Bonnie, in a response to homesteader xmas ideas, mentioned cakes in a jar - sound interesting, maybe something I could manage - more info, please

-- Judy Genereux (thistle_farm@hotmail.com), September 20, 2000

Answers

You can use most any really moist cake recipe like coffee cake, banana bread, etc. Mix up the batter then fill a greased wide mouth jar about 2/3 full, maybe a little less. Wipe the top then bake at 350 until done. While still hot place a lid and ring on the jar, as it cools it will seal. They keep for a long time this way and stay fresh too.

When you are filling the jar, try not to get batter running down the side of the jar, ( gets too brown and looks nasty) Seems to work better if you spoon it in.

-- Marci (ajourend@libby.org), September 20, 2000.

Judy, doesn't that sound neat? And easy as pie? Or I guess I should say easy as cake. I just gotta try it. That and the smowman soup or some sort of coffee. Maybe a little fudge or the chocolate covered spoons to stir with. Good luck!

-- Bonnie (josabo1@juno.com), September 20, 2000.

I drive a van route for the senior citizens and did not know what to get each one for christmas last year (or what I could aford to get them all) so I baked cakes in a jar (when in doubt give food) you know they all gave me the empty jars back and ask for refills this year. I have found wide mouth jars work best, I also like to use a spice cake or carrot something that taste good un-iced Grant

-- Grant Eversoll (thegrange@earthlink.net), September 20, 2000.

at the cake out of the jar with a spoon? It doesn't slide out, intact, does it?

-- Shannon (Grateful Acres Animal Sanctuary) (gratacres@aol.com), September 21, 2000.

Don't know why the front half of my post was missing...should have said: do you eat the cake out of the jar with a spoon?

-- Shannon (Grateful Acres Animal Sanctuary) (gratacres@aol.com), September 21, 2000.

Shannon, I think it's supposed to slide out. Maybe run a knife or something down the side if it is stuck? Or would that scratch the glass to much? My problem is I am haveing trouble finding wide mouth pint jars. I can find quarts.And I can find those little half pints. I wander if a grocery store could special order them for you? Would quart jars work for this? Hey , if anyone knows if the quarts will work let me know. I am not at all sure they are completely strait sided at the rim either.

-- Bonnie (josabo1@juno.com), September 21, 2000.

I use wide mouth quarts. Sometimes mine comes out whole and sometimes they don't. You can cut the cake in half before sliding it out.

-- Marci (ajourend@libby.org), September 21, 2000.

Marci, How long do you bake in the quarts? What kind of cake do you make? What temperature? Thanks.

-- Bonnie (josabo1@juno.com), September 21, 2000.

I noticed on the bakeing thread a recipe for pumpkin cake and lemon curd. Could someone give me the recipe for chocolate cherry bread or cake? I can't remember who said they made it. thanks.

-- Bonnie (josabo1@juno.com), September 21, 2000.

I bake at 350 and for as for time, when it begins to pull away from the sides of the jar and browns on top, just like any cake. Begin checking it at about 20 minutes. I have made them with a banana coffee cake and a zucchini bread recipes.

-- Marci (ajourend@libby.org), September 21, 2000.

Bonnie - Here's the chocolate/cherry bread. 3 cups flour 3 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 1 egg 1 1/4 cup milk 1 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup melted shortening 3 squares unsweetened chocolate - melted with shortening 6 ounces chocolate chips 1 cup drained, chopped maraschino cherries Preheat oven to 350. Grease, then flour three miniature loaf pans. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into bowl. Stir in egg, milk, then brown sugar. Add melted shortening and chocolate, stirring until blended. Then stir in Choc.chips and cherries. Divide between 3 pans. Bake about 45 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in pans 15 minutes then remove and finish cooling. Do not overbake. For canning, pour into jars (can't remember how many) and bake as directed. Seal after removing from oven. *******I always grease my canning jars to within one inch of the rim. Cake just slides out when it's time to serve.

-- glynnis in KY (gabbycab@msn.com), September 22, 2000.

Marci, the cake sounds great, I have a question. After the cake is baked and the lid placed on to seal, how long does this last and do you just store it with other canned foods? Thanks God Bless.

-- tracy emily (emilyfarms@tsixroads.com), September 26, 2000.

Hmmm.. Every time I have heard of cakes in a jar it refered to putting all the dry materials into a jar and giving that out. All someone has to do is add egg or milk and pour in the jar

-- Gary (gws@redbird.net), September 27, 2000.

There are in fact two kinds of "cakes in a jar". One is a cake baked directly in a jar that (hopefully) seals and can be stored in a cool dark place just like other canned goods. The other is a mix that is put in a jar that doesn't have to be a canning jar.

There have been some question raised about the baked in the jar cakes. The canning jar company does NOT recommend doing it, and feels that the jars may not withstand the types of thermal shocks they go through during the process. Other people have raised the flag about the seal quality and that you are canning cakes containing ingredients that aren't considered safe for home canners to put up. One writer deals with the sealing question by recommending that the jars be checked weekly for failed seals.

That said, a lot of people seem to be doing it and haven't had any problems, although there have been some failed seals on jars. Those cakes have been discarded.

There are a number of sites on the web for both the baked in the jar cakes and for cake/cookie/brownie mixes in jars. Gerbil

-- Gerbil (ima_gerbil@hotmail.com), September 27, 2000.

Just read the thread. I made banana bread in wide mouth pint jars last year for "y2k". Usually I would freeze it but what if the power went out?! Ha! Anyway, it worked great. We greased the bottom only of the jar just the the recipe says to do for the loaf pans and ours slid right out. They sliced very nicely into pretty round portions and toasted beautifully on the griddle.

The only problem I found was that if the jars sit too long, all the moisture in the bread seeps to the bottom. A remedy may be to just invert the jars every couple weeks if they have to sit for long.

Because my sons pumpkins did well this year, we may be canning pumpkin bread.

Heather

-- Heather Gorden (heathergorden@hotmail.com), September 27, 2000.

Here are some links for both types.

http://www.realfood4realpeople.com/collections.htm http://members.aol.com/stephndon/cookie.htm http://members.tripod.com/~MaryMae/jarlinks.htm

Gerbil

-- Gerbil (ima_gerbil@hotmail.com), September 27, 2000.

Sigh, I'll try again.

http://www.realfood4realpeople.com/collections.htm

http://members.aol.com/stephndon/cookie.htm

http://members.tripod.com/~MaryMae/jarlinks.htm

-- Gerbil (ima_gerbil@hotmail.com), September 27, 2000.

I just made my first "cake in a jar"!! (Spice cake) I was a little worried that they wouldn't seal, because they were dome-shaped at the top, and actually touched the lid when I put it on. Looks like they've sealed, except for the one I'm eating. Now if I only had some raisins.....

-- Cathy Horn (hrnofplnty@webtv.net), September 30, 2000.