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    Home » Recipes » Dessert » Cakes + Cupcakes Recipes » Birthday Cake in a Jar

    Published: Apr 6, 2020 · Modified: Jun 7, 2020 by Kristen Massad · This post may contain affiliate links · 1 Comment

    Birthday Cake in a Jar

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    Cake in a Jar, aka party in a jar, is a fun and simple way to share an individual serving of cake.  Layers of your favorite cake, frosting, sprinkles and a mason jars makes for one amazing dessert and perfect for a front porch delivery to your favorite people!  

    birthday candle lit in cake in a jar

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    April is a big month of birthdays is our family and we are celebrating small but making it special while we are homebound.  There is no reason to skip a celebration and there must be cake!

    Birthday Cake in a Jar is made with one vanilla cake recipe or store bought cake mix, vanilla frosting and sprinkles.  While you can definitely keep these jars simple, there are three other fun flavors that are super easy to create and enjoy.  Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Strawberry Shortcake and Chocolate Caramel Brownie are three flavors that can be made with the same vanilla cake and frosting or to change it layer brownies and fudge frosting for the most decadent cake in a jar combo.  Once your jars are layered, seal the jar with the lid and add a birthday tag for your family or friends!

    Heres What You Need:

    Birthday Cake in a Jar
    Vanilla Cake (homemade or box cake mix)
    Vanilla Frosting
    Sprinkles
    Mason Jar
    Birthday Tag

    How to Make Birthday Cake in a Jar:

    Cake
    Bake the cake (or brownie) mix on a half sheet pan to create a thin layer of cake.  Once the cake is baked and cooled, using a circle cookie cutter that will fit the size of jar you are using, cut the cake into rounds.  Place the cake rounds on a parchment lined baking sheet and set aside

    Frosting
    Make or use store bought frosting!  If you are mixing in any toppings, place the frosting in a bowl and mix in the sprinkles or other toppings.  Place the frosting in a piping bag with a star tip.

    Layer
    Once your cake is baked and cut and your frosting is ready, grab your mason jars and start layering.  Start with one layer of cake, pipe frosting, add topping if necessary and repeat!  Once you are finished layering and you are at the top, garnish the top of the cake with sprinkles.  Seal the jar with the lid and add a ribbon and a birthday tag.

    Enjoy, Deliver or Store
    Birthday Cake in a Jar is a perfect treat to deliver to friends.  While we are having small celebrations, dropping these off on the porch of your friends and family will make them feel extra special.  Cake in a Jar can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days and will stay fresh.  When you are ready to eat, take the jars out about 20 minutes before and enjoy!

    Save the Extras
    The cake that you are baking will leave you with quite a few cake rounds.  Place the extra cake rounds on a small sheet pan or plate, wrap with plastic wrap and freeze to use the next time you want to make Birthday Cake in a Jar.  The frosting will stay in the refrigerator for  1 week or you can freeze it for a later date.  When you are ready to remake birthday cake in a jar, remove the cake rounds and the frosting from the freezer and allow them to sit out until defrosted before you start layering!

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    Birthday Cake in a Jar

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    Cake in a Jar, aka party in a jar, is a fun and simple way to share an individual serving of cake.  Layers of your favorite cake, frosting, sprinkles and a mason jars makes for one amazing dessert and perfect for a front porch delivery to your favorite people!  

    • Author: kristen massad

    Ingredients

    Scale

    1 Vanilla Cake Mix (box cake mix or homemade)
    1 Vanilla Frosting (store bought or homemade)
    Sprinkles
    Mason Jar
    Birthday Gift Tag

    Instructions

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and prepare a half sheet pan with parchment paper
    Prepare the cake mix according to the package or recipe instructions
    Bake the cake on the prepared half sheet pan (the cake will be thin)
    While the cake is baking, prepare the frosting and mix in rainbow sprinkles
    Once the cake is baked and out of the oven, allow the cake to cool completely
    Using a round cookie cutter, cut out cake rounds that are slightly smaller than the mason jar opening
    Layer the cake round at the bottom of the jar, pipe the frosting, add a topping if necessary and repeat with the cake round and finishing with the frosting and sprinkles
    Seal the jar with the lid
    Wrap a ribbon around the jar and add a birthday tag

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @joyandoliver on Instagram

     

    Other flavors you can create:

    Strawberry Shortcake Cake in a Jar
    Vanilla Cake (homemade or box cake mix)
    Fresh Whipped Cream or Vanilla Frosting
    Fresh Strawberries

    Chocolate Fudge Brownie Cake in a Jar
    Brownie (homemade or store bought)
    Chocolate Fudge Icing (homemade or store bought)
    Chocolate Sprinkles

    Chocolate Caramel Brownie Cake in a Jar
    Brownie (homemade or store bought)
    Vanilla Frosting
    Caramel Sauce (homemade or store bought)

     

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    • A white dish with a square slice of bread on top with a gold fork sitting next to it.
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Lindsay says

      November 21, 2021 at 10:46 pm

      Hi! What store bought frosting would u recommend?

      Reply

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