Chocolate Cake in a Jar

1 stick plus 3 Tbsp. Butter or Margarine
3 cups White Sugar
4 Eggs
1 Tbsp. Vanilla
2 cups Applesauce, unsweetened
3 cups White Flour
3/4 cup unsweetened Cocoa powder
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/8 tsp. Salt

Prewash 8 pint-sized wide mouth canning jars (be sure to use the kind that have no shoulders) in hot, soapy water. Rinse well, dry and let them come to room temperature. Grease insides of jar well.

Beat together butter and half of sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and remaining sugar, vanilla and applesauce. Sift dry ingredients together and add to the applesauce mixture a little at a time: beat well after each addition .

Pour one cup of batter into each jar and carefully remove any batter from the rims. Place jars in a preheated 325-degree oven and bake for 40 minutes.

While cakes are baking, bring a saucepan of water to a boil and carefully add jar lids. Remove pan from heat and keep lids hot until ready to use.

When the cakes have finished baking, remove jars from oven. Make sure jar rims are clean. Place lids on jars, and screw rings on tightly.

Cakes will slide right out when ready to serve. Jars should be stored in the refrigerator and eaten within 2 weeks or frozen for longer storage.

Editor's note:
For cautions and more info regarding safety of jar cakes:
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/uga/uga_can_breads.pdf