughtful and sweet! I love the idea of transforming one cake batter into all of these delicious treats- you are quite resourceful!
And I sure do love a cake in a jar – I am inspired
you are such a special lady! I wish I was having a baby so you could bring me food, and more importantly dessert. i am so doing these for eli’s bar mitzvah. do you think I can do these the day before? put the top on and put in the fridge??? these would be so impressive and photo worthy! xx
These are so great! I kinda want to have a baby so you will make these for me…well, maybe not, but if I go buy a doll and pretend can you make them?
So charming and quaint. I love mason jars and these sound scrumptious!
You are amazing! Love all of them!
Such wonderful treats!
You are the best – and this idea is the best. That is all…. : )
This is SOOOOOOOO fun! What a cool idea, you could do anything with this…I’m liking it with your homemade funfetti!
This is the cutest thing I have seen in a LONG time! Also, it solves the problem of everyone having completely different taste in cake!
Great idea Amanda! Always a pleasure reading and checking your amazing blog. Blessings
Wow, this is such a magical and inspiring idea. I really, truly want to try my hand at this one day.
You are brilliant. I definitely need to play around with these fun little cakes in a jar!
Oh my goodness, I love these! All those flavors look great and the idea is awesome! Thank you so much for sharing!
I LOVE this idea!
What a FUN FUN idea!!!! I would LOVE to make these as a “just because” gift for a few people I know!!! Hope all is well with you and your little ones!!!
Amanda this is such a sweet gesture – before I realized they were all from one cake recipe I wondered….HOW on Earth with your busy life could you do this? You are a rockstar. I am sure this family LOVES you!! xxoo
What a great idea! I used your idea to make no-bake cheesecakes-in-jars for the 4th of July. They were great! Thank you for the inspirations!!
http://wellhellosunshine.blogspot.com
very clever–I shall make and bring these to my knitting group!
I love cake in a jar. Great gift idea!
Chef Laura at Home
http://laurajanelli.posterous.com
http://www.facebook.com/cheflauraathome
Wow these are great! When my sister-in-law has her baby I think I may just have to whip some of these babies up!
such a great idea. thanks for sharing!
Beautiful! I’m sure they really appreciated it! “It’s the thought that counts,” well….sometimes it’s the CAKE that counts. But in this case, you pulled off both!
~Cookin’ Cowgirl
What a wonderful idea!My Mom always does those extra special little things for neighbors and friends in needs. I am sure this mother was delighted beyond words to have a treat like this show up at her door. What a lovely idea and a nice way to spoil someone!
SUCH a beautiful idea! and they look perfect! thank you for sharing x
Such a great idea! My neighbors are expecting twins and I have some old (vintage!) jars that I think would love to hold pretty, little cakes. Thanks for sharing.
That is a CUTE idea. I just saw this same idea for quick breads. I would so be tasting all of them. If it makes you feel better, Bree was nursing at 3 in the morning last week. *sigh*
what a great idea–the possibilities are literally endless! you’re a thoughtful gal, amanda.
What a fabulous idea. And so easy-thank you for sharing!!!
What a wonderful idea! They look fantastic, especially all together.
My best friend just broke up with her long term boyfriend and I want to make these for her SOOO badly, luckily I still have one more mason jar, I just recycled like five of them!!! I should have saved them! These are fabulous!
This is so amazing! I think I’ll try making these with my daughter as gifts to her camp counselors as a thank you for a great summer! (Can’t believe camp is ending already, btw.) But the jars freak me out – is there anything else I need to know about the jars to make sure they don’t crack in the oven? Or do you think standard jelly jars will do?
Thanks for another great idea!!
That has got to be the sweetest thing I have seen or read in a long time.
Blessings to you. I bet that new mommy just cried when she saw how much she was loved. You are amazing!
nice. just goes to show how creative one can get with the smallest changes or additions!
These are so adorable! What a thoughtful and unique treat!
How delightful is this! Cake in a jar!I have to ask where did you find these cute jars?
What would be the longest that you would keep the cakes in jars? How long do you think they’ll last?
This is so cute. Love the idea of putting it on a container. I think I can make that as a debut treat for my sister’s debut next month. Thanks for that awesome idea.
Ich entschuldige mich, aber meiner Meinung nach irren Sie sich. Schreiben Sie mir in PM.
