The sweet new trend, cake in a jar!
Juliet Sear is here to show us why cake jars - the fun new baking trend - are the perfectly portioned treat for your lunchbox or picnic.
Simply grab an old jar, fill it with lashings of cake filling and grab a spoon for the road. It’s a piece of cake!
Guilt free strawberries and cream cake jars
Makes 4
Ingredients
170g melted low fat spread, cooled
160g self-raising flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
4 large eggs
160g caster sugar
1 tsp vanillaFilling
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 tablespoons icing sugar
200g low fat double cream
200g fresh strawberries, chopped into small pieces
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 170C fan.
2. Lightly grease a 20 x 30cm rectangle cake tin and with a large sheet of baking parchment, also folding up the sides a couple of inches. Lightly grease the inside of the parchment with some of the melted low fat spread, leaving 160g left for adding to the cake batter.
3. Sieve the flour, salt and baking powder into a bowl.
4. Separately, whisk together the eggs, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment on a high setting for about 5-6 minutes until it has tripled in size. It should be stiffer in texture, leaving ribbon trails.
5. Pour in roughly a third of the cooled low fat spread into the egg mixture and gently fold through with a spatula taking care not to knock out the air.
6. Sift about a third of the flour onto the mix and gently fold. Repeat with another 1/3 butter then flour, and once more until it’s all mixed gently together.
7. Pour the batter into the tin gently. Bake in the oven for about 20-22 mins until risen, golden, spongy and completely cooked through. Leave to cool slightly in the tin for a few minutes, before turning out carefully onto a wire rack, removing the paper and leaving to cool completely.
8. To make the filling, add the vanilla and sugar to the cream and whisk until it has thickened, and it is holding its shape.
9. To assemble, cut out discs of sponge with a cutter the same size as the jar, shave off the outer crust of the discs.
10. Place a disc of sponge into the bottom of the jar, so it’s flat against it.
11. Cover over with about 25g of chopped strawberries and level out.
12. Pipe in a neat ring of the whipped cream around the edge of the jar and work inwards to cover the strawberries in a layer of cream.
13. Top with a further sponge, strawberry and cream layer. Finish with a strawberry on top. Refrigerate until eating, ideally best eaten within two days, bring out to come to room temperature before enjoying.
Rainbow layer cake
Makes 2-3 jars (subject to size)
Ingredients
150g softened unsalted butter
150g white caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
3 medium free range eggs
150g self raising flour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
2 tablespoons milk
Food colourings (I used purple, blue, green, yellow and pink)
450g shop bought buttercream icing
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 170 fan/ gas 5.
2. Grease and line a deep 20 x 30cm cake tin, dividing into 3 sections.
3. For the sponge cake, whisk together the butter, the sugar and vanilla in an electric mixer on a high speed for a few minutes until very pale, really creamy and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, incorporating together really well.
4. In a separate bowl, dry whisk or sieve the flour, salt and baking powder together. Add to the wet mix in increments of three, just incorporating each time, and then loosen with the milk. Divide into three bowls and tint each one pink, purple and green to the desired shade.
5. Spoon the mixture into the tin sections and level off with a spatula and bake for about 20-22 mins or until cooked through, risen and spongy. When baked, leave in the tin for 5 minutes and then lift out onto a wire rack to cool completely. When cool, cut into the discs and shave off the top and bottom.
6. Separate the buttercream into 2 bowls, add the blue and yellow colours to the desired shades, then load the mixtures into piping bags so it’s easy to piping in neatly.
7. To assemble, place a purple disc of sponge into the bottom of the jar, making sure it’s flat against it. Pipe over a neat ring of the blue buttercream around the edge of the jar and work inwards to cover the sponge layer.
8. Continue building the jar with the different colours until the final disc is placed on top. Add the lid and you’re good to go!
Funfetti cake jar
Makes 3-4 jars
Ingredients
150g softened unsalted butter
150g white caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
3 medium free range eggs
150g self raising flour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
2 tablespoons milk
2 - 3 tbsp bright cake sprinkles
450g shop bought buttercream icing
Candle and gift bag/ribbon (optional)
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 170 fan/ gas 5
2. Grease and line a deep 20 x 30cm cake tin with baking parchment.
3. For the sponge cake, whisk together the butter, the sugar and vanilla in an electric mixer on a high speed for a few minutes until very pale, really creamy and fluffy.
4. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, incorporating together really well
5. In a separate bowl, dry whisk or sieve the flour, salt and baking powder together. Add to the wet mix in increments of three, just incorporating each time, and then loosen with the milk. Stir in the sprinkles.
6. Spoon the mixture into the tin and level off with a spatula and bake for about 20-22 mins or until cooked through, risen and spongy.
7. When baked, leave in the tin for 5 minutes and then lift out onto a wire rack to cool completely. When cool, cut into the discs and shave off the top and bottom where it has browned.
8. To assemble, place a disc of sponge into the bottom of the jar, flat against it. Pipe over a neat ring of the buttercream around the edge of the jar and work inwards to cover the sponge layer. Continue building the jar until the final disc is placed on top.
9. Place on the lid, attach a candle with ribbon if using.
Note: Add some more frosting with a stem on the cherry for the topping - this looks really lovely for a birthday.
Chocolate and salted caramel layer cake
Makes 3-4 jars
Ingredients
12 of chocolate cake bar slices
240g of vanilla frosting
Approximately 5tbsp salted caramel sauce
1 regular crunchy caramel almond chocolate bar
Method
1. Place two of the cake bars together and then using the jar, cut around the base to create the sponge shape, or alternatively crumble in the cake and compact the layer to fill the jar up about 1/5 of its depth.
2. Stir 2 tablespoons of the caramel sauce into the frosting and place this into a piping bag and pipe into the jar on top of the first cake layer.
3. Crush the chocolate bar, keeping the wrapping on, by tapping it on the surface or use a rolling pin. Open the pack and sprinkle half over the salted caramel cream in the jar.
4. Repeat again to fill up the jar and this time drizzle over extra caramel sauce on the top as well as the crumbled chocolate bar.