Since we just celebrated our first birthday here at The Daily Muse, I thought it would be fitting to bake us a cake. But not just any cake—a one-year birthday celebration deserves the most adorable miniature cakes in single-serving mason jars. (Yes, of course I’m going to keep using mason jars every chance I get!)
Directions
First, buy some half-pint (8 oz) canning jars. You can choose whatever type of cake you like (homemade or boxed works a-okay) and fill the mason jars with the batter so they’re just over half full.
Then, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Next, fill a large pan with hot water and place the mason jars into the water. This helps the cakes cook evenly and also will ensure your mason jars won’t crack from the heat.
Bake according to whatever recipe you’re using, but be sure to add approximately 15 minutes to the cooking time, as the water bath slows the baking. Once the cakes have baked, remove from the water bath and let cool.
The cakes will have puffed up about ¾ of the way to the top of each jar, leaving the perfect amount of room for frosting and sprinkles. It’s actually easier to use a piping bag with a frosting tip here—I used a French tip, but an open star (Wilton1M) or closed star (Wilton 2D) would work really well too.
You can never have too many sprinkles.
Tie a fun bow around each jar, and add a spoon to each cake. If you’re feeling crafty, you can stick colorful stickers on each lid, either to personalize each one or to commemorate whatever occasion you’re celebrating.
And that’s it! Seal each jar with a lid, and your cakes-in-a-jar are ready to go!
