Recipe: Jar Cake Instructions - Any Quick Bread!

From: Linda Magee
Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking

Don't limit yourself to the recipes I'm giving you. Any quick- bread type cake will bake in canning jars. Lighter cakes tend to fall when the jars seal, so don't try to make "cake" cakes.

Let me give you a few tips before I start posting.

As summer's a bit behind us, I hope you can find the jars. Check out small hardware stores, they usually carry canning supplies. Smart & Final here in So. Calif. sells the plain jars, but not the fancy quilted ones. Here's what the jars should look like:

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As the sides are straight up and down, the cakes slide right out. IF the place where you've stored the cake is really cool, you may need to warm the jar up a bit--either hold it in hot water, or pop it (minus the lid) into the microwave for 1-2 seconds. Slide the cake out and slice it into round slices (or any way you'd like). Serve with whipped cream, or your favorite topping. If you don't eat it all, just put the lid back on and put it into the fridge. Once they're opened, they need to be eaten within a day or two (just like a regular cake) or refrigerated. Sometimes I slice the cakes lengthwise, making a boat-shape. I scoop out the middle and pile in ice cream--great for a kid's birthday party. No frosting, just cake and ice cream. These are meant to be snack cakes, nothing fancy.

ONLY use jars meant for canning, not old mayo jars, stuff like that. Hope you can find them, canning season is a bit behind us now. They also make "plain" jars (no diamond pattern), you might find them at Smart & Final if you have one in your area. I don't know the number for the plain jars, just make sure they look similar to this one.


Editor's Note:
Please be cautioned that no matter what you may read on the web about storing cakes in jars that the seal does not make them a 'canned' product. Info from the National Food Safety Database:

Canning Breads and Cakes
Angela M. Fraser
Canning breads and cakes is not true canning. It is the process of baking the product in canning jars and capping them as they come out of the oven. Usually, a weak seal will form as the product cools. This is not a shelf-stable product and so must be stored in the refrigerator or freezer to prevent microbial growth.

Title: Jar Cakes
Posted By: Rochelle, CA
Date: July 7th 2001
Board: recipelink.com Canning and Preserving

It is not recommended that jar cakes be kept longer than a couple of weeks and even then they should be refrigerated or frozen. The temperature in the batter doesn't get high enough and it doesn't penetrate the batter sufficiently to prevent bacteria from growing.