What a brilliant idea! This looks gorgeous and perfect for all occasions. I will surely suggest this for my sister’s wedding reception.
Thank you so much for posting this amazing idea! I recreated your cakes at my Mom’s surprise 50th birthday and they were a huge hit!! It’s all people could talk about. Your recipe made the party. Thanks again!!
Your newest follower,
Sarah M.
http://www.diyordont.blogspot.com
Love the idea of the cakes, have to see if I can find tose jars near where I live. Thanks for sharing
Love this idea! looks so yummy! I am new to this baking technique, how did you cook the batter in the jar in the oven? did you put the jars straight in the oven??
Thanks!
This is so awesome! I can’t wait to try it out! Thanks for sharing : )
dahlingkadie.blogspot.com
I am curious about storing these. Like can you make some ahead without the toppings, and have the lids seal in the oven while they bake? That way you can have some on hand when needed? Have you ever tried this?
Wonderful article! I just love it! Keep posting your awesome ideas!
I do this every summer. I make brownies in a jar, with just a simple brownie box recipe, but I add chocolate chips to make it richer. And then I make a pineapple upside down cakes with the brown sugar and pineapple at the bottoms. My hubby prefers the pineapple, I prefer the brownies. I always make in the summer because my friends come to visit then, and I actually put the tops on when they come out of the oven, and once they are cooled, I decorate the tops with ribbon. I put a tray in the guest room they will be staying in with a few and a couple of spoons so they can have a late night snack. They love it!
This is such a lovely idea!
I like this, Amanda!! It’s really fabulous idea have seen in a long time! Thank you so much for sharing this very creative idea about desserts.
Such a nice gesture…. and a lovely blog you have…
Amanda – this is genious! I know I’m like, a year and a half behind on reading either of your blogs, but I’m in awe of your skills. You just keep growing and growing in your baking and photography talents and I just adore your creations. I just wanted you to know. Oh, and I’m most definately going to try this.
Super cute idea
What a blessing to that family. I have also been on the receiving end of sweet ladies in our church delivering a meal. This takes it to a new level.
Great idea. Thank you so much for posting this fabulous idea!
I am saving this for my wedding!
I love this idea. I had my third baby 6 months ago & this time around, we were brought food of some sort almost every day for a couple of weeks. It was awesome! I think maybe because my son is in elem. school this time, there’s a new network of moms who appreciate the gift of food – and help with bringing the other kids to & from school. Anyway, these jars look awesome & I’m totally going to use those recipes to pay it forward
How neat is that?! LOVE the Bible verse idea, as well!!
Love love love this blog post! I’ve seen a common use for mason jars everywhere. Just saw that someone created a list on all the things you can use Mason jars for. I couldn’t resist adding your blog post
Feel free to check it out here: http://www.skinnyscoop.com/list/eden/clever-uses-for-mason-jars
Thank you so much!
Hey there! Would love to chat with you offline about your blog. Do you have an email I can use to send over some questions. Thanks so much. Look forward to hearing from you
Sure! I have all my contact information on the FAQ page. My email is manda2177@aol.com
Great idea! I am so ready to do this. But, my concern is won’t the glass break..???
Nope! Those jars are menat for high heat. If you have concerns feel free to check manufacturer recommendations.
in regards to the vanilla cake in a jar. How much vanilla do I add to the 1/2 cup white cake? And how much vanilla to the frosting?
Also, in regards to the frosting….how much cool whip is needed to make the base frosting?
Thank you,
Kimberly
Very creative and super thoughtful idea.
I was hoping to send these overseas to my husband who is deployed…will they stay good in the jar? The cool whip frosting seems a bit time sensitive!
Wonderful! I’ve been looking for an idea for our monthly Kids Cooking Club and will definitely be using this idea so that each child can customize their own cake!
One trick I like to do is freeze my batter. I measure out what I need by putting water in the pan and then dumping that into my measuring cut then that is how much batter I need to put in a zip lock. This means that all I have to do to make a quick gift or an easy but still fresh dessert is pull out a bag and thaw. I even portioned out frosting. Freeze in an uncovered jar. Once you’re sure it’s solid, no more expansion, put the lid on. Or just use the baggy again. Easier for applying, less dishes. If your backing in jars just freeze in the jars and then thaw and back as you like.
sorry about all the typos. I’m sleepy.